The obsession for “fresh” smelling air is skyrocketing. Americans are expected to spend 1.72 billion dollars on air fresheners this year—that’s enough money to buy 82,100 brand new Toyota Prius cars. Air fresheners can provide pleasant smell associations, disguise bad odors, and just make us feel warm and woozy. And itchy and congested and achy and occasionally even convulsive and comatose. Here’s what you need to know about the dangers of air fresheners and tips for living without them.
The craze for air fresheners is rapidly expanding and is even infiltrating the tween and teen demographic with new products being designed to entice the 8 to 18 set. One fun and flirty plug-in comes in girl-friendly flavors and provides a light show. All the more disturbing when one considers a study by the University of Bristol called “Children of the ’90s” (Alspac), which has followed the health and development of 14,000 children since before birth.
The study didn’t analyze the ingredients in air fresheners, just the effects: 32 percent more babies suffered diarrhea in homes where air fresheners were used every day, compared with homes where they were used once a week or less, and they had significantly more earaches in these homes as well. Air fresheners also affected mothers—those who used them daily suffered nearly 10 percent more headaches. Perhaps most surprising is the finding that women who lived in homes with daily air freshener use had a 26 percent increased risk of depression.
Just one whiff of the thick synthetic-smelling perfume of an air freshener leaves me thinking “run away!” But could the ingredients in them really be all that bad? Amid all of the Internet chatter about the dangers of commercial air fresheners is this gem of a study by the California Air Resources Board entitled “Indoor Air Chemistry: Cleaning Agents, Ozone and Toxic Air Contaminants.”
The conclusion of the study was that the use of some air fresheners can produce toxic pollutants when used in the presence of ozone (a form of oxygen). Even minimal ozone concentrations were enough to drive significant indoor chemistry. When the chemicals emitted from the air-fresheners are combined with ozone, pollutants of serious health concern are produced. These include formaldehyde (a known human carcinogen and a respiratory irritant with a very low threshold for health effects) and ultrafine pollutant particles. Also of concern is the production of acetaldehyde, organic acids, other oxygenated intermediates, hydrogen peroxide, secondary organic aerosol, and hydroxyl radicals.
Of all of the products studied, air fresheners were the worst offenders. The most serious problems occur when the terpines in the air fresheners mix with ozone. Ozone enters indoor environments with outdoor air and is generally present indoors at levels that are up to 50 percent of outdoor levels. Ozone also may be introduced by indoor sources including devices designed to generate ozone for air purification, air cleaners generating ozone as a byproduct of ionization, and some photocopiers and printers. According to the California Air Resources Board, air cleaners or air “purifiers” that intentionally produce ozone should never be used; they emit very high levels of ozone, a reactive gas that may harm human health.
So what can you do?
Watch Your Ozone
Don’t use air fresheners advertised as pine- or lemon-scented, especially during high outdoor pollution days. For ozone forecasts, visit Air Now. This is a great government-sponsored website just about air quality. When using cleaning products, avoid the use of indoor air cleaning devices such as electrostatic precipitators and ionizers that can emit ozone.
Remove bad odors instead of masking them
Open windows. Clean the source of the odor with non-toxic products. Empty the garbage frequently. Burn 100 percent pure beeswax candles with 100 percent cotton wicks—they purify and clean the air. Use an open box of baking soda for smelly rooms. Use indoor plants to clear carbon dioxide and other toxins.
Perfume the air with natural scents
Simmer cinnamon and cloves, fresh ginger, or herbs in water on the stovetop.
Simmer water with a drop or two of your favorite pure essential oil.
Packed with the same odor-fighting material used in our air purifier systems, this compact product traps odors without the use of chemicals or heavy fragrances. This all-natural odor fighter can be used anywhere in the home or office including the fridge, freezer, trash can, next to cat litter, in a diaper pail, in a sports bag, closets, lockers, musty storage, your car, etc.
