How to Get Rid of Synthetic Fragrance In Your Home In 7 Steps

We all love it when our homes smell good—fresh and clean in the summer, cinnamon and pumpkin in the fall, and holiday spice at Christmas, right?

It’s just a part of what makes our homes feel cozy! I completely get it. I love it when my house smells nice; it makes it all that more inviting. 

But many people aren’t aware that these yummy-smelling products can actually make you sick.

Many scented candles, wall plugs, air fresheners, reed diffusers, potpourri, room sprays and cleaning products contain synthetic fragrances, which can wreak havoc on your health and well-being.

What is Synthetic Fragrance?

What exactly is fragrance? Isn’t it just a blend of natural scents?

Well, the term ‘fragrance’ can mean a lot of things.

This term blankets a range of artificial scents engineered in labs. Manufacturers love them for their consistency and shelf life. They are used in most commercial goods, making everything from laundry detergent to personal care items smell “better.”

Yet, these scents are concoctions of various chemicals.

When you see ‘fragrance’ listed on a product, it doesn’t refer to just one ingredient. Fragrance can be a combination of up to 3000 ingredients to make one “scent.” There are no regulatory policies for disclosing these ingredients either! This means that companies are not required to disclose which ingredients their “fragrance” is made from – see what I’m getting at?

Hidden chemicals and irritants. 

The fragrance in most commercial products, including perfumes, lotions, laundry detergents, and other household goods, does not come from a natural source. It is synthetically derived in a lab.

Fragrances have absolutely infiltrated our lives because they can be produced at a fraction of the cost of natural alternatives.

Another hook is their strength and longevity. A spritz of synthetic perfume lingers far longer than most natural scents like essential oils. This is a double-edged sword, though. What sticks around also has the potential to invade our bodies and environments.

The contrast with natural fragrances is HUGE. Essential oils, for instance, are derived directly from plants. They are derived from a 100% natural source and not a concoction of chemicals.

However, the allure of synthetic fragrances has overshadowed these natural alternatives. The drive for persistently strong scents and cheaper prices makes artificial fragrances so popular.

Yet, the more research highlighting the negative effects of synthetic fragrances comes out, the more people are slowly turning back to natural alternatives. The hunt for non-toxic shampoo, castile soap, and other non-synthetic alternatives is gaining momentum—and I’m here for it!

Health Risks Associated With Fragrance

Synthetic fragrances are not harmless and can actually cause various negative health effects.

Fragrances emit volatile organic compounds (VOCs), such as terpenes, ethanol, acetone, and formaldehyde, that pollute the air quality in your home, where you’re exposed to them 24/7.

Our bodies breathe – with the lungs through the mouth and nose but also through the skin. The skin is an absorbent barrier. That means that synthetic fragrances can enter your body through the respiratory tract as well as the dermal system.

Since fragrance disclosure is not mandated, we cannot know how scents are processed or what possible contaminants they may have been exposed to. Some ingredients used to make fragrance are petroleum-derived and can be mixed with solvents, synthetic dyes, stabilizers, and preservatives.   

Of the 3000+ ingredients used to make synthetic fragrances, some have been associated with health risks such as:

• Respiratory issues 
• Allergies
• Asthma
• Skin irritation (dermatitis, eczema, rashes)
• Headaches & migraines
• Nausea
• Reproductive effects
• Teratogenic Risk
• Cancer risk
• Organ toxicity
• Neurological problems
• Endocrine disruption
• Sleep disturbances
• Eye irritation

Synthetic fragrances are like “silent poisons”—you can’t see them, but they’re slowly off-gassing all around you! You’re exposed to dozens every single day, which can cause both short—and long-term health effects.

Where to Find Hidden Fragrance in Your Home

You might be surprised to find out how many products in your home contain fragrance. Many times, it’s hidden, making it extra challenging to get rid of it. 

