WE'VE searched high and low for the best air fresheners so your home will always smell like a sunny spring day.
A great alternative to candles and oil burners, air fresheners tend to smell stronger and last longer, making them a great choice for scenting your home daily.
From room sprays and automatic sprays to plug-ins and gels, there are so many available that choosing the right one can be a bit of a minefield. So we’ve picked our top types for each room.
If you’re looking to absorb strong smells, as well as keep your home sweetly fragranced, then choose a purifying air freshener. Otherwise a plug-in, gel or spray will suffice to simply keep your room scented.
And it’s not just your home that could benefit from an air freshener – pop one in your car or even in your locker at work or at the gym for sumptuous scents everywhere you go.
Whether you want a burst of freshness just when you need it or a continuous fragrance that lasts for days or even weeks, we’ve got you covered. Read on for the best air fresheners available right now.
1. Best air freshener spray: Febreze Air Freshener Spray
- Febreze Air Freshener spray, £12 for 6 from Amazon – buy here
An air freshener spray is handy for rooms like bathrooms and kitchens, and Febreze Air spray is a popular choice which not only leaves a fresh smell, but also boasts OdourClear technology to clean away any long-lasting odours, too.
'This is an excellent air freshener that leaves a very pleasant atmosphere.
'It seems to remove odours rather than just mask them. Excellent value and highly recommended', writes a fan.
2. Best air freshener plug-in: Airwick Essential Oils Air Freshener
- Airwick Essential Oils Air Freshener, £3.50 from Amazon – buy here
This long-lasting plug-in air freshener from Air Wick is a popular choice made with essential oils that provides a lovely scent for up to 80 days.
Choose between five settings to determine how intense you'd like the scent to be, and adjust accordingly with the turn of a dial.
Fans like the aroma, how easy it is to adjust the strength of the scent and the fact it's a value-for-money buy
3. Best rotating scent air freshener: Febreze Ambi Pur 3Volution Plug In Device
- Ambi Pur 3Volution Plug In Device, £4 from Wilko – buy here
This long-lasting plug-in air freshener device isn't just a value choice that will release scents for up to 90 days, but fans like that it automatically changes scents, too.
Reviewers also note that the device is easy to use and hassle-free. Scents are sold separately.
4. Best luxury air freshener: Diptique Electric Diffuser
- Diptique Electric Diffuser, £240 from Space NK – buy here
It's a well-known fact that lighting a Diptique candle makes a home smell heavenly, which is why this luxury air freshener from Diptique is a favourite for anyone who wants to get a bit spendy with their home fragrance.
It'll turn your home into a Parisian perfumery and looks stunning to boot – just place the battery-powered device anywhere in the house and enjoy how it releases fragrance three times an hour.
'For me, it's not a product that churns out masses of fragrance, rather it's like walking past an expensive bouquet of flowers.
'You catch a waft of something lovely each time you walk past it.
'It's not inexpensive, I know – however, I've been more than happy with its performance. Money well spent!' writes a fan.
5. Best continuous air freshener: AirWick Freshmatic Gadget Machine
- AirWick Freshmatic Gadget Machine, £8.39 from Amazon – buy here
Whether you're looking to diminish pet smells or want a fresh scent all-day long, AirWick's Freshmatic air freshener works well at releasing a continuous fragrance for up to 60 days.
Fans especially like it in smaller rooms, like bathrooms, and note that you'll know when it's working because it sounds like a 'cat sneezing'.
6. Best air freshener that isn't an air freshener: Zoflora Multi-purpose Antibacterial Disinfectant
- Zoflora Multi-purpose Antibacterial Disinfectant, £5on Ocado- buy here
Mrs Hinch's favourite cleaning aid isn't just good at getting rid of bacteria in the home – it'll also make it smell great.
Just dilute 1.5 capfuls of the stuff with water and use it in a trigger spray bottle.
People also use it in the vacuum filters to release a fresh smell when they clean, and you can even add it to an empty diffuser bottle to scent your home that way.
7. Best gel air freshener: Cotton Fresh Odour Absorbing Gel
- Cotton Fresh odour absorbing gel, £5.99 from Lakeland – buy here
If you have an open-plan kitchen, getting rid of cooking odours can be a problem, so give your extractor fan a helping hand with an odour-absorbing gel freshener.
Simply pop this discreet and compact air purifier between your kitchen and living space and let it absorb and neutralise unwanted smells and leave a subtle fragrance in their place.
And it lasts an impressive three months too.
