Useful Health Tips

There has been a lot of talk about indoor air quality and with so many different issues that affect it, it would be great to find out the many interesting methods available to purify the air in your home naturally. There’s good news because there are plenty of herbs that improve air quality and a plethora of ways to use them to do so.

In fact, keeping herbs indoors can eliminate up to 90% of the VOCs from your air. These are toxic compounds found in the air and can cause a variety of health problems. You can harness the power of nature to improve the air that you breathe, rather than relying on an electronic air filter to do it. Helpful herbs for air quality include lavender, geranium, thyme, mint, basil, sage, jasmine, and many more.

Tips to Purify the Air Using Herbs / Herbal Air Freshners

1. Grow Them Indoors

The simplest and most straight forward method to use herbs to purify your home is by growing them indoors or keeping fresh cuttings around the room. This takes little to no effort on your part and will infuse your room with a great smell all while purifying your air. If you’re growing herbs indoors just beware of the additional moisture some of them create, you’ll need to counteract this with other houseplants or simply choose a different herb.

2. Make Your Own Surface Sprays

Make your own antiseptic sprays with fresh herbs! Vinegar is a powerful cleaning agent and when combined with fresh herbs (or pure essential oils) your air quality benefits. You can add one cup of white vinegar and one cup of water to a spray bottle and then include 50 drops of your favourite herbal essential oil (or the fresh stuff) as well as tea tree oil. It’s easy as can be and keeps your countertops clean and germs at bay.

If you are doing a combination of these techniques and one of your choices is to grow your own herbs then you can also make your own essential oils. You get the best of all worlds and you can rest easy knowing that your essential oils are pure and potent. Either way, an herbal surface spray will give your home a lovely scent while purifying your air and cleaning your home. Think citrusy oils for the kitchen and flowery ones for the bathroom.

3. Use A Diffuser

This is one of the more popular options when it comes to purifying air. Whether you buy your pure essential oils or use homegrown herbs to make your own, it works. If you want to create your own blend ideal to purify your air consider this combination: three drops each of sweet orange and pine, plus two drops each of clove bud and cinnamon leaf. It’s as easy as can be.

You can leave it running until the chamber is empty once a day, or more often if you feel the need. If you have children you will want to be sure to choose an essential oil that is safe for them to breathe.

4. Herbal Air Freshener

An herbal air freshener is an excellent way to reduce the airborne viruses floating about your home. It’s much like the diffusion blend and the cleaning spray combined. You can spray them on your clothing and/or on your sheets and pillowcases before bedtime or in the air and on the furniture. It’s basically homemade Febreze, without the chemicals and cheaper if you’re growing your own herbs.

You’ll need 20 drops each of lemon and pine essential oils, add these to a half cup of witch hazel and another half cup of a strong rosemary infusion. Combine them together in a spray bottle and shake vigorously before each use.

5. Herbal Incense

The practice of smudging with herbal incense has been in use for many years. Traditionally speaking it is used to purify or cleanse the air when an illness has been present. The most popular herb for smudging is sage, though any dried herb bundle can be used. Simply bundle the herbs and light it, quickly blow it out and then waft the smoke around the air in your home. This allows the herbs properties and scent to be released in the air. If you don’t want to use sage and you’re looking for a more appropriate herb for yourself consider rosemary, lavender (if you’re not allergic), or pine needles.

If you’re too nervous about making your own smudge stick don’t worry, they are available pre-made so you can’t go wrong. Alternatively, you can opt for herbal incense. It’s simply a charcoal disc that is lit on fire (on a sand covered incense burner) and the herbs are placed on top of it to smoke. The best way to do this is by using a coffee grinder to blend your herbs of choice before adding them to the disc. You can store the excess powder in an airtight jar (out of the sunlight and away from heat) and keep it for a few months.