The 10 Best Air Fresheners to Revitalize Your Home
- 1/11
The 10 Best Air Fresheners to Revitalize Your Home
You've done the laundry, wiped down the surfaces, and taken out the trash—but if your home still smells less than fresh, there's one last thing to do before pronouncing it clean: you’ve got to clear the air.
The right air freshener can transform your space by eliminating stale odors and leaving a more pleasant scent in their place. Yet with so many on the market, it can be hard to find the air freshener that strikes the right balance, being enjoyable but not overpowering. That’s why we’ve tracked down the top 10 air fresheners to make your home smell sparkling clean—each one of them up to the challenge.
The Best Air Fresheners
What to Consider
There’s a difference between masking odor and going to the root of the problem, so if there’s something seriously stinky in your home, you’ll want to deep clean that first. But for more general smells that linger after you’ve scrubbed and polished, a good air freshener can make a world of difference. To get the job done, you’ve got many more options than may first meet the eye, including sprays, gels, wax melts, and more. We chose products that were powerful but not pungent, with a focus on those with a more natural aroma.
How We Selected
To find the best air fresheners on the market, I first turned to Amazon, looking at its most popular air fresheners and narrowing my list to only products with average user ratings of four stars and above. I then tried many of them at home to see how they stood up to all the most offensive smells made by my two kids, their eternally full hamper of dirty laundry (I’m working on it!), and our 13-year-old dog.
Popular Mechanics; Courtesy Febreze - 2/11
1) Vacuum Beads
GOOD HOME CO.
amazon.com
$21.95
Key Specs
- Fragrance: Lavender
- Size: 10-ounce bottle
- Type: Vacuum beads
Vacuuming may get your floor clean, but there’s a trade-off: the musty, dusty smell vacuum cleaners sometimes release. These vacuum beads from The Good Home Co. work to eliminate this odor and release a much more pleasing scent in its place. Choose from lavender, pure grass, and a lovely ocean-inspired scent called “beach days.”
amazon.com - 3/11
2) Essential Mist Diffuser
Air Wick
amazon.com
$27.48
Key Specs
- Fragrance: Varied
- Size: 2.69-fluid-ounce bottles
- Type: Oil diffuser with refills
If you’re just now dipping your toes into the world of essential oil diffusers, this highly-rated variety pack from Air Wick is a good place to start. It comes with a portable, battery-operated aromatherapy diffuser and four essential oils, making it easy to find your favorite.
It’s got a smart system for refreshing the room without overpowering your senses: It starts with a double-strength burst of scent, runs continuously for eight hours, then goes into standby mode for the following 16 hours before starting the cycle again. Each refill should last for 45 days on the lowest setting, meaning the four-pack should take you far.
amazon.com - 4/11
3) Odor Eliminator
Zero Odor
lowes.com
$26.99
Key Specs
- Fragrance: Unscented
- Size: 32-ounce bottle
- Type: Odor eliminator
To eliminate the worst smells your home has to offer, it helps to go straight to the source. This biodegradable, pet-friendly spray bonds with odor molecules in the air, on surfaces, and in fabrics to render unpleasant smells undetectable.
It’s fragrance free, nontoxic, and non-allergenic—making it an ideal option for those with sensitive noses. It’s also overwhelmingly popular, with 96 percent of customers giving it a five-star rating.
lowes.com - 5/11
4) The Original All-Natural Air Purifier
Kanberra Gel
amazon.com
$36.99
Key Specs
- Fragrance: Tea tree oil
- Size: 6-ounce jar
- Type: Gel
People swear by Kanberra Gel, an all-natural odor eliminator made with pure Australian tea tree oil. Simply open the sticker atop the jar, and place it near your most bothersome smells for optimal results.
Fans rave that it works especially well in spaces with a moldy odor, and say that its greatest strength is the absence of any “perfumey” or artificial smell.
amazon.com - 6/11
5) Room and Air Freshener Spray
MRS. MEYER'S CLEAN DAY
amazon.com
$5.49
Key Specs
- Fragrance: Honeysuckle
- Size: 8-fluid-ounce bottle
- Type: Non-aerosol spray
Mrs. Meyer’s products are made with essential oils, meaning they’re gentle on your home and your senses compared with chemical-based products. This non-aerosol spray has a bright, pleasant scent that brings a touch of spring to any space.
Besides honeysuckle, there are a range of other natural scents to choose from, including basil, geranium, lemon verbena, and lavender.
amazon.com - 7/11
6) Before You Go Spray
Poo-Pourri
amazon.com
$19.98
Key Specs
- Fragrance: Lavender, vanilla, and citrus
- Size: Two 2-ounce bottles
- Type: Bathroom spray
Keeping your bathroom fresh might be the greatest challenge of all, but Poo-Pourri is up to the task. Just spritz once or twice inside your toilet before use, and you can go without fear of any embarrassing smells.
While some other bathroom air fresheners backfire by working only halfway or worsening odor by adding even heavier scents, this one is light and pleasant, lending discretion to your bathroom activities.
amazon.com - 8/11
7) Scented Wax Melts
Bridgewater Candle
amazon.com
$21.00
Key Specs
- Fragrance: Sweet Grace
- Size: 2.6-ounce pack of six
- Type: Wax melts
These soy blend wax melts have a full-bodied, fruity scent that customers go crazy for. Just melt one or two cubes in a wax warmer (more wax means a stronger smell) and enjoy their subtle aroma for 50 to 80 hours.
If customers have one complaint, it’s that they wish the smell would linger for longer—a valid criticism, but also a compliment.
amazon.com - 9/11
8) Gel Freshener
Renuzit
amazon.com
$10.76
Key Specs
- Fragrance: Rain
- Size: 12.5 x 9.5 x 5.25 inches
- Type: Gel
Another great gel freshener, these odor-absorbing cones from Renuzit are perfect for refreshing every room. They’re made with 98 percent biodegradable materials, and work for up to three weeks before needing to be replaced. Luckily, this poses little problem since they come in a 12-pack for just over $10, making them especially cost-effective and practical for everyday use.
Additional scent options include raspberry, lavender, and “pure breeze”—the latter specially formulated for homes with pets.
amazon.com - 10/11
9) French Lavender Sachets
Lavande Sur Terre
amazon.com
$16.99
Key Specs
- Fragrance: Lavender
- Size: 24-pack of 3-inch sachets
- Type: Dried flower sachet
If you’re looking to refresh a small space such as a closet or drawer, dried flower sachets can add just the right amount of fragrance. Arriving in a 24-pack of filled, three-inch drawstring pouches, these lavender sachets are perfect for placing throughout the cozy nooks in your home.
Since the ingredients are all-natural, you can expect a subtle, earthy bouquet—one that changes the scent of clothes just slightly when placed in a drawer. When they start to lose their scent over time, you can squeeze the pouches gently in your hands to release a more potent aroma.
amazon.com - 11/11
10) Unstoppables Plug-In
Febreze
amazon.com
$13.99
Key Specs
- Fragrance: Fresh scent
- Size: 1.75 fluid ounces
- Type: Electric plug-in
If you’ve got a really rough smelling room and want to freshen it up fast, this Febreze plug-in offers immediate relief. It’s definitely among the stronger-scented products in our roundup, but some people prefer a bold air freshener.
It’s got a two-setting system—high and low—so you can tailor it to your needs and preferences. A blinking light alerts you when the cartridges are ready for a refill.
amazon.com
