Best Air Freshener to Put in Your Car

Tired of the foul smell that is lingering in your vehicle? Well, you're not alone. Sometimes our vehicles get hit with outrageous smells that we can't seem to eliminate. It's frustrating, but the good news is that there are ways to get rid of these smells. If you've tried all sorts of methods to get your vehicle smelling good again to no avail, it might be time to search for the best air freshener. Air fresheners can do a lot to cancel out nasty aromas, but not all of them are created equal. In this article, we are going to review various fresheners and give our opinion of which is best at the end. Let's take a look!

Product FAQ

1. What Is the Best Air Freshener for My Car?

2. Do I Need an Air Freshener for My Car?

3. Where Can I Find the Best Air Fresheners for Cars?

How We Reviewed

Balloon design car air freshener

Image via Flickr

We did a lot of research to find the best air freshener out there and learned many things along the way. First, there are three types of air fresheners; scented fresheners, odor eliminators, and ionizers. We took this into account when ranking and rating each of these fresheners and believe we have found the best air freshener. The parameters we ended up using to judge them were function and longevity.
 

Overall Price Range

The air fresheners we looked at in this article cost between $5 and $50.

What We Reviewed

  • Little Trees U3S-32055 Air Freshener
  • MOSO NATURAL Air Purifying Bag
  • FRiEQ Car Air Purifier
  • Air Spencer (000400 CS-X3 Squash Scent Air Freshener)
  • Nova Car Air Purifier and Ionizer Best Auto Freshener
  • Aromatherapy Car Air Freshener, Leaf Locket Essential Oil Car Diffuser
  • bmbu Bamboo Charcoal Car Deodorizer
  • PURGGO Car Air Freshener
  • Treefrog Natural Air Freshener
  • Ozium Smoke & Odors Eliminator Gel
  • Yankee Candle Car Jar
  • KubeScent Car Air Freshener
  • Earth Air Car Air Purifier Ionizer

Features

You've almost certainly seen Little Trees air fresheners before. They are so popular! These air fresheners are tree-shaped and hang on your rearview mirror. They dangle as your drive and freshen up your ride. This brand carries a "Black Ice" scent, which smells a bit like cologne. It's a difficult scent to explain, but it is very subtle and does a great job of covering up any bad smells in your car. Is it the best air freshener? Quite possibly since it comes in a small package but packs a big punch.

Longevity

These last about a week but can last longer if they are not directly hit by the A/C.

MOSO NATURAL Air Purifying Bag

Features

Most people expect for air fresheners to have fragrances that are to die for, but that's not all fresheners are about. Rather than have a smell, these MOSO NATURAL air purifying bags absorb odorsa, eliminating any unpleasant olfactory experiences. These bags are full of bamboo charcoal, which is known to purify both air and water. These are great for people who hate strong scents and want to be in a scentless environment.

Longevity

These are supposed to last for a whopping two years! When they seem to be losing their effectiveness, you can place them in the sun for an hour to bring them back to life. Is it the best air freshener? Keep reading to find out!

FRiEQ Car Air Purifier

Features

What makes the FRiEQ one of the best air fresheners is the fact that it is a powered freshener. It resembles a small microphone that plugs directly into your cigarette lighter. The marketing for this freshener shows off the unit's ability to absorb smoke. But, this isn't all. It's also able to absorb harmful bacteria, airborne viruses, dust, and pollen. So, this freshener purifies the air rather than ejecting a scent into the air. This is yet another example of how fresheners don't always have to smell good; they can clean the air also!

Longevity

This is an ionizer, and it will last until the electronics in it finally give out. You don't have to worry about it losing its smell because it doesn't have one.

Air Spencer (000400 CS-X3 Squash Scent Air Freshener)

Features

The Air Spencer is a unit that uses cartridges to dispense smell. It comes in the form of a small square encasing that can be placed anywhere in your care. It uses replaceable cartridges to deliver smell in the air, and there are a variety of smells you can try out. Once you have the base unit, you can order refill cartridges as needed. And, by the way, they smell amazing! Best air freshener potential for sure.

Longevity

Each cartridge is said to last up to 4 weeks.

