Foul odors in your home are definitely unpleasant. But foul odors in your car can be even worse: there’s constricted air circulation in a tight space, which is never a good combination. To avoid this unpleasantness, a car air freshener can serve to neutralize odors and provide a pleasant fragrance for all your Sunday drives, road trips, and daily commutes.
Buying an Air Freshener for Your Car
Consider these factors before choosing an air freshener:
- Fragrance: While cleansing unwanted odors from your car is important, the lasting scent that an air freshener leaves is something to consider as well. Whether you prefer a pungent scent or a floral one, be sure to choose the one you like.
- Design: Traditional car air fresheners are hung from your rear-view mirror. While these are perfectly great options, there are other types available, such as the vent clip design. These attach to the vents of your car, effectively releasing the scent through the air circulation from your car’s vents.
- Life Expectancy: The longer that fresh scent stays in your car, the better. Especially if you feel that your car’s odors could be a reoccurring problem, constantly switching them out is a hassle and uneconomical.
Most Scent Options: LITTLE TREES Car Air Freshener
Whether you enjoy a strong, masculine scent or a faint, comforting aroma, Little Trees offers a wide range of options for you—practically every fragrance you could possibly want in their selection. Little Trees invented the first car air freshener, so you can surely expect top-notch quality in their fresheners. This includes four packs of six air fresheners for a total of 24 air fresheners.
LITTLE TREES Car Air Freshener I Hanging Tree Provides Long Lasting Scent for Auto or Home I Black Ice, 24 count, (4) 6-packs
You'll get 24 total fresheners in a wide variety of different fragrance options.
Best Vent Clips: Febreze Car Air Freshener Vent Clips
If you prefer a vent clip design, these air fresheners are your best bet. In this set, Febreze offers four clips: two Gain Original and two Gain Island Fresh. These clips are designed to slowly emit the scent, allowing for up to 30 days of usage per clip. They’re designed to not only mask but clear away unwanted odors from your car as well. You’ll be able to control its intensity by controlling your vent’s air circulation.
Febreze Car Air Freshener, 2 Gain Original and 2 Gain Island Fresh scents, 4 count
You'll get four total vent clips designed to eliminate odors and last up to 30 days.
Best Spray: Meguiar’s Whole Car Air Re-Fresher G16402
At times, a spray that can target a specific area may be more practical for getting rid of your car’s odors at the source. This spray removes unpleasant odors effectively, as directed sprays can penetrate hard-to-reach areas. These odors will be removed permanently from chemical bonding at a molecular level.
Meguiar's Whole Car Air Refresher, Odor Eliminator Spray Eliminates Strong Vehicle Odors, New Car Scent - 2 Oz Spray Bottle
This spray removes existing odors in your car, especially in hard-to-reach areas.
Best Design: Yankee Candle Car Jar Ultimate Hanging Air Freshener
For a beachy, summery ambiance in your car, consider these Yankee Candle air fresheners. These fresheners are shaped like candles and emit a long-lasting fragrance in your car. You’ll get a pack of three fresheners, each with a working life of 2 to 4 weeks. On top of this, they’re also 100% recyclable.
Yankee Candle Car Air Fresheners, Hanging Car Jar® Ultimate 3-Pack, Neutralizes Odors Up To 30 Days, Includes: 1 Beach Walk, 1 Pink Sands, and 1 Sun and Sand (Pack of 3)
These air fresheners come in a candle-like design.