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Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
talk to me about plug-in air fresheners.
i remember hearing they can cause house fires.
i don't want to have to remember to unplug it when we aren't here.
i have an airwick mini that i have used for a while now. the problem is that the refills that they sell in stores are scents that i hate but ordering online leaves me paying insane shipping costs for a tiny piece of plastic!
what are other options out there? don't want anything overpowering.
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Re: talk to me about plug-in air fresheners.
I've been using plug-in air fresheners for awhile now, although I've heard the same thing. I probably should unplug them.
I'm horrible at replacing them though, so what I use more often is candles. I just burn a few of them at a time at different points and the smell actually lingers awhile after I blow them out.
I've also used Febreze Set and Refresh things and they are ok. Very light scent, better for a small bathroom or something.
I have the wallflowers from Bath & Body works that I like but they can be very powerful. I too am afraid they will cause fires so I usually only plug it in when people are coming over to give the house a quick overall good smell.
Most of the time I just keep them unplugged...I don't buy them anymore because I think they are a waste of $
I will have to look into reed diffusers.
Henri and Charlotte, Christmas 2012
Fires should only be the beginning of your worries with air fresheners. They contain some of the most carcinogenic ingredients out there and can also interfere with proper brain development. Please do your own research! A wonderful reference is Easy Green Living by Renee Loux
Some great alternatives include:
Air Scents (Shadow Lake)
Ecos Air Freshener
Pure Ayre Odor Eliminator
Simple Pure Clean Essential Oil Air Fresheners
Home-made:
Distilled water and essential oils in a spritzer bottle!
PLANTS, plants and more plants
Potpourri
I'm not a fan of air fresheners for "green" reasons either, but "the most carcinogenic ingredients out there?" I doubt the validity of that statement.
Anyway, I have several firefighters in my family and so I thought this topic was interesting. I searched and found Snopes' write-up on the topic. They didn't find any proof that plug-in air fresheners are any more likely to cause a fire than other electrical devices.
http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/household/glade.asp
I use Scentsy plug-ins. They are "flameless candles" it heats the wax with a light bulb, and they smell so good. There are sooo many different scents to choose from and it's not overpowering at all.
www.scentsy.com
My little baby boy is almost 2 as well!! I used to use air fresheners, but I came across this info, and thought -- its not worth it for me.
"The Endowment for Medical Research has suggested "air fresheners" should be called "air pollutants." Many brands contain known toxic chemicals. A 2002 EPA study testing plug-in air fresheners found that the fragrance chemicals in these products react with common indoor air pollutants to produce serious health hazards. Air freshener chemicals have been implicated in cancer, neurological damage, reproductive and developmental disorders. They can also aggravate or trigger asthma attacks.
Harmful Chemicals
According to the Global Campaign for Recognition of Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, these harmful chemicals have been found in air fresheners:Benzyl alcohol: "causes respiratory problems, nausea and vomiting, a depressed central nervous system and a drop in blood pressure."
Camphor: "currently on the EPA's Hazardous Waste List ... readily absorbed through bodily tissue... irritation of the eyes, skin, nose and throat ... dizziness, confusion, nausea, twitching muscles and convulsions ... avoid inhalation of vapors"
Dichlorobenzene: "extremely toxic, a central nervous system depressant, kidney and liver poison. One of the chlorinated hydrocarbons that is long-lasting in the environment and stored in body fat. Banned in California."
Ethanol: "derived from petroleum and is carcinogenic ... toxic to the skin, respiratory, cardiovascular, developmental, endocrine, neurological and gastrointestinal systems."
Formaldehyde: "toxic if inhaled, poisonous if swallowed. skin and eye irritant."
Read more: Dangers of Plug-in Air Fresheners | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/about_5421665_dangers-plugin-air-fresheners.html#ixzz17FJuUxl5"
This was from ehow.com... which I consider to be a "standard" site.... one with no bias or agenda. So... how to make your house smell nice? One of the best ideas I've seen is to put pure essential oils (maybe, 2 drops) in your vaccuum cleaner bag... or, if you are bagless, you can use your stovetop to make a mixture of cinnamon sticks, cloves, etc. -- there are lots of recipes online....
The health of my little guy is more important to me than having my house full of an artificial smell.
Good luck!
I'm not sure about where you live, but I live in the NE. Almost every supermarket has a cinnamon broom. You can put it in your living room / den and the whole den smells like cinnamon. It's great!
I purchased one when fall started for around $6. Now the smell is beginning to fade, but I figure my Christmas tree will be in the house in a week, and that will leave the room smelling like pine!