Our homes should be a place where we feel safe, a place where we can go to take refuge from the world around us. The products we bring into our homes should not threaten that safety, but sadly, some of them do. Did you know “poisoning” makes the Top 10 List of Safety Hazards in the home? That includes medications, paint, household cleaners, personal care products, and laundry products. Check out this stat from the National Home Security Alliance. “Accidents in the home claim 18,000 lives each year in America alone. It also accounts for 21 million medical visits annually, which costs a staggering $220 billion a year.” (Source: https://staysafe.org/safety-at-home-10-common-safety-hazards-around-the-house/)
Second to “falls”, poisoning is a leading cause of fatalities in homes in the US - 5,000 deaths a year to be exact. And it’s not just household cleaners that are to blame for chemical exposure. Did you know that MANY personal care products we allow in our homes contain known carcinogenic and endocrine disrupting chemicals? That means an increased risk for cancer, developmental malformations, interference with reproduction, and disturbances in the immune and nervous system function. That doesn’t sound good at all. However, there are many things we can do to mitigate our exposure in our homes.
Today I’ll tackle the dangers in your Living room! Now, you may be thinking to yourself - what could possibly be dangerous in a living room? A living room is where your family gathers so we typically want it to smell nice and have a sense of comfort and coziness present. Most people seek to achieve that by using candles, air fresheners, plug-ins, and fabric sprays. As easy as those sound to use, they can be potentially harmful to our health.
Synthetically-fragranced products emit a range of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Breathing VOCs can cause eye, nose and throat irritation as well as difficulty breathing and nausea, even damage to the central nervous system and other organs. Some VOCs can even cause cancer. Yikes! (Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5093181/ )
So what can you use to replace ALL those? A diffuser, high-quality essential oils, and a spray bottle will do the trick!
Diffusing vaporizes essential oils and gets them into the air so that we can breathe them in.
Diffusing also purifies the air, makes your home smell good without harsh chemicals, and helps get those awesome oils into your lungs and to your brains. Simply add your essential oils drops to your diffuser, add water to the fill line, and start diffusing. Some of my favorite oils to use in my home are Citrus Fresh, Thieves, Lemon, Peppermint, Purification, Christmas Spirit, and Grapefruit! Try some of these recipes in your diffuser or use them to create an easy “Room Spray” using a small spray bottle, distilled water, and a splash of witch hazel. Adjust the amount of essential oils to your liking and get creative with it.
Fresh Air
- 4 drops Tangerine
- 2 drops Tea Tree
- 2 drops Lemon
Cozy Home
- 4 drops Lemon
- 4 drops Orange
- 4 drops Peppermint
- 4 drops Rosemary
Happy Room
- 3 drops Citrus Fresh
- 3 drops Peppermint
- 3 drops Thieves
If you love this info, you’ll LOVE my guide "7 reasons to ditch candles"
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