Freshen Your Home Without the Chemicals
Scented plug-ins mask odors while quietly polluting your air.
The name "Air Fresheners" can make you think that the purpose of these products is to clean and freshen the air, right? Unfortunately, this name couldn't be more misleading.
According to a study done by the Natural Resources Defense Council, 86% of air fresheners tested contain at least one, if not multiple, phthalate(s). What's even worse is that this is just a small portion of the toxic substances found in air fresheners, including the big name "Glade" by S.C. Johnson.
The truth is, air fresheners do not work. The only product that will properly cleanse the air is a high-quality air purifier, such as the Breathe Safe® Plasma Air Purifier or Ionic Refresher.
The question is, how do these devices work better than other purifiers or air fresheners? Why can't a scented plug-in do the job?
Thankfully, everything you need to know about moving away from toxic air products is easy to learn — the Indoor Air Quality guide covers the fundamentals of healthy air at home. Keep on reading to learn how you can keep the air inside your home clean and safe to breathe.
Products such as Glade air fresheners contain toxic chemicals that are linked to health conditions such as breast cancer, lung conditions, neurotoxicity, and other serious health concerns.
You may be wondering how they can get away with using these harmful substances without penalties, considering how toxic their ingredients are. The answer lies within the term "trade secrets."
A trade secret is protected by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. This protection gives them the privilege to refrain from listing their full ingredients on their packaging, which is why you will only see the words "fragrance" or "natural."
To the health-conscious world, this allowance is entirely mind-boggling. The United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) recently issued a safety warning about the high Phthalate levels in air fresheners such as Glade.
Before we dive into the incredible benefits of natural air purifiers, you must know what the toxic substances are that are lurking inside typical household air fresheners. If those companies do not reveal what's in their products, who will?
Common Toxins in Air Fresheners:
Air fresheners are like a bandaid on a bullet wound. They may cover up the scents in your home; however, they are not solving the problem. Not only are they not cleaning the air, but they are also adding new toxic substances that could give you long term health conditions.
Most air purifiers do not work like they claim they do. This is because they are not getting to the root cause of what is causing the air to become compromised in the first place.
According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, the air inside your home is between two to five times worse than the air outside. This is due to toxic air fresheners, volatile organic compounds, everyday household cleaners, and other substances leaking into your home.
The only way to get to the root of the problem is to invest in a high-quality air purifier.
The Breathe Safe uses plasma to eliminate toxic exposure by naturally removing bacteria, mold, fungus spores, dust, chemicals, and VOCs from the air. Not only does the Breathe Safe remove these harmful toxins, but it also produces new oxygen at a rapid rate. In as little as five minutes, independent laboratory testing measured oxygen about 17% higher directly above the running Breathe Safe.
The Ionic Refresher is also a fantastic alternative to plug-in air purifiers, as it is approximately the same size and style. It can sterilize 90% of the air in 24 hours and runs silently and continuously. Not only does the Ionic Refresher actually work to purify the air, without adding harmful toxins back into it; it is a cost-efficient option. You will not have to continually purchase fragrance refills to operate this device.
Unlike the Breathe Safe, the Ionic Refresher works without a cord. We suggest plugging one into an outlet in every room in your home. The Breathe Safe has the advantage of being portable, so you can take it with you in the car, or operate it anywhere there is no outlet. Both devices are extremely powerful and beneficial air purifiers for your home and health. We recommend investing in both.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic took over the world, everyone has been frantically trying to cleanse their air of airborne pathogens and other viruses.
Recently, the U.S.D.A has acknowledged the efficiency of using negative ionization in the removal of airborne pathogens, such as salmonella enteritidis and other forms of bacteria. This discovery has now led to the use of negative ionization in poultry-producing warehouses to reduce the chances of salmonella.
Negative ionization is the process of releasing ions into the atmosphere to balance the charges of the harmful pollutants.
Harmful substances, including VOCs, formaldehyde, electronics, and virtually everything in the modern world, emit positive ions. While this may sound "positive," it can actually be negative for your health.
Positive ions are small molecules with a positive charge. An abundance of these positive ions can be harmful and cause anxiety, fatigue, irritability, breathing difficulties, depression, and other serious health concerns.
Positive ions contain fewer electrons than negative ions. This causes them to become unstable, which is why they cannot mutate when they come in contact with negative ions.
The benefits of negative ions go back to our origins when our ancestors recognized the benefits of sitting next to a waterfall.
Do you ever wonder why sitting next to a waterfall is so calming and grounding? This isn't by chance. This is because waterfalls and other sources of nature, such as forests, oceans, and rivers, all contain negative ions that positively impact our health.
Negative ions are primarily active air molecules (like oxygen and/or nitrogen) that form with a negative charge and help to counterbalance and keep our environment clean (mother nature's remedy).
