I’ve been trying hard to purify the air naturally. This is to help Charlie breathe. So I’ve been doing some research. Aside from the portable humidifier and the vaporizer, I wanted to find natural ways to accomplish this.

In Purifying The Air Naturally, this is a money house plant. Many house plants purify the air in your home.

So yesterday I googled best ways to purify the air naturally, and salt lamps came up. I had no idea what they were.

Nevertheless, I googled best rated salt lamps, and up came the company Thrive Market. This is what I ordered.

Salt lamps emit negative ions, which work like natural ionizers that purify and clean the air. They neutralize allergens, dust, pollen, mold, fungus, pet dander and odors. This is known to be very beneficial for respiratory health.

Purifying The Air Naturally Will Help You Breathe Better:

Salt lamps also minimize the effect of positive ions from electro magnetic fields and electronic devices. We can probably all use that advice with all the electronic devices we own!

Since the first salt lamp you see above was 55% off, so $13.49 each, I ordered 2 of them. And I ordered 2 boxes of the bulbs, at $4.29 per box. The round lamp at the end was 50% off, so it was $24.99. They all had 4 and a half star ratings.

I always love free shipping, and it was free over $49.

I’ll let you know what I think of them when they arrive.

Did you know that tea tree oil added to an essential oil diffuser can reduce airborne bacteria?

Here are several house plants gathered in a red beverage tub next to my French doors.

Note: Debbie tells me that tea tree oil is toxic to pets, so don’t use this if you have pets in your home.

Essential Oils:

Essential oils like eucalyptus, clove and rosemary have been proven to help reduce the number of dust mites in your house too.

If you like candles, opt for beeswax candles. The science behind this is that particles float in the air around us because they are positively charged ions.

The air is cleaner in the woods, or near a waterfall, for example. This is because nature creates negative ions, which bind to the positive ions, causing them to be heavier and fall to the ground.

Burning pure beeswax candles artificially creates this phenomenon indoors, cleaning the indoor air.

However, burning any kind of candle still sends soot up into the air. To avoid that completely, consider LED candles, which will pollute the air less and reduce the risk of a fire.

But if you want the real deal, go with beeswax candles.

Taking Your Shoes Off Once Home:

Take your shoes off inside to reduce tracking around all the bad stuff your shoes pick up outside.

Keep your pets groomed, because pet dander, or your pet’s skin cells, can cause you to develop asthma-like symptoms or exacerbate asthma if it already exists.

Clean them regularly and brush them outdoors if possible. And vacuum floors and furnishings regularly with a HEPA filter.

If you have central air conditioning you already have a whole-house air filtration system. It pulls the air out of your house to cool it and pumps it back in. Just change your filters regularly.

In Purifying The Air Naturally, this is a spathiphyllum plant that grows in a dim light.

Clean with non-toxic chemicals. Many store-bought household cleaners contain toxic chemicals.

For a greener option, make your own household cleaners using ingredients like vinegar, baking soda, citrus juice or essential oils.

Air Purifiers:

Air purifers can reduce harmful particles in the air. Find out which one is right for you by reading all you can about various brands.

Get rid of mold. The fungus releases spores into the air that trigger allergy symptoms. Of course you can often find mold in the bathroom, laundry room or basement.

You don’t need to bleach it away. Here are five ways to kill mold without chemicals.

Air out new furniture. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are chemicals that linger in the air, and they are everywhere in our homes. VOCs such as toluene and benzene are found in things like glues, paints, fabrics, construction materials and more.

When you buy a new sofa or armchair, know this: It will emit VOCs, more heavily at first and then taper off. To reduce the harm to your indoor air, air out as much as possible to allow VOCs to escape.

If you can, keep it in your garage for a week, or at least keep the windows in that room open most of the day for the first few months.

Cooking Oils:

Use cooking oils with higher smoke points. In other words a cooking oil that smokes at higher temperatures.

Extra virgin olive oil has a lower smoke point compared to avocado, peanut, safflower, canola, corn and sunflower oil.

If you prefer the taste of olive oil, try a light olive oil that’s been refined and has a smoke point of 486 degrees compared to 410 degrees for extra virgin olive oil.

Since I don’t have a stove, I don’t have this particular problem!

(Much of this info came from MNN.com (Mother Nature Network).

Two hanging plants in my dining room in my apartment

And of course many house plants absorb toxins in the air.

