Why You Should Use Chemical Free Air Fresheners

I first heard about chemical free air fresheners from a friend who is a chemist. She told me that I should try out chemical free air fresheners especially since I have a baby and kids at home. She told me that regular air fresheners have chemicals that may disrupt a human’s reproductive development.

With all the chemicals we’re exposed to, it’s kind of scary to know that the air fresheners we use to keep our air smelling great could affect our health. You could absorb these chemicals through your skin or when you inhale them.

The number one chemical you should watch out for are phthalates.  Phthalates affect our hormones. They especially affect newborns and very young kids. These chemicals may affect testosterone levels. It may also affect reproductive development. It may lower testosterone levels. Worse, pregnant women may bear babies with birth defects.

When I learned about phthalates, I panicked. Who wouldn’t? I especially love spraying my house with air fresheners. I love the clean smells. It makes me feel well-rested living in a house that smells great. What I didn’t know is that I may have exposed myself and my kids to phthalates.

When I read about phthalates, I came across a study made by the Natural Resources Defense Council or NRDC. NRDC is a non-profit group that advocates for public health and safety. They conducted the very first study on air fresheners.

This study revealed that common household air fresheners contain phthalates. They tested 14 brands and 12 came up positive for phthalates. Some of these brands were even labeled “unscented” or “all-natural.”
So I started to look at the labels to see which ones are phthalate-free. I couldn’t find the word phthalates in any labels I’ve read. It turns out that manufacturers do not put this on the labels. They’re not required to by the government.

This means that we have to be extra careful about what we are spraying in our homes. That’s why I started hunting for phthalate-free products and found two with the yummiest scents, Orange Mate Mist and Lemon Mate Mist. These two products are taken from the fruit essences and uses all-natural products. Now I can spray away knowing that my kids are safe from phthalates. All thanks to chemical free air fresheners.