When I first started detoxing my home, I was SHOCKED at the sheer number of places I could find fragrance as an ingredient.

Cleaning supplies—even ones labelled as “clean.” Sure, they left my surfaces clean, but at the cost of releasing toxic chemicals and irritants into our home.

Personal care products?  Pretty much the same story. My “natural” shampoo, with all its green-washed marketing, also turned out to contain synthetic fragrance.

Deliciously flavoured candles? Just a source of toxic gasses (volatile organic compounds) polluting your air quality.

I strongly encourage you to go through your home, room by room, and really read the labels of your products—the nitty gritty, small-print ingredient list on the back. You might be surprised just how many products secretly harbour synthetic fragrances.

Places To Look For Hidden Fragrance:

• Cleaning products – all-purpose sprays, dish soap, bathroom cleaners
• Candles, air fresheners, wall plugs, reed diffusers, room sprays, potpourri
• Scented garbage bags
• Personal care products – hair care, body washes, soaps, lotions, deodorant
• Perfume/Cologne
• Makeup 
• Laundry detergent, dryer sheets, fabric softener, scent boosters
• Pet shampoo, litter
• Scented paper towels
• Mattresses and bedding
• Artificial plants

I know this list is pretty extensive, but that’s the unfortunate reality.

Synthetic fragrances are in almost all commercial and household products. Our sense of smell is one of the strongest senses, which is why companies try to appeal to it!

Laundry detergent that smells like flowers, bronzer that smells like coconut, or vanilla-scented candles are all marketing tactics designed to get you to buy their products.

Going synthetic fragrance-free does NOT mean you have to go without nice-smelling products or have a smelly home!

Not at all.

All you need to do is make the switch to products that are 100% toxin-free and made with naturally sourced ingredients.

There are amazing, non-toxic products out there that smell good and do not risk your well-being. Plus, you can make many products yourself, like this easy homemade orange vinegar cleaner I use for almost all my home cleaning.

You’ll end up saving money while supporting your health and wellness!

7 Ways To Remove Synthetic Fragrance Naturally

Now that you’ve ditched synthetic products, here’s how to get rid of fragrance in your home (naturally!).

1. Open Your Windows Daily

This might not be what you were expecting, but it’s an essential first step to removing lingering fragrance in your home.

Opening your windows daily is the simplest way to bring in fresh air, remove VOCs and fragrances, and improve the air quality in your home with ventilation.

This circulates fresh air in your home, allowing the fragrance to dissipate naturally.

Plus, opening your windows can help remove excess moisture from your house, reducing the growth of mold and mildew (which can pollute your air quality, too!).

2. Ditch Synthetic Products

This goes without saying but if you want to detox your house of synthetic fragrance you’ve got to do a complete purge of the products you use.

Go through everything – laundry products, cleaners, perfumes, candles, scented-anything. Read the labels, and if you see the words fragrance, perfume, parfum, linolool, cologne or limolene, toss it!

You can’t remove and get rid of fragrance in your home if you keep adding to it!

Simple as that.

3. Air Purifiers

Air quality inside your home is so important and can easily be polluted. From VOCs and off-gassing of fragranced products to dust, allergens and mold spores.

Thankfully, you can purify your air in a couple of different ways.

You can buy a portable air filter like the ultra-powerful HEPA filter AirDoctor. It filters even the smallest airborne particles in your home, effectively filtering VOCs, pet dander, dust, pollen and allergens.

Another option is to get some air-purifying plants. Several different types of plants are great at cleaning the air in your home, even removing toxins like benzene and formaldehyde!

A few favourites:

• Spider plant 
• Snake plant 
• Rubber plant 
• Peace lily
• Gerbera Daisy

They purify your air, remove odours, decorate your space and boost your mental wellness; what’s not to love?

