Obliterating Odors - How-To Formula

June 15, 2004

By Annie Berthold

I am a firm believer that using air fresheners is a mistake. They

mask unhealthy odors that should be attended to (rotten fruit in the

kitchen, a leaking roof, a dog bed that should be cleaned), and the

commercial products can be as toxic as anything brought into the

home.

One air freshener in my grocery store is labeled, " This product is

banned in California because it causes cancer. "

Well, ya-a-a. But, just last week I was faced with wanting an air

freshener. A mouse (mice?) had died in the wall, and the house

assessor was coming! This was one instance where I didn't want a low

assessment! What is a girl to do? Find some safe odor busters!

Make your own simple, yet effective, air fresheners instead of

buying toxic products!

Baking soda neutralizes acid odors, and vinegar neutralizes alkaline

odors. You don't need much more than these two ingredients to solve

most odor problems. If one doesn't work, try the other.

Make your own antibacterial essential oil sprays. These are versions

of what Natural Food stores sell - brands that are often citrus or

lime.

Lightly Lavender Antibacterial Spray

1 cup water

20 drops pure essential oil of lavender

Pour the water into a spray bottle. Add the lavender essential oil

and shake to blend. Spray on the surface and let set for at least 15

minutes, or don't rinse at all.

Makes: 1 cup spray

Shelf Life: Indefinite

Helpful Hints:

Look for small, colored (and recycled!) spray bottles at your local

hardware store.

Caution

Make sure to never get essential oils near your eyes, or to put them

directly on your skin.

Make certain to use only clean spray bottles, and ones that have

never contained toxic poisons.

Note that homemade herbal antibacterial sprays are not registered

disinfectants.

June 16, 2004

I would not use regular tap water in this formula....use distilled or purified water or if tap water is used, be sure to boil it for the required time to get rid of any unwanted little pesky organisms that may be floating around. You also need to be careful about labeling products as "anti-bacterial" unless it has been tested. FDA is kind fussy about those things. For instance, I make homemade soap (from scratch-using lye and oils) and as long as I do not label it as "moisturizing" or "beauty bar" etc, there's no problem. Otherwise, it then becomes a "cosmetic" and as such is regulated under FDA guidelines. So, it's always just "soap" with whatever fragrance I use (or not).

Just my 2 cents...

Paula in SoCal Diana <joseanddiana wrote:

....Make your own antibacterial essential oil sprays....

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