Air fresheners came about in the 1950’s with lots of advertising of frolicking in meadows. Or smells swapping from stinky and rotten items to flowers and meadows popping up in your living room with a magical little spray from a can. Fast forward to 2017, and it was estimated that 75% of American households used some kind of air freshener.
In the late 70s, the troubling revelation came about that the primary propellant used in aerosol sprays was damaging the ozone layer. However, we took action by banning CFCs (aka Chlorofluorocarbons aka a group of odorless manufactured chemicals) and exploring alternative methods of dispensing sprays for personal use. While these new approaches may have been safer for the ozone layer, they still rely on hydrocarbons or compressed gasses that have adverse effects on climate change. Despite our efforts to prioritize safety, humanity continues to contribute to environmental harm even from things as simple as air fresheners.
To top it all off, we don’t reallllly know what else is in that can of "air freshener." Fewer than 10% of the ingredients are disclosed on the label - mostly due to the top secret nature of synthetic fragrance formulations; they’re highly protected industrial patents. That is just plain terrifying considering that air fresheners have been found to emit over 100 chemicals including many VOC’s or volatile organic compounds. A study in the US found that of the VOC’s found in these products at least a quarter were considered toxic or hazardous and every product tested had at least one of these substances. Mind blowing we would spray that in the air, on our bodies, and everywhere throughout our homes.
Not to mention, aerosol cans are metal but difficult to recycle due to their pressurized nature. Check with your local scrap metal recycling facility for proper ways to dispose of them. For the win. I’m leaving out all the other plastic packaged varieties of smell delivery systems, because plastic...We already know that's a problem in itself.
Now I like to smell meadows and overall freshness as much as the next human, but I’m trying real hard to be a greener, more eco-friendly, and plastic free human. I also like to, you know, live without breathing in toxic stuff or enlarging my already not so good carbon footprint. Give me something I can work with...
Voila! Meet this super cool Room and Linen Spray that lets me smell the lavender without the worry. All the ingredients on the label? Check! No VOC’s? Check. Vegan and cruelty-free? Check. Fragranced with only essential oils (no hidden ingredients, yay!) and packaged in infinitely recyclable aluminum. All the checks! Bonus - made in the US in small batches and by a woman owned company. Need I say more?
