Dan's Papers - May 9, 2008 - With Natural Scents, You Can Inhale Again

As people learn more about the disadvantages of using products that are full of chemicals, they turn to alternatives that are better for their bodies and the environment. Homowners are becoming increasingly more environmentally conscious, whether it's by replacing old kitchen appliances with energy efficient models, or substituting homemade potpourri for a can of chemically based air freshener. There are other healthy ways to make a home smell good beyond chemically enhanced paraffin wax candles, spray cans and plug-ins.

Some delicious scents that can be produced right in the kitchen come from an herb garden. Fresh lavender, rosemary and thyme grown in pots create a beautiful smell. The lavender is also nice to dry out and place in bowls throughout the home. By boiling a couple of cinnamon sticks with apple peels in water on the stove, a home instantly smells like fresh baked apple pie. A wood burning stove, though a bit controversial, does benefit the environment by saving energy and it produces that cozy smell throughout the home.

For a more "spiritual" cleansing that packs a punch, try sage smudge sticks, organic incenses, soy candles and salt lamps. Smudging is a ritual that comes from ancient Native American culture and is used to cleanse the air and body. A smudge stick is a bundle of dried herbs, usually sage. Metaphysical Books and Tools store in Sag Harbor carries sage smudge sticks along with many other environmentally friendly, all natural organic ways to scent the home. To smudge a room, light the sage stick on fire until it catches and the end glows red, blow it out, and spread the smoke through the room by hand for a minute or so. Then smother the stick in a small ceramic bowl until it is finished smoking. The sage smells delicious for days and cleanses the air. The owner of Metaphysical Books, Joseph Benzola, is usually around and extremely knowledgeable about his merchandise. "All our sage is organically grown," he said. His store also carries organically grown Indian, Tibetan and Japanese incenses that are made from pure flower and tree resins as opposed to perfume. "It is very important to read the back of the items," said Benzola. "You need to know what it is made out of."

Benzola also carries soy candles by Archipelago that are much better for the environment than paraffin wax because they burn cleaner and without chemicals. The soy wax candles last longer than paraffin wax and smell great. They are made with essential oils that are therapeutic and give off scent even before they are lit.

Essential oils can also be purchased along with a little oil lamp and some tea light candles. Mix a few drops of the oils with some water and light candle. The oils make an entire house smell lovely and are completely harmless to the environment.

For those who have allergies and don't care for scents, there is a way to purify the air in a home beyond large electronic machines. Metaphysical Books carries something called a salt lamp, which is similar to an oil lamp, but has a little hole for special rock salt. Then the tea light candle is lit to warm the salt. The salt is 30 to 40 million years old, it is all natural and organic and when it reaches a certain temperature it releases negative ions into the air which purify, are good for allergies, improve concentration and counteract all of the electromagnetic pollution that comes from televisions and computers.