7 Best Non-Toxic Air Fresheners for a Clean and Fragrant Home

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Non-toxic air fresheners can sweeten the air in your home or car without introducing any unhealthy chemicals. They rely on botanical and natural ingredients like essential oils to freshen up the air, as opposed to conventional air fresheners that often contain ingredients that are harmful to your health and to the environment. Some conventional air fresheners can even cause allergic reactions and serious health issues, so they’re better off avoided.

Read on to learn what ingredients to avoid in air fresheners, along with our top picks for the best non-toxic air fresheners (including one of the few non-toxic plug-in air freshener options).

Ingredients to Avoid in Air Fresheners

Here are some of the ingredients you should aim to avoid when purchasing a new air freshener:

• Phthalates: Phthalates are chemicals commonly used to enhance the fragrance in air fresheners. However, they’ve been linked to various health issues, including hormone disruption and respiratory problems.
• Volatile organic compounds (VOCs): VOCs are chemicals that can be released into the air and contribute to indoor air pollution. They are found in many air fresheners and can cause respiratory irritation, especially in younger kids and babies.
• Synthetic fragrances: Synthetic fragrances often contain a blend of chemicals, and unfortunately, air freshener manufacturers aren’t required to list their specific ingredients. These fragrances are concerning in that they can trigger allergies and respiratory problems in sensitive individuals. Instead, you should aim to choose air fresheners with natural and plant-based fragrances such as essential oils.
• Aerosol sprays: Aerosol sprays are a thing to avoid in general, as they contribute to environmental pollution. These sprays can also release fine particles into the air that can be inhaled, potentially irritating the respiratory system.
• Formaldehyde and benzene: These chemicals can be found in traditional air fresheners as byproducts or contaminants. Both formaldehyde and benzene are classified as carcinogens and can pose serious health risks.

Note: Many plug-in air fresheners release chemicals continuously into the air in your home or office. Some studies have raised concerns about the potential health risks associated with long-term exposure to these types of air fresheners. We do have one non-toxic plug-in air freshener on our list below that uses essential oils instead of synthetic fragrances.

When choosing a non-toxic air freshener, look for one formulated with safer ingredients like essential oils, beeswax, and activated charcoal. Alternatively, you can even make your own homemade air fresheners using natural ingredients like baking soda, vinegar, citrus peels, and essential oils (recipe below!).

7 Best Natural and Non-Toxic Air Fresheners

Here are some of the best botanically derived, non-toxic air fresheners you can use to freshen up spaces in your home, office, and even your car.

1. Grow Fragrance

Grow Fragrance is a natural, non-toxic air freshener that was created as a safer alternative to traditional air freshener sprays. It is 100% plant-based, and its different scents smell amazing due to their use of essential oils.

The floral aroma helps cover up unpleasant odors throughout your home. This spray can be used as a bathroom freshener, room freshener, or even on fabrics like couches, carpets, and linens that need a little aromatic refresh.

Grow Fragrance is free from toxins, phthalates, parabens, aerosols, and harmful chemicals that you’ll typically find in synthetic air fresheners. Plus, these non-toxic air fresheners smell great!

2. Fresh Wave Non-Toxic Air Freshener

Fresh Wave Spray is another super versatile odor eliminator that absorbs and neutralizes odors. This spray is ideal for misting your mattress, deep cleaning trash cans, pre-treating clothes before washing, and eliminating common household odors. This is a great spray to keep by the litter box, on a shelf in the bathroom, or next to the shoe rack to spray stinky sneakers.

Fresh Wave’s air fresheners have earned the Safer Choice label from the EPA, indicating that they are non-toxic and not made of any GMOs. These sprays are safe for people, pets, and the planet, and they contain zero harsh chemicals, synthetic perfumes, alcohol, or phthalates. The plant-based ingredients in these sprays include lime, pine needle, clove, anise, and cedarwood oils.

3. Scent Fill Non-Toxic Plug In Air Freshener

Scent Fill makes one of the only plant-based non-toxic plug-in air fresheners that uses essential oils instead of synthetic fragrances to create its scent. Its  refill cartridges are made from recyclable materials, and you can get this plug-in air freshener in several different plant-based scents.

4. Aura Cacia Aromatherapy Mist

Aura Cacia offers one of my favorite non-toxic air fresheners, made with essential oils like eucalyptus, sweet orange, lavender, and peppermint. Their essential oils undergo purity testing using GC/MS (gas chromatography mass spectrometry), which helps guarantee their safety. The mist doubles as a travel spray, so you can pack it when you travel and help your hotel rooms smell like home.

You can get this spray in several different, awesomely natural scents: Eucalyptus, Tangerine and Grapefruit, Patchouli and Sweet Orange, Relaxing Lavender, and Peppermint.

5. Citra Solve Air Scence 

Citra Solve makes its popular “Air Scence” sprays from essential oils and plant extracts that are long-lasting to help freshen up the air in your home. Their pump spray is importantly non-aerosol, and this spray also comes in a recyclable aluminum container that makes it more eco-friendly.

You can get Air Scence in vanilla, lavender, lime, and orange, all of which are made without phthalates, harsh chemicals, and synthetic fragrances.

6. Good Natured Room and Linen Spray

Good Natured’s non-toxic air freshener spray is a long-lasting citrus room spray that’s infused with lime, lavender, cedarwood, eucalyptus, or rosemary essential oils that help eliminate odors while smelling great.

Good Natured Brand is a women-owned company founded by moms. Their plant-based products are made in Maine, USA, and are always cruelty-free and never tested on animals.

7. Attitude Air Purifier with Activated Carbon

Attitude air purifiers is not an air freshening spray; it’s an air freshening box that contains activated carbon, which effectively traps airborne pollutants and contaminants in your home or in spaces like your car or office.

These purifiers are made with plant- and mineral-based ingredients sourced from natural origins, so this air purifier is a sustainable and eco-friendly solution. This air purifiers would be a good one to keep next to perpetually stinky places like a litter box or a diaper pail.

Attitude air purifiers have received ECOLOGO Certification, which shows their commitment to being sustainable and biodegradable. They don’t require electricity or a plug-in connection. You just place the box anywhere in a room, and it will begin removing odors from the air.

How to Make Your Own DIY Non-Toxic Air Freshener