Aromatherapy: how to clean the air in the house?

We spend an average of 14 hours a day in our homes and, contrary to popular belief, the air we breathe indoors is not always of good quality. Pollution is numerous: tobacco, humidity, mold, paint residues, carpets and floor coverings, combustion appliances, scented candles, animal hair … And unfortunately, they can have harmful effects on our health by allergies, respiratory tract irritations, headaches.

The first instinct to have healthy air is to think about airing. Every day, when you get out of bed or before your coffee, take the time to open your windows wide, winter and summer, at least ten minutes a day, even when it is very cold. You can also do this in the evening. Airing helps to dilute the pollution but not to eliminate it.

But be careful, if you have small children, never leave them alone with the window open!

No more bad smells with natural methods

If you have lavender in your garden or on your balcony, cut the stems, dry them. In a bowl, burn the lavender stalk, like an incense stick.

Baking soda absorbs bad odors. In a cup, put 2 tablespoons of baking soda and choose the room to sanitize.

For those who are fans of the smell of incense, prefer the bark of styrax to be burnt on a piece of incense charcoal. Avoid incense sticks because of the toxicity of the glues used. Used for many years, Armenian paper is not always unanimous. It is effective in cleaning the air, in the fight against cold and flu epidemics, against tobacco or cooking odors, but used in too high doses or without ventilation, its use is harmful to health. It is strongly not recommended for asthmatics, allergy sufferers or people with respiratory problems.

5 natural recipes with essential oils

With their antibacterial, antiseptic, antiviral and diffusion powers, the essential oils (EO) of officinal lavender, rosemary with cineole, lemon, radiated eucalyptus, grapefruit, Scots pine will be preferred to restore a natural clean air and fresh smells. The diffusion of HE is ideal for releasing positive waves and beneficial aromas in the atmosphere.

Scents of Provence in the living room: in a spray bottle, mix 20 cl of water, 20 cl of alcohol at 60 °, 15 drops of essential oil of officinal lavender, 15 drops of essential oil of grapefruit. Shake before each use and spray each morning after ventilating your room.
Citrus scents in the kitchen: pour in a diffuser 10 drops of essential oil of officinal lavender and 10 drops of essential oil of lemon, diffuse during about twenty minutes. For those who do not have a diffuser, pour into a 30 cl spray bottle, 25 cl of spring water, 20 cl of 60 ° alcohol and 20 drops of lemon essential oil. Shake the bottle before spraying it around the room.
Lavender in the bathroom: to cleanse the humid atmosphere, put in a basin, pebbles or pebbles collected on the beach or in the bed of a river. Rinse them with clean water and sprinkle them with a few drops of essential lavender essential oil. Renew.
Rosemary in the toilet: for small corners with scents of garrigue, dilute 1 teaspoon of EO of officinal lavender or EO of rosemary with cineole or EO of lemon in 2 tablespoons of 70 ° alcohol. Pour 20 cl of spring water into a 30 ml spray bottle and shake to mix well.
Zen scents in the room: pour in a diffuser 10 drops of officinal lavender and 5 drops of EO of shell marjoram, to diffuse for about twenty minutes. For a cuddly diffusion, pour 5 drops of EO of officinal lavender or sweet orange and 10 drops of EO of ylang-ylang in your diffuser for 20 minutes before going to bed. For the child’s room, in the evening, one hour before bedtime, pour 10 drops of essential oil of officinal lavender and 5 drops of essential oil of mandarin in the diffuser.

Our experts : Françoise Couic Marinier, doctor of pharmacy, graduate in phytotherapy, aromatherapy and homeopathy and Thierry Morfin, naturopath.

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