Eco-Friendly Holiday Tips to Scent Your Home

Perfumes and traditional air fresheners are not only bad for the environment, they're also bad for you. They contain all kinds of chemicals that would never be found in nature. Many of these chemicals are carcinogens when used in larger quantities. Many of them are byproducts of other manufacturing processes.

By scenting your home with home made scents and eco-friendly scents, you take market share away from those big corporations. You improve the air quality in your own home and make the world a greener place.

So how do you scent your home in an eco-friendly way?

1. Use Essential Oils

Cedarwood Essential Oil (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Essential oils are probably the easiest and simplest way of making your own scents. Add a few drops of essential oils to water and you'll instantly have a very fragrant, very healthy mixture.

Then all you need is a fragrance disperser. These dispersers allow you to put whatever solution you want in them and it'll mist it out at set intervals. Add your mixture to the disperser and your home is scented!

What's more, this method is much more affordable than buying perfumes or cans of Febreeze. A tiny bottle of essential oil can last you for up to a year!

2. Make Soy Candles

Making your own soy candles can be an exhilarating adventure. Soy candles are a lot healthier than traditional candles. Traditional paraffin candles have up to 11 different carcinogen compounds. In California, these substances are actually considered toxins.

Soy candles on the other hand are much healthier. If you're making them yourself, you know exactly what's going in the candles. Your home and your family are safer.

To make your soy candles scented, just add a few drops of essential oils. You can very easily make your home smell like whatever you want.

3. Buy All-Natural Candles and Scents

Two good places to buy naturally made, chemical-free candles and scents are Etsy and Whole Foods.

Etsy is an artist-driven marketplace. A lot of candle makers make fantastic natural candles and sell them on this site.

You can also find natural, chemical-free scented candles at Whole Foods and other health and natural food stores. Make sure you read the labels for the ingredients before you buy. Don't buy anything with an ingredient that you don't recognize.

Cinnamon sticks. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

4. Boil Spices

You can also make scents without essential oils. For example, you can make a wonderful holiday potpourri scent by boiling 1 ounce of cinnamon sticks with a handful of cloves and a handful of spice mix. Throw in some orange peels and heat for 20 minutes. Simmer in just enough water that the spices don't burn, so the water absorbs as much fragrance as possible.

You can vary this technique however you want. Once the water is done simmering, pour it in a fragrance disperser. Simple and easy.

Scenting your home shouldn't put you and your family's health in danger. Use these techniques to create fresh and healthy fragrances that will make your home smell great for the holidays!