Introduction
One of the main reasons you're looking at getting an air purifier may be because you're dealing with odors in your home. There's lots that you can deal with yourself, but if the downstairs neighbors smoke or you live on a busy street, there's not much you can do about the odors that make it into your home.
An air purifier will do a lot to help you remove those smells, but on top of that you'll want to try natural air fresheners too. What options are available to you, and why should you use them? Here's what you need to know.
The Problem With Regular Air Fresheners
Everyone has been guilty of walking around their home spraying an air freshener, trying to get rid of odors in their home. It's a quick fix, and it's so easy to grab that can and start spraying if you smell something less than pleasant.
There are a couple of problems that you're going to have with a regular air freshener though. Firstly, it's not really doing anything to deal with that smell. If you're spraying it around, all it's doing is masking the smell. Once the fragrance fades, you're left with the smell you were trying to hide in the first place.
Secondly, those air fresheners could actually be hazardous to your health. That sounds a bit far fetched, but you'd be surprised. Depending on the air freshener you're using, it could aggravate allergies, disrupt hormones, irritate your skin, and cause harm to the environment. That's something that you just don't want to be bringing into your own home.
Using Air Purifiers For Odor Removal
That's why a lot of people are looking to use air purifiers in their homes now. These machines are designed to capture the particles that cause the odors, trapping them and cleaning the air in your home.
They do this by using HEPA grade filters. These filters have ultra fine mesh designs, that can capture even the smallest particles. That includes things like dust, pollen, pollutants, and more. When the filter catches them, only clean air is pushed through and so you're getting a healthier environment.
As they're able to catch such small particles, they're excellent for stopping odors. That's why so many people use them to stop the smell of cigarettes or kitty litter in their homes.
If you want an air purifier for this reason, you'll want to ensure that you buy one that uses a filter. There are other kinds of purifier out there, such as ozone purifiers, but they aren't as effective at getting the job done. Worse, ozone is actually harmful to your health, so you'll want to keep it out of your home.
Adding A Natural Air Freshener
The air purifier on its own will do a lot to keep your home smelling fresher. However, you can take it one step further with natural air fresheners. These aren't like the regular ones you'll find at the supermarket that cause all the issues described above. Instead, they'll work to neutralize odors, just as your air purifier does. What can you use?
Charcoal bags and filters: These are the most common way you can tackle bad smells in your home, in conjunction with the air purifier. Charcoal has been proven to help trap and neutralize odors, so it's something that can work really well in your home. You'll see that a lot of air purifier filters have a charcoal pre filter, which helps with odor prevention. If that's something you're interested in, make sure that your filters have this.
You can also invest in charcoal bags, that you can use where they're most needed in the home. They absorb excess moisture, which stops mold, mildew, and other odor causing particles forming. They're an excellent way to stop odor, and inexpensive too.
If you want to go this route, it's important to keep replacing those filters once they've been used. When you buy a charcoal filter, it should have instructions that show when it's no longer active. Change them at this point to ensure that you're not dealing with unpleasant odors again.
Baking soda: Baking soda is great in the kitchen, but it's also excellent at absorbing smells too. It's something you can use to treat odors and stop them from forming, as it absorbs moisture. For example, sprinkling some in a stinky pair of shoes overnight helps a lot. You can also use it in the bottom of your trash can, or add it to kitty litter.
Plants: Yes, if you're a plant fiend and are slowly turning your home into a greenhouse, you're actually cleaning the air and reducing odors too. There are lots of different plants that can help with this, such as peace lilies, rubber plants and Boston ferns.
If you take good care of your plants and keep a few in the rooms where you need help with odors, they can help a lot at keeping them at bay.
Beeswax candles: Candles are a popular way to create a pleasant scent in your home, but you'll want to keep an eye on what candles you're using. Most candles on the market are made with paraffin wax, which releases pollutants in the air that are the equivalent of diesel fumes. That's obviously something you don't want to do, so you'll need to make a switch.
Beeswax candles are a great alternative, as they are all natural and burn with almost no smoke or scent. Using unscented candles in your home can work along with an air purifier to remove scents, and make your home smell better.
Conclusion
Using air fresheners can work in your home, if you ensure you're using the right ones. Pick natural air fresheners, such as charcoal filters, plants or baking soda, that work in tandem with an air purifier to trap and prevent odors in your home. It's amazing how much of a difference they make. You'll soon see just how clean the air will smell.