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I have a confession to make. I love smelly things.
Like a crack addict, I could sniff fabric softener sheets behind closed doors. Smelly candles? Sign me up! I can;t stand body perfumes and scented lotions however, so go figure?!
Here’s the problem….all those lovely smells come with a hefty price tag: artificial fragrances are not good for our body’s chemistry Shall I list some biggies?!
- Artificial fragrances are loaded with chemicals and most are petroleum based.
- Lots of artificial fragrances contain a carcinogen “Phthalates,” a chemical known to disrupt the endocrine system. It is even banned in EU.
- All these chemicals are an extreme ski irritant and put stress on already over-taxed bodies! They can make our allergies THAT much worse!
Here is a great article that is succinct and helpful, The Dangers of Artificial Fragrance.’
All this besides…raising a family can provide for a lot of….well…. stink!
I prefer my space smell fresh and inviting! But dirty diapers, a hundred pound dog, and any other myriad of stinky things in our house work to combat that ideal.
When I turn the vacuum on with a bag partially full, I start to smell dog! (BTW, everyone has always told us that we have no dog smell in our house…but the vacuum is a unique beast! It is possible our friends and family just don’t want to hurt our 
feelings too..(:
So how do you help deodorize your house without compromising your health?
I have been using baking soda for so many uses around the house for so long, I am not sure why it took me so long to brainstorm this use. But one day, when the smell of dog was wafting to my nostrils from our vacuum yet again, I had to act! Baking soda is a natural deodorizer, so I knew it could do well inside the vacuum bag. But I also wanted a fresh room smell – enter essential oils!
This is not so much a recipe or formula, as just an idea. Here is what you need:
- Baking soda: I buy a large bag at my local Costco for under $5.
- Essential oils of your preference (orange, lemon, peppermint, and lavender are my favorites. But I bet pine, eucalyptus, and cinnamon would all be great too).
- Smelly herbs: It’s not necessary, but I grow my own lavender and rosemary, and have also used cinnamon powder as I have them available.
I pour a bit of soda into a mason jar, then squirt some essential oil, followed by more soda, then repeat. How much essential oils you use is totally dependent upon your own nose: mine likes it pretty strong! I give it a thorough shake and store in a closed mason jar within my cleaning caddy, ready to go!
USES:
- Sprinkle on you CARPET, let stand, and vacuum as you normally would.
- Deodorize your VACUUM by simply sucking some of the mixture up and into the bag. Every time you turn it on, you will get a lovely whiff!
- Stinky GARBAGE PAIL? Sprinkle some in for some instant freshness, and leave it there to absorb more odors!
- Although I do not use it for this, this would make a great ABRASIVE CLEANER for bathtubs and sinks too!
How about you? How do you like to freshen up your house? Are you a closet fragrance junky like me?!
This post was shared on Fat Tuesday, Frugal Days Sustainable Ways, Traditional Tuesday, Hearth & Soul, Health 2Day Wednesdays, This Chick Cooks, Real Food Wednesday, Pennywise Platter, Freaky Friday, Whole Foods Fridays, GAPS Friendly Friday, Healthy Vegan Fridays, Make Your Own Monday, Better Mom’s Linky, Fat Tuesday,Hearth & Soul, Small Footprint Fridays,
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When her third child was born with severe food allergies, Tessa took to the kitchen to figure out how to feed her family well. Always up for a culinary challenge, their journey has taken many twists and turns! Lots of Paleo, and lots of top 8 free. Good food for families, that's what she's about!
I do like a good fragrance. If my clothes don’t smell good, I think they are not clean.
Tessa, I love it! YES, I am a smelling addict, thanks to YL essential oils! I can not tolerate fragrant/cosmetic smells, my nose what is pure and what is toxic. I bet your house smells wonderful! I could hang out with you for a while and we would get along just fine
Thank you for linking up with us at Healthy 2Day Wednesdays!
I am just going to come out and say it…I love you! Thank you SO much for this recipe…so easy and yet I have no doubt that it will be lovely. My husband and I chose the scent Spikenard for our home and this will help to increase it without candles while also helping to eliminate adolescent boy and pet smells.
LOL Joyness…I have heard boys can be especially stinky…too funny! I have never smelled Spikenard, you have my curiosity peaked!
I caught this post on the Hearth & Soul Hop… I do use baking soda as an abrasive for my old sinks. Mix with some Dr. Bronner’s (or other) castille soap and it makes a FABOO cleaning agent!
Oh man, I love this! Ironically this is my cleaning day. I think I am going to use it this afternoon! I stopped using carpet deoderizers long ago and have to admit I miss the fresh smell! BS makes so much sense as I have seen it used for all kinds of cleaning and freshening!
Gonna have to try that deodorizer! I love things that smell good but now it always makes me think of all the chemicals. This is great!
And I just nominated you for the Sunshine Award:
http://www.coconutmama.com/2012/08/31/the-sunshine-award/
Awesome recipe, Tessa. Thanks for sharing.
Years ago I use to use this stuff on my carpets because I had a stinking cat. If we ever get carpets again I’ll keep this in mind. This is WAYYYY better.
Thanks France!
Great idea! I’ve been using baking soda mixed with a bit of ground cinnamon and sprinkled on the carpet before vacuuming, but hadn’t thought of using essential oils! Love it. I use baking soda for just about everything
I love it when things smell nice, but I too am concerned about artificial fragrances. I had heard of using baking soda before you vacuum, but I love your idea of adding essential oils or herbs – what a great way to clean!
Thank you for your submission on Nourishing Treasures’ Make Your Own! Monday link-up.
Check back today when the new link-up is running to see if you were one of the top 3 featured posts!
I’ve used this method for some time, bicarbonate of soda is just amazing! But I never thought of cinnamon! I LOVE this idea! Thank you!
My pleasure Vicky…i just ordered some cinnamon leaf essential oil for the fall…
I love this recipe! I used to be a carpet deoderizer addict but I gave it up because of the chemicals.