What’s that Smell?

A LTERNATIVES TO F RAGRANCED
C LEANING P RODUCTS

C
ommon ingredients in fragrance, such as phthalates, synthetic musks, and allergens, have been
linked to health impacts ranging from eye and skin irritation to hormone disruption, increased
risk of breast cancer, and reproductive and developmental harm. If you choose to avoid fragranced
products from the store, there are alternatives to ensuring a pleasant-smelling home.

Tips for reducing odors around the home

Op en a win dow o r tu r n o n a f an and l et in s om e f res h air! G ood

vent ilatio n is one o f the best ways to rem ove o dor s f rom yo u r ho me.
GENERAL
I t c an also h elp redu ce level s o f indo or air pol l u tants th at com mo nl y
b uild up in o ur home s.

Op en t he win dow in the bath roo m to dec reas e hu midit y a f te r a

shower, re ducing the potential for grow th o f mil dew and m ol d.
BATHROOM
K eep it clean ! Even j u s t a reg u l ar s w is h of you r toil et with a b r ush
can pre vent to il et r ing s and redu ce od or s.

Put a n op en box of bak ing so da in the f r idg e.

Spr in k le bak ing s oda or co ffee gro u nds in you r tras h c an to ma sk

KITCHEN o dors.

Gro un d up a ha l f l em on (you c an u se o ne you’ve j u s t s q u eeze d for

juice) in your s ink g ar bag e dis posal fo r a f res h l em on s cent.

Replacing air fresheners

If you want to add a particular scent to your home, here are some natural alternatives:

FRESH S ettin g o ut a f resh bou q u et o f flower s is no t o nl y p rett y, bu t c an ad d a

OR DRIED lovely floral sce nt to yo u r ho me. A bow l of dr ied flower s (potpo ur r i ) can
FLOWERS h ave a s imilar effec t – a nd l as ts even l ong er.

COOKING UP Adding sp ices l ik e c innam on, vanil la, o r even c u t-u p f r u it lik e lemon or
SOME HERBS ap ple to a p o t of b o il ing water and l etting it s im mer o n the s tove can
OR SPICES ON inf use a scent t h ro u g hou t yo u r ho me. S eas onal al ter n at ives c an also
THE STOVE include fl ower p et a l s, pinecones o r pine needl es.

(continued on back side)

A Fact Sheet by Women’s Voices for the Earth — JUNE 2010

 Unscented alternatives to store-bought scented cleaning products

ALL PURPOSE
CLEANER M ix 1 par t white dis til l ed v ineg ar and 1 par t water in a sp ray b o ttle.

SOFT SCRUB M ix 2 cup s bak ing so da, ½ c u p l iq u id c as til e so ap, and 4 teasp oo ns
CLEANSER veget able glycer in in a s eal ed g l ass jar.

CARPET Spr in k le b ak in g s oda on c ar pet. Let sit for a n h ou r o r over nig ht.
DEODORIZER Vacuum it up.

LAUNDRY M ix 1 cup soap flak es ( ju s t finel y grate a bar o f u nscented so ap), ½ c up

DETERGENT b ak in g so da an d ½ c u p washing so da. Use ju s t 1-2 tbs p. per lo ad.

Add ½ cup white dis til l ed v ineg ar to r ins e c yc l e of yo u r washe r.

FABRIC
SOFTENER Use woo l dr yer bal l s in you r dr yer to flu ff u p c lo thes and abso r b static.

Han g your laun d r y o u t to dr y in nice weather instead of u si ng yo ur

DRYER SHEETS dr yer, for f resh sm el ling c lot hes and s heets. ( Yo u ca n al so save lo ads
o n yo ur elec tr icit y bil l ! )

Note on essential oils

Essential oils are liquids formed from the distillation in water or another substance when you use them.
of the leaves, stems, or flowers of a plant. They are Undiluted essential oils will evaporate, and can
very concentrated liquids, so a little (even just a emit volatile organic compounds (VOCs) which
few drops) goes a long way. They can be used to can interact with other compounds in the air to
add a scent to the recipes and alternatives listed form hazardous air pollutants. More research is
above. In addition, some essential oils have natural needed to assess the impacts of these emissions on
anti-bacterial properties and can be used as a human health.
preservative. They are commonly available in health
food stores, and are sold online. With certain scents,
there may be a concern for overharvesting sensitive
or rare plants, so you want to look for essential oils
marketed as “sustainably harvested.”

WARNING: It should be noted that some people

can be highly sensitive to essential oils, leading to
symptoms such as headaches, asthma exacerbation, Women’s Voices for the Earth
P.O. Box 8743
skin irritation or other health effects. Essential
Missoula, MT 59807
oils, in their concentrated form, should be used Phone: 406/543-3747
with caution to avoid unintended health impacts. www.womensvoices.org
It is strongly recommended to dilute essential oils womensvoices@womenvoices.org