I love the simple pleasure of opening the front door, and inhaling deeply of the warm, happy scents of home. However, I have also learned from experience that using chemical air fresheners and scents irritates my allergies, triggers eczema, and guarantees a migraine. Here’s some basic info about indoor air quality.
So, how to have a yummy-smelling home without the health risks?
My favorite tricks are the simplest — I keep a bowl of water on top of my radiator-style heater, and scent it with a few essential oils. (Right now, I’m enjoying a blend of sweet orange, clove bud, and eucalyptus. It smells like Christmas, and has the added benefit of being an anti-viral blend — buh-bye winter colds!) In addition to smelling good and cleaning the air, the extra humidity is great for easing dry-skin-blues.
Another favorite trick is to create a spray freshener. This can be as simple as blending some essential oils and water in a spray bottle and spritzing around the room, or you can blend a 1/4 cup of vodka with 3/4 cup water and add the essential oils to that blend — the alcohol helps disperse the scent.
Here’s a link with more ideas… and here’s another one for Winter Holiday Mulled Cider Air Freshener. Yum!
If you have any favorite recipes for a sweet-smelling home, share them! I’d love to hear.
