No Air Fresheners at the Office Please!

No Air Fresheners at the Office Please!

No one wants to be surrounded by foul odors all day, especially when you’re trying to get your work done, but beware of trying to mask those odors with commercial air fresheners! There is plenty of doubt surfacing as to whether or not these perfumed culprits are actually quite harmful to our health.

If your office cleaning company uses natural green cleaning products, you should have no need for them in the workplace anyway, but many individuals like to have that little stick, or gel, or spray to chase away odors just in case. If you’re one of those people, here is a bit of information on the downside of air fresheners and also some tips on keeping the air fresh naturally!

Many air fresheners on the market today contain chemicals known as phalates, which are suspected of causing cancer, birth defects and fertility problems. Conclusive evidence has not been confirmed regarding the amount of exposure required before adverse affects take place, but as a precaution many countries have banned the use of phalates in some cosmetics and children’s toys. This should tell us that being exposed to this dubious chemical is not a good thing, and might as well be avoided if possible until evidence is found to the contrary. So, where does that leave us with our concerns about nasty odors in the office? Well, the truth is, some simple answers can be found right under our noses!

Cleanliness, of course, is the first defense against odors. As mentioned above, if you have hired a diligent and efficient cleaning company, your office should be free of odors anyway. But for those not so pleasant smells that waft in from time to time, you can try these things:

* Open windows to bring a bit of fresh air if possible to eliminate a temporary odor from a burned lunch or food spill.

* Empty all trash containers daily or immediately if something is really smelly and shake a bit of baking soda into the bottom of the trash can as well

* If you have a garbage disposal, run a piece or two of lemon through the system every so often

* Heat a small dish of water and cinnamon in the microwave for a few minutes to eliminate odors both in the oven and the room

* If someone in the office has a green thumb, consider placing a few houseplants throughout the office. Plants act as natural air purifiers and look pretty too! There are also commercial companies that will provide and maintain plants for the workplace in the event that no green thumbs can be found!

* Consider putting a small personal air cleaner on your desk. These can be found in a variety of sizes and price ranges and work quite well to keep small areas odor free.

* Zeolite crystals also help to eliminate stubborn odors that are sometimes hard to pinpoint. These crystals are usually sold in a mesh pouch and can often be found in home, farm and hardware stores. They absorb odors for a period of time and then can be refreshed by being placed in the sun for a time.