Let’s talk stinky smells Whether its an enclosed teenager’s room, stinky shoes, lingering vomit smell after a child has thrown up inside a car ( I am surely not the only one that has dealt with this?!) or a perfume heavy guest (or smoker) that leaves a smelly trail behind - what do you use to eliminate those smells?

If you - like 75% of American homes- reach for a traditional room air fresheners its important to understand that these traditionally only mask these smells- they dont eliminate them. Additionally air fresheners are filled with known chemicals that can be quite detrimental to our health in the long run.

WHAT IS IN TRADITIONAL AIR FRESHENERS

Air Fresheners like plug ins, sprays and even some scented candles can emit over 100 different chemicals, including VOCs  (these include terpenes such as limonene, alpha-pinene, and beta-pinene; terpenoids such as linalool and alpha-terpineol; ethanol, formaldehyde, benzene, toluene, and xylene). Additionally, according to a study conducted by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), 86% of air fresheners tested contained phthalates. Phthalates, are endocrine disrupting chemicals that mimic our hormones. As the NRDC reported in their research, “Most phthalates are well known to interfere with production of the male hormone testosterone, and have been associated with reproductive abnormalities”. Additionally, phthalates are on the State of California’s list of toxic substances “known to cause birth defects or reproductive harm”, and some are regulated in childrens products The NRDC also warns that airborne phthalates can cause allergic symptoms and asthma. Even trace amounts of phthalates can accumulate to cause these harmful side-effects.

BETTER ALTERNATIVE

The good news is that most of us have a better alternative at home- and might already be using it to clean around the house: vinegar.

Vinegar as an air freshener might sound strange to some- since I know that some people initially complain about the smell of vinegar when they start using it as a cleaner but it is super effective, inexpensive and the thing with vinegar is that its natural smell goes away rather quickly - taking with it all the nasty smells you wanted to eliminate.

HEre is how to use it effectively

• removing the smell of vomit: I will start with what is- for me- hands down the worse smelling situation: vomit. If someone in your family has been hit with a stomach flue or just car sickness always make sure you clean the area thoroughly. Once it is clean you can leave a bowl of vinegar in the area overnight - ideally close windows and doors to allow the vinegar really soak up the smell.

• removing the lingering smell of perfume: Perfumes give me a headache and stomach ache so this we have used throughout the years. You can place a bowl of baking soda in the room or- sticking to vinegar solutions- make a water and vinegar solution in a spray bottle. Once you perfumed guest has left spray around the room (and open windows if you can). The vinegar smell will dissipate quickly and with it remove the perfume smell

• smoke and other strong odors: For stronger odors, add half a cup of vinegar to a quart of water and allow to simmer. Need more? Simmer pure white vinegar for 30-45 minutes to absorb and remove the problem. Boiling vinegar will vaporizing the acetic acid it contains. Acetic acid easily bonds with volatile molecules, and will thus  banish odor from your house.

What else can you use in lieu of vinegar?

• baking soda: as I mentioned baking soda in a bowl is a great tool to absorb smells. I have used this when we had a tiny smoke fire in our kitchen once (everything was fine but the smell of smoke was pretty strong) . Just place one or more bowls around the house and it will ‘absorb’ the smell

• baking soda on furniture: whether its because of pets or another reason if your upholstered furniture is starting to smell you can sprinkle baking soda all over the furniture, allow to sit for an hour (or even overnight for a really tough odor fighting job) and then vacuum.

• baking soda for a mattress: similarly if your child has an accident while asleep- make sure to clean the mattress well (you can first use paper towels to absorb as much urine as possible then clean with vinegar, thoroughly soak up the vinegar and then leave a sprinkle of baking soda on the mattress for a couple of hours. Vacuum.

• air flow: Opening windows is the easiest ways to get fresh air in and odors out

• natural vanilla extract: you can Rub a tinybit of vanilla on a light bulb and the bulb’s warmth will scent the air.

• coffee grounds: a small bowl or sac of fresh coffee beans will also absorb unpleasant odors in a fridge, microwave, or cupboard.

• For light odors, or if you just want a pleasant seasonal smell in your home, simmer some citrus zest and a teaspoon of cinnamon in some water for 10-15 minutes (you can add rosemary and cloves too