Too Much Fragrance Can Impact Air Quality in Your Home

From candles to air fresheners, many scented products promise to make your home smell like strawberry shortcake or a day at the beach. But did you know that overusing artificial fragrance can negatively impact the air quality in your home?

While some scented products promise to conceal odors, the issue is that they are doing exactly that – concealing it. When you light a scented candle to make a room smell better, you cover up the foul odor without doing anything to clear it out. Instead of purifying the air, you are further polluting it.

Fragrance and Air Quality

Fragrance smells great, but it’s not a good long-term solution for foul odors. Some ingredients in these heavily scented products can cause respiratory irritation when we breathe in too much of them. While fragranced home products are convenient, it’s good practice to be mindful of how often you use these items and in what quantity.

Room Sprays

The fragrance in room spray isn’t just going into your living room – it’s going into your lungs. Room sprays can be a great quick-fix, but breathing them in every day can really irritate your respiratory system. When using fragranced products, a little goes a long way. Using too much fragrance day after day can significantly decrease the air quality in your home.

Scented Candles

Scented candles are another item you don’t want to overuse. When a candle burns, chemicals and soot are released into the air. Paraffin wax candles and those with heavy scents are the worst offenders.  If you’re burning scented candles for hours every day, soot and other pollutants can build up in your air filters and ductwork.

Try to burn scented candles sparingly and only for an hour or two at a time. Make sure your air filter is being checked and replaced every one to three months. If you can, make the switch to unscented soy candles, which don’t do as much damage to the air (and your air filter). It’s also a good idea to use a candle extinguisher instead of blowing candles out. This can decrease the smoke output that clogs up your filter.

Try These Alternatives

Can’t get enough of sweet-smelling products, but worried about using too much artificial fragrance?  Essential oils are a great way to keep your home smelling great. They are natural and, unlike artificial fragrance, actively work to purify the air itself. Essential oil diffusers are inexpensive and can be found at many stores. Most work by gently releasing a mist into the air. Just add water and a few drops of oil and you have natural scent that lasts for hours while it purifies the air.

When using essential oils, keep in mind that just because something is natural does not mean it can’t cause irritation. Be mindful of any allergies and do not over-use essential oils. They are heavily concentrated, so all you need is a few drops.

Pets are also sensitive to fragrance, natural or otherwise, so take care not to diffuse oils in an enclosed space where your pet is located.  As with all products, be sure to keep essential oils out of reach of children.

If essential oils aren’t your thing, there’s another natural air purifier you might already have in your home – plants! Check out this blog post for more about houseplants that could positively impact air quality.

Get to the Root of the Problem

If you are consistently smelling foul or musty odors in your home, it might be a result of a heating and air conditioning system that is not properly maintained. Instead of covering up the odor with artificial fragrance, get it checked out!

The experts at Barineau Heating & Air Conditioning can help with any strange smells coming from your heating and air conditioning system. From filter changes to ductwork cleaning and even total comfort system replacements, we’ve got it covered. Give us a call today at 850-580-4029, or click here to schedule an appointment online.