Nova Car Air Purifier and Ionizer Best Auto Freshener

Features

The FRiEQ and Nova air purifiers do the same thing; they are both ionizers. Again, they plug into your cigarette lighter and take many harmful substances out of the air. This is the best air freshener for those concerned about dust, pollen, smoke, bacteria, or viruses. Also, Nova is kind enough to offer a 30-day money back guarantee if customers aren't satisfied. That's super generous of them!

Longevity

These Nova air purifiers will last forever, or at least until their electronics stop working.

Aromatherapy Car Air Freshener, Leaf Locket Essential Oil Car Diffuser

Features

The Leaf Locket is quite different from the other air fresheners we have checked out so far. It has a unique way of working that will win over people who love to work with essential oils. This freshener is a little decorative locket in the shape of a leaf that clips to your A/C unit vent. It has many holes in it to allow scents through, but it does not contain scents itself.

The locket comes with seven leaf pads that you can drip your favorite essential oil on. Once the oil is on, you open the locket and stick it inside. You can use the seven pads to put 7 of your favorite scents on and change them out of the locket as you see fit.

Longevity

There are a lot of factors that affect the Leaf Locket's longevity, but because they are directly on the air vent, they do not last very long. This is made up for by the fact that they will last as long as your essential oils do.

bmbu Bamboo Charcoal Car Deodorizer

Features

Great minds think alike! The bmbu car deodorizer is essentially the same thing as the MOSO NATURAL. It is a bag full of bamboo charcoal that absorbs odors in the air.

Longevity

These can last for up to 2 years. If they start to lose their ability to absorb smells, you can recharge them by placing them in the sun for an hour.

PURGGO Car Air Freshener

Features

Another one that may qualify for the best air freshener by using bamboo charcoal to remove odors is the PURGGO. The PURGGO is a bag just as the other charcoal-based fresheners we've looked at so far; however, there are strings attached to it which allow you to hang it on the back of your headrest. This gives you a great place to put it, keeping it out of the way.

Longevity

Like other deodorizes of its kind, the PURGGO can last up to 2 years and be restored in the sun when needed.

Treefrog Natural Air Freshener

Features

These air fresheners do contain a smell, unlike many of the others we have just discussed. The Treefrog air freshener is in the form of a small box that can be placed underneath your car seat. If you like fruit, you'll love these. You can get them in a variety of different fruit smells, and they come 4 to a box.

Longevity

These usually last a couple of months, but don't last as long during the summer.

Ozium Smoke & Odors Eliminator Gel

Features

Now, here is something a little bit different from the other fresheners we have looked at so far. The Ozium smoke and odor eliminator gel is a scentless gel that removes bad smells from the air. They have a very faint scent but are not designed to add any fragrance to the air. Though not traditional, this gel works well and is definitely worth a try.

Longevity

These will last for up to 3 months.

Yankee Candle Car Jar

Features

Yankee Candle is a popular brand that expanded their candle line to the car. You may wonder if using a lit candle in a car sounds dangerous. The good news is that this best air freshener does not need to lit! You hang this wherever in your car you desire, and it emits a smell that lasts for quite a while. And true to its name, it does come in a jar.

Longevity

The fragrance will last up to 4 weeks.

KubeScent Car Air Freshener

Features

The KubeScent car air freshener made our best car freshener list due to how cool it is. It is Asian-inspired and very unique in how it works. To make a long story short, it is a small square jar and wooden block that can hang from your rearview mirror. The way you release the scent of the freshener is a little tricky, but fortunately, the well-written instructions included with it can walk you through the process.

Longevity

These can last for up to 90 days and sometimes even longer.

Earth Air Car Air Purifier Ionizer

Features

This little ionizer has a different shape than the other ionizers we have looked at in this article. With that being said, it has the same cleansing effect on the air. If you're looking to purify the air, this will do it. However, it does not have any scent.

Longevity

Being that it is electronic, it will last until the electronics break down. Or, until you lose it.

The Verdict

When we thought about what it means to be an air freshener, we decided that having clean air was more important than it smelling good. For this reason, we decided that the Nova ionizer had the most to offer. It has no scent, so we couldn't complain that the scent doesn't last long enough. And, it is not made out of natural materials that will decay over time. It's electronic, and it will last as long as it is not dropped in water or run over by a dump truck.

It does a great job of cleaning the air passively without any help from the driver. We also thought the 30-day money back guarantee was especially generous. It made us want to trust the company. It is the best air freshener for those who value clean air over scented air, and we say that with confidence!

Featured Image via Flickr

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