8. Best diffuser air freshener: Next New York Diffuser
- New York 400ml diffuser, £26 from Next – buy here
When a bulky automatic air freshener or an uninteresting-looking plug-in just won’t do, go for a chic reed diffuser instead.
This pretty number even has faux flowers nestled among the reeds for extra style points, meaning it won’t look out of place on a coffee table or hallway console.
And the best thing? Your room will smell amazing for up to 14 weeks.
9. Best car air freshener: Febreze Car Fresh Escape Air Freshener
- Febreze Car Fresh Escape air freshener in Open Sky, £9.49 from Amazon – buy here
Just because you don’t spend as much time in it as you do your home, doesn’t mean you should neglect your car, especially if you cover a lot of miles in it.
Similar to a plug-in, an in-car air freshener clips on to the heat vents and circulates air around your vehicle.
It eliminates odours, freshens, lasts up to 70 days and has five fragrance intensity settings – perfect for getting rid of that wet-dog smell after you’ve taken Fido for a walk.
10. Best air freshener beads: Yankee Candle Candlelit Cabin Fragrance Spheres
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Yankee Candle Candlelit Cabin Fragrance Spheres, £5.95 from Fragrance Direct – buy here
These tiny neutralising beads may be small but they’re definitely mighty, and can neutralise odours and keep your home refreshed for up to 30 days.
The top of the pot has clever cutouts that allow the fragrance to drift out, and once all the beads have shrunk, you’ll know it’s time to replace.
They work especially well at scenting small spaces.
11. Best Purifying Air Freshener: Puressential
- Puressential air freshener, £13.33, from Boots – buy here
Although not visible to the naked eye there are many bacteria, viruses and microscopic funghi lurking in the air, particularly in our homes. The Puressential spray is designed to help eliminate them at the touch of a spritz. It is recommended to be sprayed in the air for six to eight sprays per day, concentrating on the four corners of the room where there is more dirt and bacteria lurking. After spraying several times per day, it is also suggested to spray at night, particularly before bed. With 41 essential oils, it also means things will come up smelling of roses (or near enough!)
12. Best Air Freshener for Wardrobes: Greenleaf
- Greenleaf classic linen air freshener, £3.95, from Holland & Barrett – buy here
Make your wardrobe smell that extra bit fabulous with these Greenleaf sachets which are versatile and easy to use. Simply hang in the wardrobe, spacing in-between clothes, to give a fresh and clean smell for up to four months. Greenleaf uses specially blended oils of which are very versatile for diffferent rooms, and can be used to fragrance cupboards, offices, vehicles, storage, pet areas and much more.
How do I make my house smell good?
There are lots of tips and tricks to make your house smell good, all the time – even if you have pets and young children.
Cleaning sensation Mrs Hinch swears by Zoflora, a disinfectant product that not only cleans but also smells amazing. It doubles as a room freshener and you can put a capful down plugholes to leave drains smelling nice.
Febreze is another alternative that can be sprayed all over fabric items, like curtains and bedsheets, to leave them smelling fresh.
If you need to deodorise your home to get rid of any unpleasant smells, try sprinkling baking soda on floors and furniture before hoovering it up.
Air fresheners can also add a lovely smell to your home. Some release fragrance automatically; others work as sprays that you can use as required.
Are plug in air fresheners safe?
While there are many different types of air fresheners on the market, most contain a variety of fragrances and essential oils to make the air smell good. In short, most air fresheners are usually not dangerous as they are used slowly and gradually. While aerosols have lost their popularity due to many becoming concerned for the environment, product manufacturers decided to make their air fresheners by changing them into reed diffusers, bottle sprays, scented oils, beads, candles, and gels. Getting air freshener on the skin can hurt or cause some irritation and inflammation, particularly if you have sensitive skin. Normally it is best to wash well with warm soapy water and dry to eliminate any problems on the skin.
Can air fresheners cause coughing?
It is best to not breathe in air freshener when spraying around the room. While a little won't harm you, it may make you cough from breathing in, so if it does, it is best to get fresh air immediately after.
What are the best air fresheners for the house?
There are many great air fresheners on the market but first it is recommended to decide which may suit your home best. For continuous air freshening then a reed diffuser is a great addition and also looks pretty stylish too! Department stores such as John Lewis, have many to choose from.
For spays then Febreze and Puressential work well while plug-ins are also a useful addition.
We’ve designed Sun Selects to help you find everything you need when you’re shopping around the web.
If you want to find more of our home recommendations, check out our dedicated Sun Selects home section.
Keen to freshen things up around the house? We've rounded up the best eco-friendly cleaning products to help keep your floors and surfaces spotless.
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