Summary: Some air fresheners are dangerous to use around babies, and some are safe. The safe choices are ones that avoid choking hazards and strong chemicals that could harm your child or cause allergic reactions. In this article, I discuss the best air fresheners for using around babies.
Are you worried about using air fresheners around your baby?
You should be, because there are some air fresheners that you should definitely not use around young children.
In this article, I’ve compiled a list of various air freshener solutions that are safe choices for freshening up your child’s room, or any room in the house where a baby will be staying.
When choosing the right air freshener to use around a baby, we have to keep in mind three major concerns.
Air Fresheners & Babies: 3 Dangers You Must Avoid
- Your air freshener must not be a choking hazard.
- It must not use chemicals that can get into the baby’s face or mouth.
- It must not use scented chemicals so strongly that they can cause asthma or allergic reactions.
In order to avoid choking hazards, I would avoid using air freshener beads or plugin air fresheners at any height the baby can reach, so as to avoid the child grabbing and swallowing a piece of them. These air fresheners may be fine to use at elevated heights where the baby cannot reach.
To avoid chemicals getting on the baby’s face or mouth, you should avoid using cleaning chemicals directly where the baby will be spending time. You do not want to use a chemical spray on a surface or toy that the child may rub his fingers on and then lick them. For deodorizing cleaning sprays, be sure to use something that is all natural and unharmful to humans, such as vinegar mixed with water in a spray bottle.
And finally, to avoid causing asthma-like symptoms in your baby, you must avoid adding strong scents to the rooms in the house where the baby resides. Strong scents, even those created by natural substances, can cause allergic reactions in both babies and adults.
I’ve assembled a list of the best air freshener solutions that avoid these three problems entirely.
The Safest Air Fresheners To Use Near Babies
Solution #1: Odor-Removing Gel Containers & Bags
Did you know that you can get rid of bad smells in your baby’s room without having to add a new smell? You can do this by using objects that remove odor-causing particles directly from the air without adding much, or any, scent of their own.
My favorite odor removers are listed here. The first one is a canister that is ideal for displaying on a counter top, whereas the second is a bag that would work well being laid on the floor or on a couch.
- Odor-removing gel canister – Click here to view. Ideal for setting on a dresser or lamp table to constantly remove nearby bad odors. The gel absorbs odor-causing particles. It puts off a very light scent of its own, but not a strong aroma. Does not strongly disperse chemicals into the air. Not a choking hazard for young babies.
- Odor-removing bag of activated carbon– Click here to view. Ideal for throwing in a laundry basket or even setting in a pile of stuffed animals or pillows. The activated charcoal absorbs odor-causing particles just like the gel canister. Does not give off an aroma. Does not disperse any chemicals into the air. Not a choking hazard for young babies.
Solution #2: Vinegar & Water Cleaning Spray
If you really need a cleaning spray that gets rid of bad odors, but you want it to be safe around kids, then creating your own all-natural spray is the best solution. And, it’s super easy.
The easiest way to make your own safe-for-kids cleaning spray is to combine distilled white vinegar with some water in a spray bottle. When cleaning up, instead of using chemical cleaners, just spray the dirty surface with vinegar water and wipe it down with a wash cloth.
A young child probably won’t enjoy the smell of vinegar, but it contains no harmful chemicals that could hurt him. And the smell will dissipate quickly anyways, especially if you wipe it up with a cloth.
Solution #3: All-Natural Aroma Diffuser
If you must have a new aroma in your child’s room, you can get an essential oil aroma diffuser that contains no choking hazards and uses only all-natural substances to freshen the air.
Click here to view my recommended essential oil diffuser. This one is quite nifty as it comes in a few different designs and even has optional lighting settings, making it into more of a decoration than just an air freshener.
Along with your essential oil diffuser, obviously you’ll need some essential oils to fill it up with. You can buy essential oils in single scents, or you can have fun and get a value pack with lots of scents to experiment with. Every oil in this set is made of natural ingredients, meaning it is safe for your baby to breathe.
Keep in mind that although the natural substances in these essential oils will not hurt your baby, if the smell gets too strong then it could still be unpleasant for your child. Observe your child’s reaction, if any, to the new smell, and adjust the aroma diffuser accordingly.
Solution #4: Air Purifier With Odor-Removing Filter
If you want a more serious, long-term solution to bad odors in your home or just your baby’s room, then consider investing in an air purifier.
Every air purifier will remove dust and dander from the air, including particles that cause allergies. But most air purifiers can also be equipped with activated carbon air filters that are specifically built for removing odors from the air as well.
I recommend the Winix Air Purifier which comes with an odor-capturing carbon filter.
The activated carbon filter that goes into air purifiers is the same material that works in the bag of activated carbon that I recommended above. However, an air purifier will typically remove much more odor in your home than one of those small bags, since it circulates a larger quantity of air through its filter.
