Asthma friendly room fresheners?

[SeahorseGirl]

Hi, my wife likes to use a room fragrance but I find that sprays and plug ins exacerbate my asthma. Do you have any suggestions of an asthma-friendly way to make our rooms smell sweeter?

[Lysistrata Administrator Community Ambassador]

I feel for you on the room fresheners! Buying natural good quality oils won't necessarily help (I find a number of flowery things like rose, lavender are terrible for my asthma). However, if you have some scents you can handle, a high quality version of them may help (I say high quality to avoid the aerosol propellant stuff and whatever is in cheap perfume, which sets me off whatever the scent is). I'm sensitive to a lot of scents but have always been able to handle citrus - is that ok for you? We have those reed diffuser things at work as well and they also seem to be less of a problem I find.

[risabel59]

Berger lamps burner. lampeberger.fr. Get the unperfumed one, it’s great, I can also handle some of the perfumed ones if I mix half and half with unscented. It works like a diffuser, but you start by heating up ceramic wick. Go to their web site. The completely unscented one is great at neutralizing smells

R

[starveycat]

For one who cannot even use fairy liquid because of the smell I didn't think I would ever find anything but Aldi no 2 candle is fine

[Shirleyj]

I use the Yankee candle melts, so after i have cooked i light the candle in the kitchen and you get a lovely aroma through downstairs. It's not under your nose if you use it in another room. Works for me but not sure if it would be suitable for everyone x

[abitfit]

Vanilla or lemon diffusers are the only ones that don't affect me

[strongmouse]

Personally we don't use any air freshners as the ingredients (chemicals) in most are harmful to the atmosphere. There has been some research about indoor pollution and the harm it can do mainly because many contain VOCs (Volatile organic compounds). e.g.research published in Environmental Health Perspectives.

If the cooking smells are a problem then opening the window or using a good cooker extractor fan would help. Baking powder (bicarbonate of soda) is good at removing smells and is ecofriendly and economical. Just leave some overnight where you want to get rid of any smells. It is safe to use on carpets.

[nickpeters]

The obvious answer is open a window! Joking apart you can try diffuser liquid with reed sticks which work for me. Also burning candles helps to remove odours.

Hope this helps

Nick