Green Irene says: We love these reusable bottles because they are made of non-toxic stainless steel, making them both durable and easy to clean. They also come in great colors, and can be easily attached to a backpack or bag with a carabiner. (The carabiner can be removed easily if not wanted). These 20 oz bottles have NO potentially toxic plastic liners, making them completely eco-friendly and safe
I was featured today in The Sun Sentinel’s Green Insert.
I tried to locate it online but haven’t found the article yet so here’s an image of it.
Click on it to open full size in new window.
Topics include: Energy Conservation; Water Conservation; Water Purity; Toxic Free Living; Energy Efficient Lighting; Indoor Air Quality; Recycling; Waste Reduction; Safety and Emergency Preparedness.
You will also receive a 3-month free subscription to Ask Green Irene
All this for just $99
Visit here or contact me to set up your appointment.
You can read the full information here of my personal experience with this product.
By yours HERE! or email me to see if I have any in stock
Roadrunner 1.59 GPM Shower Head
This high-tech shower head saves additional water and energy while you wait for your shower to turn on.
Your Price: $40.00
Your Roadrunner shower head lets the cold water run out of your shower head, then stops the flow and waits until you are ready to get in. Your water is warm and waiting, not wasted. You restart the flow by pulling on a cord (not shown) or flipping the lever (the small ShowerStart technology attachment shown on the side of the shower head). The pressure compensating technology delivers a great feeling shower even in homes with lower water pressure.
Green Irene says: Over 5 years this one little shower head will save you at least 38,325 gallons of water and 1,150 in energy costs. Based on family of 3 showering daily and saving 1 minute of hot water per shower during warm up and 4.5 gallons while taking a 5 minute shower using 1.59 gpm vs a standard 2.5 gpm showerhead with a energy cost of .03/gallon of hot water.
By yours HERE! or email me to see if I have any in stock
You’ve taken the first step by visiting this site. That means you are interested in ways to live a greener lifestyle…saving yourself money while helping the environment. With help you can lead a more sustainable life, save money, live healthier and safer lifestyle and reduce your energy and water usage.
Life is busy and becoming greener can be confusing and time consuming for those who aren’t educated in the green field. We’ll assist you in saving energy and water as well as improving the indoor air quality at your home or office. You’ll also reduce your usage of harmful chemicals in your home.
You will receive a detailed walk through of your home where recommendations on how you can change certain things to have a healthier and greener home will be outlined for you.
A Go Green Home Makeover includes:
A detailed report of our recommendations, helpful information
Energy efficient lighting replacements (CFL’s, LED, etc.)
Toxic free products to rid your home of harmful chemicals
Your carbon footprint and information on Carbon Offsets
I help families implement proven green solutions and help lead them to a healthier, safer, and more sustainable lifestyle, along with saving them money!
I offer a detailed Go Green Home Makeover. The steps I recommend and the products I suggest, help save energy and water as well as being able to help improve your indoor air quality, remove toxic chemicals from your home, reduce the waste you generate (which ends up in landfills) and improve the purity of the water your family drinks.
After I have finished the consultation, I will show you tips and suggest products to make your home greener. I can help you replace your wasteful incandescent bulbs, install low-flow shower heads, upgrade your thermostat, install carbon monoxide detectors, show you toxic-free cleaning options.
Please contact me to schedule your makeover, bulb swap or any one of the services.
While you may want to go green as well as save yourself money along with the environment, you may not have the time or knowledge to do everything yourself. We use the highest rated Energy Star bulbs and offer a large variety of bulbs that will help save the environment along with saving you money.
CFL’s, otherwise known as Compact Fluroscent light bulbs, along with CCFL and LED (Light Emitting Diode) bulbs are offered to produce the lighting effect you desire through out your home and even outside in flood lights, dimmer lights. CFL’s are the easiest way for you to save money by replacing the bulbs in your home. CFL’s use 25% of the energy that regular incandescent bulbs do and they can last up to ten times as long as incandescent bulbs do.
When using CFL’s in dimmer lights, special care has to be taken to ensure proper bulbs are used in the correct manner. We can do all this for you so you have no concerns or worries other than what you’ll do with the extra money you’re going to save every month on your electric bill.