House Plants & Ivy:

So I am figuring out ways to have house plants with Ivy Lou around. I have a couple hanging. And three are in the beverage stand in the corner of the dining space by the French doors.

So far she has not bothered them. I have a peace lily in the bedroom up high where she’s never gone.

And there are many house plants that are not toxic to pets. Go here to check them out.

And finally, you may be wondering why I added the chimes you saw in the top photo. When I was buying a couple of plants at a nursery, I saw these chimes for 40% off. I thought they would fit right in with the plants indoors.

They tinkle softly with the ceiling fan and air conditioning on. I had no idea that sound would be so calming. I love it!

If you’re trying to create an indoor haven for house plants, why not add chimes or little pretties you can hang from the ceiling to add to the ambiance? Having such relaxing objects around you may help to reduce anxiety and stress.

I know I feel so peaceful with the chimes as the background noise in my apartment.

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I'm Brenda, creator of Cozy Little House. I live with my cat, Ivy, who keeps me laughing. I graduated from journalism school with a degree in professional writing and won awards for feature writing. I practice gratitude and enjoy my solitude. The glass is always half-full.

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40 Comments

  2. I’ve seen salt lamps in magazines and have seen people posting photos of them on FB, etc but from the limited amount of research I’ve done on them (I would’ve done more if I were interested in getting one myself), they haven’t been well studied and there’s no proven benefits. Worth a try, I guess.

    I stopped burning toxic candles years ago. You not only have to be careful with what kind of wax you’re burning, but the fragrance, too. Most candles are made with toxic (chemical) fragrance oils. You have to get those that use only essential oils. Don’t even get me started on all those commercial sprays and plug-in things!

    I make my own general all-purpose cleaner with water, vinegar, a drop of Dawn and lemon essential oil.

    Thanks for the great tips, Brenda!

    1. And thank you for your cleaning recipe. I use water and vinegar. But now I will add Dawn and get lemon essential oil if it isn’t in my closet where I have a few essential oils stored. Lemon is so wonderful. As bugs don’t like the scent and so I use it a lot outside with my plants to repel the insects.

  3. This is all so interesting and useful. I learned so many new information and I definitely want to begin using them. I haven’t heard of several of these items but plan to order many of them. I feel like we can benefit from each one of them. Thank you so much for all of this useful information. I look forward to each of your posts and have really learned a lot from each of them.

  4. Warning is out about salt lamps and pets.. Please look online for the recent reports about pet safety and salt lamps. Just search salt lamps and pets, for example. There have been numerous postings regarding a cat in New Zealand on or about July 5th of this year. The cat owner found the cat that was extremely ill one morning and it was taken to vet. Turned out the cat had sodium poisoning from licking the salt lamps. Affected the cat neurologically. Who would have thought?

  5. Brenda, you mentioned the other day that you were watching Safe on Netflix…I just finished The Five on Netflix, and I believe that the two series were written by the same author, Harlan Conan. The Five was very good and quite the mystery. Let me know when you have figured out what has happened those 20 years ago. Regards, Charlotte Hutcheson

  6. An electric dehumidifier with Hepa filters (or two) might be your best bet. Fast results too. I have a fairly large house that is long so I have one in every room because they make such a difference. Also run your Swiffer quickly over all the floors because even if you can’t see it quite a bit of hair will build up (dander). I vaccum with a hepa filter 2x per day all over my house to be sure to keep the hair under control…but I have Labs and they are real shedders.

  7. I believe that indoor air is more toxic than outdoor air.My windows are open during the night time after 9 pm and I close them up in the morning to hold the cool, fresh air. I clean people’s homes and while I clean I open the windows if only for a few minutes to get that fresh air going. Totally changes the air quality inside. I hate stuffy houses that either recycle the dust and germs through the heater or a/c over and over and nothing fresh is brought in. ?

  8. Tea Tree Oil is toxic to animals. My vet told me don’t use any oil in diffusers to put in the air.

    1. I used to use my diffuser for awhile there. But after Charlie developed the cough, the diffuser has been in the closet shelves unused.

  9. I love the salt lamps and have 2 of them.

    Now for your new site features. Where is your lovely picture of yourself? It no longer shows and I really miss it. Please put it back as it makes it feel like we really know and personally appreciate you.

