Which Plugin Air Freshener Is Best?

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Plugin air fresheners work by heating up scented oil or gel so that the aroma spreads out around the room. Because most plugin air fresheners work very similarly, the best plugin air freshener is the one that comes equipped with your favorite scent. I personally prefer the Febreze brand, but you can get whatever brand has the scents that you like the most.

Below, I’ll show you the three biggest brands of plugin air freshener and all the large variety of scents they have available to choose from.

I’ll also show you a few other unique plugin options, such as a germ-killing device and a plugin for your car.

Option #1: Febreze Plugins (My Favorite)

Febreze is best known for their widely-used fabric softener and disinfectant sprays, but did you know they also make plugin air fresheners?

Febreze claims that a single scented gel cartridge in their plugin will last for about 50 days on low setting.

First up you have the plugin appliance itself. You’ll need at least one of these to use any of the scented refill cartridges listed afterwards. You can either buy the plugin all by itself, or with a starter scent cartridge. You can also buy them in a value 4-pack.

Febreze Plugin Appliances

  • Febreze Plugin – Comes with the plug-in device – Requires scented refill cartridges sold separately – Click here to view.
  • Febreze Plugin 4-count Value Pack – Comes with 4 plugins for use all over your house – Does not come with scented cartridges – Click here to view.
  • Febreze Plugin Starter Kit – Comes with the plugin appliance plus a Linen & Sky scent cartridge – Click here to view.

Febreze Plugin Scented Cartridges

Option #2: Air Wick Plugins

Up next is the Air Wick brand of air freshener. Some people say that Air Wick refill packs are known for lasting the longest, but I personally don’t have enough experience with them to say definitively one way or the other.

Air Wick claims that their refill cartridges last up to 45 days, which is actually a bit less than the Febreze ones claim. I guess the only way to know for sure is to try them yourself.

Air Wick, like the other brands, has many fragrances to choose from. I’ve compiled a complete list of their options here:

Air Wick Plugin Appliances

  • Air Wick Plugin 1-pack – Comes with 1 appliance and no scented cartridges – Click here to view.
  • Air Wick Plugin 2-pack – Comes with 2 appliances and no scented cartridges – Click here to view.
  • Air Wick Plugin 4-pack – A very good deal – Comes with 4 appliances at a big discount – Scent cartridges not included – Click here to view.

Air Wick Plugin Scented Cartridges

Option #3: Glade Plugins

Glade is another popular air freshener brand. Although they are more known for their aerosol sprays, they also have a lineup of widely used plugins.

The Glade plugins claim that they will last up to 50 days per refill, the same as the Febreze plugins, and 5 days longer than the Air Wick plugins.

Just like the other brands, Glade has tons of scents to choose from. I’ve collected them below for you to peruse.

Glade Plugin Appliances

  • Glade Plugin Appliance – Available in packs of 1 or 2, with or without scented gel cartridges – Click here to view.

Glade Plugin Scented Cartridges

Option #4: Germ Guardian Plugin Air Purifier

This one is a totally different appliance than the regular plugins that you’re used to.

Instead of putting scents out, this small plugin air purifier sucks air into it with a fan. The air is purified via ultraviolet light which kills germs and destroys odor-causing particles, removing odors from the air.

If you just want to remove odors from a room without covering them up with new scents, then this may be the choice for you.

Although it costs more than a normal plugin, it doesn’t require scent refills like the other ones do. Instead, you will need to replace the UV light bulb if it burns out.

The manufacturer says that one bulb can last 10 to 12 months, which is far longer than the 45 to 50 days that a scent cartridge lasts in the scented plugin devices.

Option #5: Febreze “Small Spaces” Air Freshener

I decided to mention this last because its not really a plugin air freshener, but it’s very similar. The Febreze “Small Spaces” product is an air freshener that will freshen a small room such as a bathroom, just like you would use a plugin air freshener for.

However, the Small Spaces product line does not use electricity and thus does not take up one of your outlets.

I just thought I should let you know that it’s a decent alternative if you are looking to add scents to a room but you’re tired of using up all your electrical outlets. I know for sure that my bathroom outlets are in high demand due to things like the hair dryer, hair straightener, electric tooth brush, and other contraptions that all need to be plugged in.

If you’re interested, I wrote a comprehensive guide to the Small Spaces air freshener product line. Check it out by clicking that link.