Why You Should Not Inhale Your Air Freshening Products

Take a look at the instructions on your air freshener spray sitting in your bathroom or kitchen cupboard, and you will see one or more of the following warnings:

"Do not breathe in spray"

"Use only in well ventilated areas"

Why are air freshener sprays labelled with these warnings? Isn't the whole point of using the product is so that it smells better than the bad odour that you are trying to get rid of?

The reason for these warnings is that many of the ingredients are toxic. They are bad for your lungs, eyes and skin. Here is a list of some of the most common air freshener ingredients and the effects they can have on your health:

Ethyl or Isopropyl Alcohol: causes headache, dizziness, depression, nausea, and vomiting. It can be dangerous if ingested, inhaled or absorbed through the skin.

Butane, Isobutene or Propane: inhaling butane can cause drowsiness, narcosis, asphyxia, cardiac arrhythmia and frostbite, which can result in instant death from Asphyxiation, Acute toxicity and ventricular fibrillation.

These ingredients are listed on the back of air fresheners, most of them remain nameless and hidden under the general header of "fragrance". Some air fresheners contain oils that coat or impair your olfactory senses, so the smell remains, you just can't tell it's there.

You only have to inhale this type of product after spraying to feel the nasty chemicals in the back of your throat. Aerosols contain gases and propellants and are potentially explosive if handled wrongly or develop rust on the container.

You will also see warnings such as

"Be cautious when using this product"

"Extremely flammable"

"Natural" Air Fresheners

There are plenty of products that claim to be 'natural' air fresheners that contain a small percentage natural ingredients. This is what makes the product appealing.

But, when you spray "Arrggggh!" that nasty alcohol smell hits you in the back of the throat, and an annoying perfume floats about in the air. And still, the nasty niffs and whiffs you are trying to dispel are lingering.

Air Fresheners Made with Essential Oils

There are some products that contain a mixture of essential oils, alcohol and water. They claim to be healthier and safer than air fresheners.

They smell nice at first. After the first whiff, you get a spray of alcohol which hits you in the back of your throat and then stings your eyes. And if you are sensitive to perfumes, you may also experience headaches.

They do nothing to break down the bad smell you are trying to banish. They simply mask the bad smell.

Home Made Natural Air Freshener

There are various recipes for making your own natural air freshener. They usually include 1 part vinegar, 1 cup of water, and several drops of your favourite essential oil. The result? Your house smells like vinegar and essential oils.

And still the original bad smells are lingering in the air. The vinegar stings your eyes, and your house smells like a fast food restaurant!

These cheap products are a false economy as they seldom do the job of removing the odour, and just end up in the bin after a few uses

Removal of bad odours need not be an unpleasant experience. When choosing a product choose one that neuralises bad odours, and specifically states that it is non-toxic, otherwise it probably isn't.

Expect to invest a little more when choosing non-toxic products. If they do the job of removing the bad odours without risking your health, then it's money well spent.