Essential Oils vs Potentially Harmful Scented Candles & Air Fresheners

Scented candles, air freshener sprays, toilet and kitchen cleaning detergents can be found in the majority of homes in the United Kingdom.

They’re used on a daily basis, contributing to fabulous smelling houses and squeaky clean bathrooms across the nation.

But a clean smelling house does not make it a safe one.

Common household appliances, while smelling great, are composed of a multitude of harmful chemicals that could be contributing to skin and respiratory problems without us even knowing.

While this all sounds a little OTT, I’ve been conscious of using scented candles and air fresheners in the bedroom for a long time for this exact reason. I’ve suffered with asthma from birth and have never liked the idea of ingesting a bucket load of harmful chemicals while trying to get to sleep. I think about it in the same way I think about sleeping with an ash-tray beside my bed. Yeah, it may not be as bad, but these chemicals do contribute to the formation of carcinogens, just as cigarette smoke does.

Limoneme, a chemical commonly used in these appliances to offer a citrus smell, has been shown to react in the air with other compounds to form new, potentially harmful chemicals. One of those is called Formaldehyde – a carcinogen associated with skin irritation and respiratory symptoms. One study conducted in York has even shown that levels of Formaldehyde in UK homes correlates strongly with levels of Limoneme which can be found in the majority of scented candle products.

Additionally, most of these candles are made from something called paraffin wax which creates the toxic compounds benzene and toluene when burned. These same compounds are found in diesel fuel fumes.

A further study in Gothenburg, Sweden found that over 5% of people who underwent patch testing with shampoos, conditioners and soap were allergic to air oxidised from the fragrant ingredient linalool found in washing up liquids and household cleaning agents, while a US study linked volatile organic compounds acetone, ethanol, pinene and acetate with a 34% increase in health problems in people with asthma.

I’m all for the room smelling nice, but not sleeping in one full of these chemicals.

There is an alternative. Essential oils which have been used for over 5,000 years to treat cold and flu symptoms, stress, pain, anxiety and even digestive problems can be found in the majority of supermarkets and pose a comparatively low level risk to humans.

They’re organic, extracted from bark, flower, fruit, leaf, seed and root of trees, and are created through distillation processes by separating oil from water. To give your bedroom a nice, relaxed atmosphere without filling it with harmful substances, essential oils are much smarter choice.

I’ve recently started using the Aroma Works Essential Oil Diffuser which can be purchased from Waitrose and Sainsburys. You can buy the oils – lavender, rosemary, peppermint etc – separately and just squirt a few drops into the diffuser. Leave it to do it’s thing and walk into a beautifully scented room without the worry of congesting your respiratory system.