Are Carpet Powders Toxic?

A well loved home usually includes odd smells, whether that is from your family pet’s accident, from mud getting tracked in, or food spilling on the floor. Accidents happen, and so having access to cleaners and supplies that will help clean those spills is important for the longevity of your home, as well as your own sanity as you try to keep your house smelling fresh. Carpet deodorizers are an easy way to bring that beautiful smell back into your home before your guests arrive. It’s just as simple as sprinkling the powder onto the floor, and vacuuming it up, then your house is smelling as good as new. However, the safety of your home is more important than anything else, and many carpet deodorizers are toxic to your loved ones. There are wonderful alternatives to these toxic options, so read on to find the best products and how to choose a safe carpet deodorizer.

Why Some Carpet Deodorizers are Not Safe

The fine powders that can deodorize your home may also cause health problems to arise in your household, with pets and children being the most susceptible to exposure. Some health problems that are caused by the inhalation of carpet deodorizing powders are:

• Allergies: For those that already have allergies, the dust from these powders can further irritate them and cause a pretty miserable day with a stuffy nose, watery eyes, itchiness, and sneezing.
• Respiratory conditions: carpet deodorizing powders can also cause respiratory conditions, as the inhalation of the toxic powders can irritate your lungs and throat.
• Hormone and reproductive health issues: some carpet deodorizers contain hormone disrupting fragrance and chemicals that can harm a pregnant woman.

The safety of your home is extremely important. Even after vacuuming the particles of the deodorizer up, residue can still remain in the fibers of your carpet, prolonging the adverse health reactions. No one wants to have allergies all day, everyday, and these carpet deodorizers can cause that very quickly. Identifying what is causing the allergies or respiratory issues by paying attention to what cleaners you are using can positively impact your health almost immediately. The ingredients that are on the label of any carpet deodorizer should not be filled with unrecognizable or hard to read terms – if you can’t recognize the ingredients, research them and decide if that should be inhaled daily in your home. A couple of these toxic ingredients include:

• Butylphenyl methylpropional: a known allergen, and also banned in the EU for reproductive health concerns in 2022.
• Phthalates: a common ingredient with fragrances, can cause allergies and hormonal disruptions.

Safer Carpet Deodorizer Options

There are many options out there for a quick and safer way to deodorize your home. Many non-toxic  deodorizers will not be easy to find in store, but they will be simple to order online. As stated earlier, the best way to determine if a product is non-toxic is by reading the ingredient list. If you are able to recognize the terms and they are non-toxic, and there are very few ingredients on the list, that deodorizer should be the safest for your household. The more ingredients that a product contains, and the more chemical names included, the easier it is to sneak toxic ingredients into it. The safest options will be transparent about what they contain.

Here are the best non-toxic carpet deodorizers for your home:

1. Good Natured Brand – Saving Grace Carpet and Upholstery Deodorizer This non-toxic option was originally created by a woman-founded and owned company to be sold in a local farmers market. It spread through word-of-mouth, as the local community were amazed at how well it worked in making their home smell great, and were shocked with how clean the ingredients were. From there, the company flourished in selling this clean deodorizer. You can have peace of mind with the naturally derived scents, solely made from essential oils, and with its simple ingredient list, consisting of just three ingredients. Sprinkle some of this on your rugs, vacuum it up, and your home will smell like fresh eucalyptus and lemons.
2. Earthy Edith’s Natural Cleaning – Simple Carpet Fresh This is another great non-toxic option that is woman-founded and run. This company began with a hard-working woman who used her farm-grown plants to create all-natural products to clean her home. It has been passed down to her granddaughter, and she continues her grandmother’s legacy by aspiring to run a zero-waste factory. The container that the carpet deodorizer comes in is a stainless steel dispenser, and is refillable. There are also only three ingredients, two of which are organic essential oils, and will leave your rugs and furniture smelling like fresh lemons.

These two options for carpet deodorizers are some of the best ones that are on the market today. Both started with a humble beginning, two women who aspired to create a product that is safe and useful in the home, and both have flourished because of their vision for safe cleaning supplies. Either of these brands will leave your home smelling beautifully clean.

A Nice Smelling Home Doesn’t Have to be Toxic

There are many ways to have your home smelling fresh and beautiful, but many of those ways are toxic. We put ourselves in harm’s way when we inhale the smoke from a toxic candle, the chemicals in the cleaning sprays we use, or the fine powders from the carpet deodorizers that weren’t created with health safety in mind. It is important to consider your own health before making a purchase that will be used daily or weekly in your home, especially when it comes to cleaning supplies. While a carpet deodorizer does not sanitize or clean, it can make your house smell great, but it should not come at the cost of your health. Sadly, many of the options at our local supermarket can be expected to be toxic. Skimming over the ingredient list of them is a quick way to find non-toxic options. Thankfully there are people who aspire to create products that are useful and healthy for people like you, people that are taking their health into their own hands by being careful when picking what they will purchase and utilize in their home. The two brands above are great examples of what to look for in a non toxic carpet deodorizer, as they won’t leave you wondering if you are inhaling toxins every day. Check out more sustainable living tips & sustainable home goods!