Air fresheners for the car come in many forms that can best be described as low-tech options. Febreze is a brand known for making any interior space smell better and fresher, and the specific product made for the car aims to do the same, regardless of whether you're the driver, in shotgun or riding in the back.
Febreze Car
$3.99; $5.99 for dual pack
Available at: Walmart, Canadian Tire
There really isn't much to what Febreze Car does.
It comes in oversized packaging and features a clip in the back for placement on an air vent in the car's cabin. Raise up the clip until it "clicks" into place and then attach it to the vent you want. That's about as far it goes for an installation.
The small vent clips come in five different scents – Linen and Sky, Hawaiian Aloha, Thai Dragon Fruit, Meadows and Rain and Midnight Storm – carrying a liquid that slowly vaporizes using the heating or air conditioning coming out of the vent to circulate it. Each one is said to last up to 30 days, but this really depends on how much air you're pumping into the cabin. Over a string of hot or cold days, you could probably go through one in just a week.
Upon first using it, the scent actually comes off as too highly potent and a little overbearing. There is a sliding switch above the clip that offers three different potency settings, which helps after the initial whiff hits you. It eventually fades into a pleasant odour that settles within the cabin, and the different scents are all nice.
You do have the option of using more than one in your vehicle, but it's not necessary for compact or mid-sized cars. One is more than enough for those confines. Vans and smaller buses could make use of two at the front and back, both set at the lowest or medium setting so as not to overpower anyone. Of course, everyone's sense of smell is unique, so results could vary.
The price point is cheap enough to give Febreze Car a try. If you like it, you would basically be spending more than $50 per year after taxes because each one could only go for 30 days once it's been "clicked." It's worth the price if you find it does what it's supposed to, and if you happen to spend a lot of time in the car. Those who drive with pets or hockey equipment might also appreciate the better fragrance.
If you do plan to store some of these in the car, make sure not to click one and leave it in the glove box or inside the armrest console. Since it releases a subtle stream of the scent, the enclosed area would become overpowering. Same goes for the trunk.