Air fresheners are big business and some people spend big money on them, but should you be buying them and what are some other alternatives to the manufactured air fresheners?
There is still a lot of controversy on whether or not air fresheners are dangerous. Many of them have health warnings attached to them. To check out the contents of your air freshener, look it up in the Household Products Database. See a sample entry for Glad Plug-ins Scented Oil here. http://householdproducts.nlm.nih.gov/cgi-bin/household/brands?tbl=brands&id=19001101
If you are an air freshener person, you need to ask yourself why you buy them. Do you really like the scents or are you trying to hide something?
If you are trying to hide something, then it is time to get a professional in to clean up whatever it is you are trying to hide. This might be costly depending on what your cause of odor is, but you will save in the long run by not having to buy products to hide the source.
If you really like the scents, perhaps you could switch to something like a dish with sliced lemons or a pot on the stove with some cinnamon sticks in it?
If you like floral scents, purchase a bottle of essential oil and put a drop on a cotton ball. Place the cotton ball in some inconspicuous spot in your home. The oil can stain both wood and fabric, so some sort of glass or ceramic container works best. A baby food jar works well or a custard cup or glass votive holder.
Yes essential oils are expensive, but they go a VERY long way and you can be guaranteed you are getting the real thing, not some chemically made replacement.
