Lots of people love to burn incense or scented cancles. The scent of sandalwood is very pleasant, and many Holly Springs, Georgia, homeowners like making their houses smell good with incense and candles. Unfortunately, burning incense and candles releases smoke and unknown particulates into your air, potentially damaging your IAQ. We don’t want to take away your fun, but there are better ways to make your house smell good.

Incense Has Soot

Anything that burns sends some soot into the air that you breathe, which includes burning incense. It smells nice, sure, but you want to limit the amount of soot you breathe in. Medical studies on any long-term effects of burning incense are out, but if you have a sensitive throat, you might have noticed that your throat feels scratchy after spending a lot of time around burning incense.

Burning Things Can Cause Inflammation

Another problem with incense is that smoke inhalation can cause respiratory inflammation. A similar phenomenon happens when you breathe in too much cigarette smoke. While incense isn’t as bad as cigarettes, you should always do what you can to minimize the amount of smoke you breathe in.

You Don’t Always Know What You’re Burning

A lot of incense and candle packages don’t give you everything you need to know about what’s in the scent. Many of the chemicals used to create scents can trigger allergic reactions, even if those reactions are mild. Plus, the particulates that float up in the smoke don’t just disappear. They end up in your HVAC system if your filter doesn’t catch them. Then, they continue to blow around your house or stick in your ducts.

Homemade potpourri sachets and beeswax candles are both great ways to make your house smell nice without damaging your IAQ. For any IAQ questions related to your HVAC system, have an E. Smith Heating & Air Conditioning technician over to examine things and perform any needed maintenance. Take the next step and contact us today at 678-369-8866.

Image provided by Bigstock