Cleaning for Health:
Fragrances, Wipes, Air
Fresheners and Spray Bottles
Avoid products with fragrances
Many people associate a clean room with a particular smell, like bleach. A clean room that is
asthma-safer has no smell. Research by the Institute of Medicine equated fragrance to second
hand smoke in triggering asthma.79, 80 Fragrances in cleaning products are actually a
combination of many chemicals, some of which contain ingredients that have been associated
with dizziness, cancer, endocrine disruption, and asthma. When possible, try to avoid scented
cleaning products and to use fragrance-free products.81
Avoid disinfecting wipes, air fresheners, and
spray bottles
Reviews have been done of cases of school staff
experiencing asthma-related problems from disinfecting
wipes, air fresheners, and spray bottles. Teachers and
parents frequently bring in their own cleaning products, in
an effort to eliminate germs. However, they may not be
asthma-safe. School districts can reduce children and
staffs’ potential exposure to ingredients that cause
asthma and other health problems by creating policies
that do not allow such products.
Teachers, parents, and students should only bring in
cleaning products that are approved by City Schools. If
quick classroom touch-up cleaning is needed, a microfiber
cloth or unscented baby wipes will suffice and they will
not expose staff or students to asthmagens. If
disinfectants are needed, notify the custodians who are
trained to use them. Children should never be allowed to
use wipes with bleach, quaternary ammonium
compounds, or glutaraldehyde.
Air fresheners are not
asthma safe
A Band-Aid approach for
Bad Smells
Like common cleaning products, air
fresheners can contain ingredients that can
cause and trigger asthma, as well as other
health effects.82, 83, 84
Air fresheners come in a variety of forms,
including plug-ins, sprays, liquids, or gels.
They are meant to cover up a bad smell,
rather than get rid of it. It is healthier to
find and fix the source of the smell, rather
than use an air freshener to cover it up. For
example, repairing water leaks to top the
smell of mold and mildew is much more
effective than adding a variety of
chemicals in the air to cover it up.
Thank you for your commitment to creating a healthy school
for students and staff!
For more information, contact:
Timothy Ballard, Director, Maintenance and Inspections, tcballard@bcps.k12.md.us
Joanna Pi-Sunyer, Green Schools Coordinator, jpi-sunyer@bcps.k12.md.us
The Cleaning for Health Toolkit is at www.baltimorecityschools.org/Page/28443
This information sheet is adapted from the California Department of Public Health’s 2014
document Healthy Cleaning & Asthma Safe Schools: A How-To Guide. All citations can be found at
http://www.cdph.ca.gov/programs/ohsep/Documents/CLASSguidelines.pdf