Since LP was born I started to look at the things I do and keep in my home in a new light. When I looked at cleaners I saw only poisons and every time I throw away a paper towel I felt guilty because I know that the lack of those trees will affect my children and grandchildren for generations to come. So I decided to change and Hubby was kind of on board but since I stay home and do most of the cleaning he really didn’t mind the change. I have decided to share with you my experience of switching to a more natural chemical free way of living because I am hopping that this might a peal to you and your family and in turn will start living a healthier more natural way of life. Of course I can’t do all of this in one blog post so I have decided to do a series called “Rediscovering a Natural Way of Living”
So I started out my educating myself .
Part 1: Air Fresheners
With two cats and a baby that uses cloth I am all about air fresheners that is until I learned about VOC.
(Source: US EPA)
Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are emitted as gases from certain solids or liquids. VOCs include a variety of chemicals, some of which may have short- and long-term adverse health effects. Concentrations of many VOCs are consistently higher indoors (up to ten times higher) than outdoors. VOCs are emitted by a wide array of products numbering in the thousands.
Products that have VOC in it include: Household products including: paints, paint strippers, and other solvents; wood preservatives; aerosol sprays; cleansers and disinfectants; moth repellents and air fresheners; stored fuels and automotive products; hobby supplies; dry-cleaned clothing.
Health Effects
Eye, nose, and throat irritation; headaches, loss of coordination, nausea; damage to liver, kidney, and central nervous system. Some organics can cause cancer in animals; some are suspected or known to cause cancer in humans. Key signs or symptoms associated with exposure to VOCs include conjunctival irritation, nose and throat discomfort, headache, allergic skin reaction, dyspnea, declines in serum cholinesterase levels, nausea, emesis, epistaxis, fatigue, dizziness.
The ability of organic chemicals to cause health effects varies greatly from those that are highly toxic, to those with no known health effect. As with other pollutants, the extent and nature of the health effect will depend on many factors including level of exposure and length of time exposed. Eye and respiratory tract irritation, headaches, dizziness, visual disorders, and memory impairment are among the immediate symptoms that some people have experienced soon after exposure to some organics. At present, not much is known about what health effects occur from the levels of organics usually found in homes. Many organic compounds are known to cause cancer in animals; some are suspected of causing, or are known to cause, cancer in humans.
Okay Now that I have your attention. So after reading this I took all my plug-in air fresheners and unplugged them, but instead of giving up air fresheners all together (Lets be real that isn’t going to happen) I decided to make my own and it’s real easy.
I first opened my air freshener refills and dumped out what was left in them and washed them out (I also washed the cotton thing that soaks up the sent to be sure all the VOC were gone) Then I filled the container 1/3 full of essential oils (I picked Lavender) and then fill the rest (not the whole way to prevent over flow when I put the cotton stick back in) with water.

After a few hours of my new fresheners being plugged in I noticed the difference right away. The old fresheners I had to have them turned up all the way to even get a whiff of scent from them not so with my natural alternative. I had to turn them all the way down because the smell was so powerful! so since they are all down all the way this means that they wont have to be refilled as often because they will last longer.
Starting to live a health life isn’t so bad so far 🙂
Happy Living