4. Deep Clean

Synthetic fragrance can accumulate in many areas of your home. To effectively get rid of them, you’ll want to do a deep clean, making sure to:

• Launder curtains, blankets, pillowcases, fabric textiles & decor
• Wet-vacuum your carpets and upholstery
• Wash all of your clothes and linens

Now, before you do this, it is absolutely essential that you use a non-toxic, fragrance-free cleaner and laundry detergent! If you just use a regular carpet cleaning solution, you’re back to square one because, guess what—it also contains synthetic fragrance.

Don’t worry, though. I have the solution for this.

I use the Branch Basics All-Natural Concentrate for ALL of those things. It’s a toxin and fragrance-free concentrate that you can mix with water to make an all-purpose house cleaner, laundry detergent and carpet cleaning concentrate!!

So, yeah. Now, you only need to buy one product instead of several fragranced ones!

Practical and easy, just the way it should be.

5. Baking Soda

Baking soda is an easy way to neutralize odours trapped in your furniture and surfaces.

Before vacuuming, sprinkle baking soda over your carpets and upholstered furniture and let it sit for a couple of hours. This will allow the soda to absorb odours.

This is a great way to neutralize synthetic fragrances and unwanted odours on a regular cleaning basis.

6. Use Vinegar

Vinegar is another natural method for removing and deodorizing.

Place small bowls filled with vinegar around your home to absorb smells or make homemade vinegar cleaners.

Since vinegar has a pretty strong smell, I love making a DIY orange vinegar cleaner. All you need to make it are orange peels and white vinegar. You leave it to infuse for a couple of weeks, and that’s it. That classic vinegar smell almost fully dissipates, leaving the cleaner smelling like citrus!

So, you get the benefits of vinegar as a deodorizer without that super-acidic scent.

You can use the homemade orange vinegar cleaning spray to wipe down counters, glass, showers, tubs, and tile floors. It’s a really awesome multi-purpose, non-toxic cleaning product.

And it’s cheap!!

7. Essential Oils

Once you have fresh air in the house, you can use natural essential oils in a diffuser. This is an easy, non-toxic way to add pleasant scents to your home without introducing toxic gasses or negative health effects. 

Essential oils can actually have therapeutic effects. So, not only do they make your house smell great, but you also get aromatherapy at the same time! 

Common essential oils & their benefits:

• Lavender: relaxation
• Frankincense: inflammation, improve asthma, boost mood and sleep
• Peppermint: anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, headache relief, supports digestion, boosts mood
• Eucalyptus: pain relief, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, open sinuses
• Lemongrass: stress and anxiety relief, antibacterial

There are dozens of essential oils, so you can experiment and see which you love best. My absolute favourite is this Thieves essential oil blend. It’s a blend of cloves, ginger, lemon, eucalyptus, and rosemary—all of which support the immune system. I use it almost daily all year round. It smells amazing but not in an overpowering, headache-starting way. 

Once you get into essential oils, you become hooked! There are so many, and the health benefits are an added bonus. I buy my EOs from Plant Therapy because they are 100% naturally sourced and not as pricey as other brands.

You don’t need to spend hundreds of dollars on a diffuser (although there are many high-end options). But you want to ensure it’s not cheaply made either, so it lasts you several years.

I use this Saje diffuser daily, and I’ve had it for over five years! It’s a gorgeous ceramic diffuser that also doubles as room decor.

Going Fragrance-Free

Going fragrance-free can feel super challenging because you’ll start noticing it in everything (seriously, everything).

Finding out the products you love and use every day are actually toxic and having to throw them out can leave you feeling super lost – because what are you supposed to use now?

I’ve got you, girl! I’m your new non-toxic BFF.

Join our community of non-toxic, crunchy gals and get the best tips, brands, product recommendations and DIY health-supporting recipes in your inbox.

Resources:

• DOI: 10.1007/s11869-016-0442-z
• DOI: 10.3390/jox13010010
• DOI: 10.1016/j.mehy.2017.03.025
• https://www.safecosmetics.org/chemicals/fragrance/