Air fresheners have become something of a standard for most homes and professional spaces, as well as certain public places.
The aromatic scent of air fresheners is generally associated with cleanliness, which is why its use has become even more persistent and important in current times when proper hygienic practices hold the utmost importance.
While you surely must have sprayed air freshener cans numerous times throughout your life, have you ever wondered how exactly they work?
How Do Aerosol Air Fresheners Work?
There are different types of air fresheners based on the mechanism with which they work. You have simple sprays, diffusers, mists, solid discs, gels, and even scented candles that imbue the air with aromatic scents as they burn away. You also have plugins and automatic fresheners that puff fragrance at regular intervals to keep your environment smelling fresh at all times. Some freshers work passively, like mist dispensers and sprays, while others take an active role, such as electric fan based freshening systems. The most common and popular type that is used all across the world, however, is the aerosol air freshener.
The term ‘aerosol’ quite literally translates into ‘dissolves in air’. These aerosol air fresheners typically come in pressurized containers having a nozzle. When you press down on the nozzle, a stream of liquid shoots out of the small opening under a lot of pressure. As the stream moves from a high pressure to the standard environmental pressure, the difference enables the sprayed liquid to quickly evaporate into the air as it is released. The volatile substance along with the fragrance takes the shape of tiny molecules called aerosols that spread throughout and remain suspended in the air for periods of time.
Do They Eliminate Bad Smells?
There is a difference between regular aerosol air fresheners are odor eliminating air fresheners. Most air fresheners work as masking agents- meaning they simply add a new, more dominating and pleasant smell to cover up the underlying unpleasant odors. At times, they also reduce the sensitivity of your nose to strong smells.
Odor eliminators contain a special component known as cyclodextrin. This molecule picks up and encapsulates the particles in the air that are causing bad smells, thus eliminating the odor from the environment.
Do Air Fresheners Sanitise the Air?
Where most air fresheners contain adsorption and oxidising agents to remove odour producing molecules from the environment, some also incorporate air sanitisers. The goal is to eliminate the airborne bacteria and microorganisms in your space that may be producing certain bad odours. The sanitiser kills or inactivates these organisms.
Are Aerosol Air Fresheners Harmful for Your Health?
Just as is true for anything, aerosol air fresheners will cause you absolutely no harm if you use them in moderation. The excess of anything can overwhelm your senses, so just be careful with how much you spray and how often you do it in your space.
If you or anyone around you has any serious allergies or lung conditions, it is best to avoid the use of air fresheners as they may prove to be a trigger.
Hang on, doesn’t Refresh 365 have anti-bacterial wall hung Air refreshers?
Yes. Yes we do. In fact, we have some of the best air refreshers out there, don’t just take our word for it, we have many people spurking our wares on facebook.