The Ionic Refresher uses negative ions as its prime air-purifying solution and generates more than 32,000 of them per cubic centimeter. The machine is designed with a carbon fiber tip to boost the efficiency of the negative ions it distributes. This enhances its antimicrobial and sterilizing power.
The Breathe Safe air purifier releases over 23,500,000 ions per cubic centimeter. At a closer look, it is not just the number of ions released that matters; it is more about using the right balance of both positive and negative ions.
The Breathe Safe uses the perfect 5:1 ratio of 19,100,000 negative ions and 4,400,000 positive ions, which creates an invisible electron plasma cloud. These plasma electrons constantly steal the hydrogen molecules off of the protein surfaces of pathogens and bacteria.
This plasma not only cleanses the air of impurities but it also effectively cleanses surfaces as well. According to a study done by the University of Arizona, a typical desk contains over 400 times more harmful bacteria than a toilet seat. This is alarming and shows even more why we need help to breathe in truly clean air.
The Los Angeles (LAX) airport has placed multiple large plasma machines on the concourses to off-set the jet fumes for their employees and the environment. After thorough testing, it has dramatically reduced the amount of toxic exposure.
The Breathe Safe can effectively increase oxygen levels and remove harmful toxins such as bacteria, viruses, and VOCs. There are more toxic substances the Breathe Safe can effectively remove as well.
The Breathe Safe can also remove 46.1% bacteria, 99.68% particulates, and 86.4% volatile organic compounds, including formaldehyde, benzenes, and other invisible, deadly substances.
The Ionic Refresher has equally impressive numbers, as it can remove 94.6% formaldehyde, 94% smoke, 90% bacteria, 91.8% benzene, 90.9% VOCs, and 86.9% ammonia.
The Breathe Safe has more power than other air purifiers, yet it is only 1/8 of the size! Many air purifiers are huge, bulky, and awkward to move around, especially in a small space like an apartment. The Breathe Safe is so compact that it can not only be used in your office or car, but it can also be brought into your sauna for an extra oxygenated boost — the Breathe Safe® Sauna ION Generator is the version built for sauna use.
Using the Breathe Safe with sauna therapy increases your sweating rate and allows for better detoxification. The negative ions in a sauna also help your body to relax and stay calm, which reduces stress and supports a settled, comfortable state. This can help you in everyday life as well, and is another reason why Breathe Safe is the safest way to go!
The Ionic Refresher can be plugged into any home outlet, just like the Glade plug-ins so many are used to. The difference is this device will rid your air of toxins to produce truly clean air at a fraction of the cost.
Now that you know the harmful effects of typical air fresheners like Glade, you are probably ready to throw out all your air fresheners. Congratulations, you are now on your way to creating a safer breathing space for you and your family!
Once you remove the toxins, it is time to cleanse your air. To learn more about the Breathe Safe or Ionic Refresher, and how you can order today, feel free to contact us at any time.
Ditching toxic products is a road I walked myself, long before it was easy. When I first started paying attention to what was actually in the everyday products around me, you could not simply go to the grocery store and buy all of these nontoxic brands the way you can now. They were not on the shelves yet.
So I had to come up with my own, making different things myself. That do-it-yourself stretch taught me something no label ever could: once you understand what is in a product, you start asking the same question about everything in your home — including the air you breathe in it.
They cover up scents rather than removing pollutants. Testing by the Natural Resources Defense Council found that 86% of air fresheners contain at least one phthalate, and many carry additional toxic substances that stay in the air of your home.
According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, indoor air is between two to five times worse than the air outside, due to toxic air fresheners, volatile organic compounds, everyday household cleaners, and other substances leaking into the home.
Negative ionization releases ions into the atmosphere to balance the charges of harmful pollutants — the same effect found in nature near waterfalls, forests, oceans, and rivers. The U.S.D.A. has acknowledged its efficiency in removing airborne pathogens such as salmonella enteritidis, and it is now used in poultry-producing warehouses.
The Breathe Safe uses plasma with a 5:1 ratio of 19,100,000 negative ions to 4,400,000 positive ions, creating an electron plasma cloud that removes bacteria, mold, fungus spores, dust, chemicals, and VOCs. It is only 1/8 the size of many purifiers and is portable enough for the office, car, or sauna.
It plugs into any home outlet, just like the familiar plug-in fresheners, and runs silently and continuously — sterilizing 90% of the air in 24 hours. Plugging one into an outlet in every room of your home works well, and there are no fragrance refills to keep buying.
Published December 18, 2020 • Updated August 27, 2026
By Eileen Durfee, inventor of the Breathe Safe® Plasma Air Purifier.
Educational notice: The information shared here is for general education about indoor air and everyday product choices. Products mentioned are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease, and individual experiences vary. For guidance on your personal health, please consult a qualified healthcare professional.
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