    1. Oh, I forgot to put that photo back. I messed up the HTML for that (because you can’t just put up a photo; that would be too simple) when I was working on my site and that happened and I stopped working for the day and forgot to address it again. I will work on it.

  10. Thank you for the info about salt lamps. I had no idea what they were for!

    1. Frankly I didn’t either until yesterday when I googled ways to purify the air. Whether it does or not, I’m trying it anyway.

  11. The salt lamps draw liquid from the air, which I learned when I discovered puddles under mine.

    1. Yes, I read that in an article today. Here’s the pertinent info: Salt is hygroscopic, which means it attracts water molecules to itself. Being the big hunk of salt that it is, a Himalayan salt lamp is believed to work by attracting the water molecules. This water vapor can also carry indoor air pollutants like mold, bacteria and allergens. Once the water vapor comes in contact with the salt lamp, the pollutants are believed to remain trapped in the salt. Since the lamp is heated, the salt dries out and is able to continue the cycle of attracting water vapor and pollutants, releasing the water vapor back into the air but holding on to the health-hazardous pollutants.

    1. I haven’t had my diffuser out since Charlie had trouble with coughing. Simply because it does have scent, and I’m trying to reduce scents around him. So some people think one thing; some think another. Who knows who is right? But I don’t plan to bring mine out.

  13. I’ll be interested to see how you like the salt lamps. They have intrigued me for a few years but I haven’t bought one yet. However, I just read something recently about the possibility of salt poisoning in pets by salt lamps. Some are attracted to the light and warm and then lick the salt. You might want to Google that just to be aware, if you are not already.

    1. Guess I won’t be putting them where Ivy or Charlie can get to them. Thanks for the tip!

  14. I read salt lamps are toxic to cats if they lick them.

    1. I’ll be putting them in sort of the same places I have plants to Ivy hopefully can’t get to them. She hasn’t reached the plants yet.

  16. My daughter was allergic to mold and I couldn’t have houseplants. 40 African violets, 12 orchids and palms and ferns had to go. Even though I used deactivated charcoal on top of the soil, the doctor said it wasn’t good enough.

    1. Hm. That’s probably because even though charcoal absorbs, it can’t get deep into the plant I suppose.

  17. Thanks Brenda!
    This website you found MMN has alot of knowledgeable reads!
    Your post today is interesting as well! I’ve been getting rid of sprays with chemicals and using vinegar and baking soda as well. I’ve also been looking for a diffuser and what oils to use. I’ll be watching to see how you like your salt lamp and see if it makes any difference for you. I’m going to get a few plants again too, for inside my house bc I’ve had a few like allergies, so I need to find out why. Something is doing it!
    Have a great day and weekend coming up with Charlie and Ivy! ☺

    1. Well, I’m grasping at straws here hoping I can detoxify some of the air Charlie breathes. And Ivy and me too for that matter. He isn’t coughing near as much since the three acupuncture visits and my bringing in plants. But it’s early…

  18. I had an air purifier put in a house I used to live in when I got a new central air unit. I want to tell you that it was the very best money I’ve ever spent. The effect on the quality of the household air was profound.
    I don’t know how a portable unit would work but I think it would certainly give it a try.
    I don’t have one now because my allergies are not provoked by the air in this climate.

  20. I love those chimes, and you just reminded me I have some tucked away that I must pull out again and hang in front of a window!

    Just a warning, tea tree oil is toxic to pets, so it’s something I never, ever diffuse.

    As for the salt lamps, I LOVE them – I have one in my hallway that I’ve had for eons, and another in my guest room that was a recent gift from a colleague. I adore the soft glow. Fair warning – they absorb humidity and you will see the salt crumbling off the lamps at times. Hopefully miss Ivy and/or Charlie won’t be licking it up….not sure it would do her any harm but you may want to google that.

    1. Thanks for the advice. I didn’t know this. Guess I won’t be using tea tree oil. People without pets I suppose could use it.

      1. And I won’t be putting the lights where they can get to them. Just like with the plants.

      2. I read an article about a woman whose cat licked her salt lamp and her cat became gravely ill. She only found out when she took her cat to the vet who told her about the high levels of sodium in her cat. The cat had a long road to recovery. Please beware.

    2. Debbie, thanks for the info about the salt lamps absorbing humidity too! I didn’t know that. You and Brenda always have fabulous advice and ideas!

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