Now’s the time to clear the air inside of your home after it’s been closed up all winter long. But if you use chemical air-fresheners, all you’re doing is filling the air with chemicals that cover up the unpleasant aromas. They also interfere with your sense of smell, so you don’t notice bad odors as much. Fortunately, there are many terrific, natural alternatives, including:

Act with vim and vinegar. Just pour a little white vinegar into bowls, and set them around the problem areas. The acidic liquid will banish the unwanted smells pronto.

Burn your troubles away. Throw slices of dried citrus peel (your choice of flavors) into the fireplace. Your whole house will be filled with a wonderful fragrance.

Light a candle. Better yet, light several. But don’t bother with the fancy, scented kind. Like spray air-fresheners, they’ll add odor-masking chemicals to the air. On the other hand, a pure candle flame will simply burn away foul-smelling gases (even the ones that occur in bathrooms every now and then).

“Adopt” some houseplants. The more of them you have around your house, the cleaner and fresher your air will be. That’s because green plants naturally absorb and neutralize air pollutants. What’s more, they do an especially good job in small, enclosed rooms, where the air quality is usually worst. Any kind of plant can perform this feat, but according to NASA scientists (who certainly know about tight spaces), these are the air-cleaning superstars:
* Aloe vera
* Chrysanthemums
* English ivy
* Fig tree
* Spider plants

This spring, I want you to consider using plants that naturally repel insects instead of applying toxic pesticides. Here’s some of my favorite plants that have their own chemical defense systems. When planted among flowers and vegetables, they help keep unwanted bugs away.

Pest Ants Aphids Codling Moths Colorado Potato Bugs Cucumber Beetles Flea Beetles Japanese Beetles Leaf Hoppers Mexican Bean Beetles Slugs Spider Mites Squash Bugs Thrips Tomato Hornworms Whiteflies

Plant Repellent mint, tansy, pennyroyal mint, garlic, chives common oleander green beans, coriander nasturtium radish, tansy garlic, onion, mint garlic, tansy, rue, geranium geranium, petunia onion, garlic, petunia, marigolds rosemary, wormwood onion, garlic, cloves, chives radish, marigolds, nasturtium marigolds marigolds, sage, borage marigolds, nasturtium