Top 12 Types of Air Fresheners Available for Homes

The feeling of meeting a sweet-smelling home after a long day at work is indescribable, especially after getting trapped in traffic and forced to inhale the unpleasant smell that fills the air.

Air fresheners are soothing. They help keep your mood light while you spend the day at home and calm your nerves after a bad day at work.

More so, the scented air greets visitors and welcomes them in a way that you can never do verbally.

Choosing an affordable air freshener that has your desired fragrance can be daunting. There are so many types of air fresheners you can find at the mall, but not all will be suitable for your home.

 

Factors to Consider When Choosing an Air Fresheners for Your Home

You might want to consider the following factors before you make your choice.

• The prices of the air fresheners: Only purchase air fresheners you can comfortably afford
• The tendency of your choice of air freshener to cause some allergies to you and your household: Some air fresheners can irritate a person's respiratory system. It's good you ensure that the air freshener you are about to purchase won't affect your health and your family members. Health should come first
• The durability of the air freshener you are about to purchase: If you aren’t willing to spend much on air fresheners, you can decide to go for the less fanciful ones
• The fragrance of the air freshener: You may not find all fragrances you come across appealing. Explore the various fragrances you find at the mall before making your choice
• The ability of the air freshener to improve the interior decoration of your home. Sometimes air fresheners improve the aesthetics of your home. You may decide to go for air fresheners that enhance the beauty of your home while giving it a good scent

 

Different Types of Air Fresheners for Homes

This article lists the various types of air fresheners you can use for your home and useful information regarding them.

 

1. Traditional Air Fresheners

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This type of air freshener is pocket-friendly and is not bulky. They come in the form of a gel or sometimes in the form of aerosol sprays.

The ones in the form of a gel fill the air in your room with their fragrance by evaporation. They are pretty easy to use. You can use them by unsealing their cover and placing them in a hidden place among your furniture, like your drawers, cabinets, and shelves.

 

2. Electric Fan Air Fresheners

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Electric fan air fresheners make use of electricity (batteries inclusive) to operate. They are modeled like fans and have cartridges filled with a liquid fragrance installed in the fans.

They come in varieties, with each type serving different purposes, such as deodorizing a room or scenting the air with sweet-smelling fragrances. They can last for an extended period, and even when the fragrance gets exhausted, the cartridge only has to be replaced.

The beauty of this type of air freshener lies in its ease of use, portable size, and ability to be regulated. It can be adjusted to blow at varying speeds and time intervals of your choice, allowing you to enjoy its benefits as you desire and as well manage your resources.

Using electric fan air fresheners also gives your home a touch of luxury.

However, they are more expensive than the conventional types of air fresheners due to the extra features they come with. But, if you can afford them, go for them, as the features they come with are worth spending some extra bucks.

 

3. Scented Candles

Air fresheners also come in the form of scented candles. While the candles burn, they emit some fragrance. These fragrances come in the flavors of fruits, flowers, and some woods.  If burning these candles may put your home at risk of a fire outbreak, you can make use of candle warmers.

Although candle warmers use electricity, they help diffuse the scent from your candles by melting the wax in a jar. It's smoke-free.

However, the burning of scented candles directly is usually discouraged. This is because the paraffin wax used in producing these candles emits poisonous chemical substances into the air. Even some of the wicks used emit airborne metals such as lead into the atmosphere.

 

4. Nebulizers

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Nebulizers are portable machines that transform air fresheners in liquid form into vapor, allowing their fragrance to circulate in a given space. They work by breaking down the liquid fragrance put in them into very tiny particles through the use of electricity.

This type of air freshener is, however, quite expensive.

 

5. Plug-Ins

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Plug-ins are air fresheners that use electricity and also allow you to refill the liquid fragrance in them when it gets depleted. They are powerful, with the ability to provide fragrance for any big building. However, with more modifications in their designs, it has become possible to regulate the amount of fragrance it emits at a time.

 

6. Heated Oil and Spray

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This is a type of plug-in that makes use of refillable cartridges. These cartridges contain scented oil, which is turned into vapor with an electricity-enabled device. They are then sprayed into the air after heating.

 

7. Potpourri

Potpourris are natural plant materials that can be used to provide fragrance in the home. By mixing different varieties of dried sweet-smelling herbs and putting them in a fancy bowl, you can give the air in your home a sweet smell.

They are a natural type of air freshener and, as such, very healthy for your home, although there has been an emergence of the artificial form of potpourri.

Potpourris are cheap to formulate and allows you to experiment with different herbs and flavors.

 

8. Aroma Beads

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Aroma beads are bead-like plastics capable of absorbing liquids, in this case, essential or fragrance oil. These beads are dipped into oil and left for some time to soak up some oil. After which, they are removed and put in a bag. They are then placed at strategic places in the home, like your flower vase, cabinet, wardrobe, and so on.

Aroma beads have long-lasting fragrances and are brightly colored. Apart from giving your home a fragrance, they can be used as decorative elements for your home.

 

9. Incense

Incense is a combustible material that is burnt to give off an aroma. It can be used as an air freshener when the usual barks, stems, and roots that are burnt are replaced with aromatic materials like sandalwood, frankincense, and cinnamon.

Incense produces a strong aroma capable of overwhelming your home with a sweet smell within a short time. This fragrance lingers in the air for a while before fading. They are good choices if you desire an air freshener with a strong smell.

However, in the use of incense, care must be taken to always ensure that the fragrant is burnt completely before it is left alone.

 

10. Time-Operated Mist Dispensers

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This is a type of air freshener that uses electricity and an automated system to dispense fragrance at certain times.

With a programmable feature, you can be able to regulate the amount of fragrance it releases. Its smart system also helps gauge the level of oil remaining in its cartridge.

Although it can be powered using batteries, it’s efficient in the use of power whilst performing optimally.  However, because of its automated feature, this type of air freshener is bound to be more expensive than the conventional type of air freshener.

 

11. Gravity Drip Restroom Fixture Deodorizer System

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This type of air freshener is used in restrooms and is hung above the toilet seat and urinary.  They function by letting their liquid fragrance drop into the toilet at short intervals. When its liquid fragrance comes in contact with the water in the toilet, it diffuses and produces a pleasant odor. It also doubles as a cleansing agent, thereby keeping your bathroom free from germs and foul odor, and giving it a nice smell.

 

12. Ultrasonic Diffusers

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This is a means of setting oil fragrance into the atmosphere. It uses a vibration technique that keeps the oil fragrance in vibration until its particles are set free into the air. It works by first mixing the oil with water before proceeding to set the particles into the air, not by heat or fan, but by vibrations.

 

Precautions When Using Air Fresheners

Using air fresheners in the home may become hazardous if not used properly. Most of the air fresheners are made of poisonous substances that can cause eye and skin irritation when it comes in contact with the body. Below is a list of precautions you must have at heart when you are purchasing one.

• Never keep air fresheners within reach of children as the air freshener may suffocate the children while they play with them
• Recycle the containers of used air fresheners. Do not leave them lying idly in the home
• Do not spray them directly on the human skin
• Always read the instruction label and follow the manufacturer’s guide