Any of us wishes to have a cozy bathroom, a pleasant place to be. We purchase the best plumbing fixtures and décor elements to create the right atmosphere. However, there is one thing that can whittle away all our efforts. The smell.
Nobody likes it when the bathroom has that humid smell. Not to speak of the odors we produce when we use the toilet. The only solution for that problem is an air freshener.
Air fresheners can be of various types – sprays, plug-ins, potpourri, scented candles, and others. They are available in any scent imaginable: spicy wintery scents like cinnamon, orange, peppermint, and pine; fresh fragrances like melon, green tea, and apple. Other popular scents include rain and ocean. Look through our guide and reviews to find out more about all of them and choose the best air freshener for your bathroom.
Types of Air Fresheners
The most popular types of air fresheners are the following:
Sprays. This is the most popular type. There are a lot of air-freshening and deodorizing sprays on the market. They can have a different purpose. Some of them have components that help eliminate odors. Others simply mask bad smells. There are also sprays that can help you sanitize the room.
Plug-ins. They are rather a recent invention. They have been introduced by Glade. Today, Glade still remains the leading producer of plug-in air fresheners. AirWick is the other brand that works in this direction. As the name suggests, such air fresheners are plugged into a standard electrical socket. They send waves of scent in equal amounts of time.
Potpourri. These compositions are created specifically to neutralize odors that come out of your porcelain throne. They are much more eco-friendly than the other types of air fresheners. Most potpourris are applied directly in the bowl of the toilet. Some of them are liquids; others contain dried petals, fruit, and spices.
Scented candles. These fresheners are especially popular in the bedroom as they help create a romantic atmosphere. However, they do the job of masking unpleasant odors pretty well, which means they can be used in the bathroom as well. Scented candles are made of paraffin or beeswax mixed with essential oils. When you light such a candle, it starts to melt and the oils start to fume into the air, making it fresh and fragrant.
Incense burners. This is the most eco-friendly way of freshening the air in the room. Besides, you can choose any scent you like, as there are many essential oils available on the market today. The upper part of the burner is filled with warm water with a few drops of an essential oil of your choice. After that, put a candle into the burner, lit it up, and – voila! – the water begins to vaporize, releasing fragrant oils into the air.
How Air Fresheners Work?
Air fresheners work in two different ways. They can remove bad smells by eliminating their reason, meaning they kill odor-causing bacteria, thus sanitizing the air. Alternatively, air fresheners can simply mask odors with the help of fragrances, either natural or artificial.
Apart from that, there are products that remove odors by absorbing them. This mechanism is characteristic for solid and gel-like air fresheners that have zeolite, silica gel, or activated charcoal in their formula. There are also mixtures that deodorize the air through the process of oxidation. Usually, they contain one of such oxidizing agents as ozone, hydrogen peroxide, chlorine, or others.
Top Three Best Bathroom Air Fresheners
1. Before-You-Go Toilet Spray from Poo-Pourri
With this toilet spray, you can forget about odors coming from your toilet once and for all. Just spritz it into the bowl before using the toilet and – voila! – the protective layer that forms on top if the water in the bowl will keep the odor in, preventing it from spreading all over the room. This product comes in bottles of several sizes, from 1.4 ounces to 16 ounces.
The Before-You-Go spray from Poo-Pourri contains no harsh chemicals. It is safe to breathe as it does not produce any negative health effects. The product is available in a number of scents. Poo LaLa, Call of the Wild, Deja Poo, Merry Spritzmas, Royal Flush, Ship Happens, and Trap-a-Crap are the most interesting of them.
Follow this link to shop for this fresher on Amazon
2. Aerosol Spray Air Freshener from Glade
This aerosol is one of the most air fresheners on the market. Produced by one of the leading brands in this category, this air freshener not just deodorizes the room. It eliminates odors by killing odor-causing bacteria. It comes in a recyclable steel can containing eight ounces of the product.
This air freshener from Glade has a nice Linen scent – mild and pleasant. It will be a great choice for those who do not like overpowering scents. The bottle is designed with a new compressed gas technology that allows using the product economically. It produces a soft and quiet mist that spreads easily all over the bathroom.
Follow this link to shop for this fresher on Amazon
3. Premium Coconut & Lime Bathroom Spray from Mask
This spray air freshener will help you prevent bathroom odors from appearing – just dispense it over the toilet water surface before using the toilet, and the odors won’t get a chance of spreading. It is available in two sizes – two and four ounces. The 2-ounce bottle will last for 200 uses, while the 4-ounce bottle will keep your bathroom fresh for twice as long.
The Premium bathroom spray from Mask has a fresh scent – a mixture of coconut and lime. It is 100% eco-friendly, so you may not worry about any harsh chemicals – there are none of those in its formula. It deodorizes the air in the bathroom thanks to essential and fragrance oils. They produce a mild and pleasant scent that is still powerful enough to mask any embarrassing smells coming from the toilet.
Follow this link to shop for this fresher on Amazon
Are Air Fresheners Safe?
Lately, there have been many reports stating that modern air fresheners contain harmful chemicals in their formula. Often, their excessive use results in poisoning and other health hazards. Besides, air fresheners, sprays in particular, affect the environment in a bad way. A recent University of Washington research has revealed that most air fresheners contain acetone, limonene, acetaldehyde, chloromethane, and 1.4-dioxane. And that is just the tip of the iceberg.
What are the most harmful ingredients in the formula of air fresheners? Let’s start with phthalates. These chemical compounds can be found in most household products, beauty products, and even in goods for children. Multiple studies have shown, that phthalates disrupt the work of our endocrine system. Most of all, they affect the production of sex steroids, which may result in changes in the formation of genitals, cause early puberty, and even decrease the birth rate of boys. They can also cause infertility, both in men and women.
Volatile organic compounds are next on our list. These are acetone, ethanol, d-limonene, pinene, acetate, and others. They can cause such unpleasant health effects as headaches, nausea, mucous membrane irritations of eyes, nose, and throat. Apart from these minor ailments, volatile organic compounds can cause serious health conditions, such as liver, kidney, and central nervous system damages.
Formaldehyde, one of the well-known carcinogens, is also one of the most common ingredients of air fresheners. Most of all, it affects respiratory organs and may cause such symptoms as coughing and wheezing. Constant exposure to formaldehyde can even lead to bronchitis.
However, not all air fresheners are that bad. Some brands produce eco-friendly room deodorizers made of natural components. If you care about your health and the environment, they are the best choice for you.
