Healthy Options for Eliminating Odors in the Home
Enjoy a cleaner-smelling home without resorting to artificial scents with these3 healthy options.
Did you know that your favorite room fragrance may be hazardous to your health? Many room sprays, fabric fresheners, and air fresheners contain chemicals called phthalates. Preliminary research has linked these chemicals to hormonal disruption in adults as well as developmental issues in children, and they have already been banned from children’s toys. Some types of scented candles do not burn cleanly, producing soot that contains known carcinogens. And, for many people, strong artificial odors of any kind cause headaches, nausea, and discomfort similar to an allergic reaction.
So why are you using artificial scents to cover up the odors in your home, when you could be using natural methods for a healthier and longer-lasting result? Here are 3 important options to consider if your home is plagued by odors.
Improve Ventilation
One of the most common reasons modern homes smell is that they lack adequate ventilation, so odors from pets, cooking, smoking, and life in general simply can’t escape and dissipate quickly enough. This can be fixed with relative ease with help from General Heating & Air Conditioning. We can measure your home’s airflow and install a ventilator that will help supply the additional fresh air you need to keep your home smelling clean.
Get an Air Purifier
Another excellent way to improve the odor of your indoor air is to invest in a high-quality air purifier. These systems can capture all kinds of odor particles, including pet dander, smoke particles, and mold spores. At General Heating & Air Conditioning, we carry Carrier brand air cleaning equipment such as the Infinity Air Purifier, which can capture up to 95 percent of contaminants on each pass. Odor-causing particles are then held tightly in the unit’s filter, while any pathogens are destroyed by an electrical charge with 99 percent effectiveness. Depending on the size of your home, the Infinity Air Purifier can re-purify all of your indoor air up to 8 times per hour, which helps provide superior odor control.
Use Natural Products
One final option is to swap your odor-masking chemical air fresheners for odor-absorbing natural products. You might try sprinkling baking soda on your carpet, letting it rest overnight, and then vacuuming it up to remove odors, or placing activated charcoal in strategic locations to suck up bad smells. Activated charcoal is a very eco-friendly option because you can reuse it—simply place in strong sunlight for a day to refresh its odor-capturing abilities.