Most of us have seen the ads. A blindfolded actress/actor is taken into a dirty room and asked to describe what they smell — which of course is only the “natural” and fresh fragrances of an aerosol air freshener. But consider for a moment that the air freshener might be just as harmful as all of the grime and dirt that the unsuspecting actress is sitting in.
Common household air fresheners are full of toxic chemicals. Their active ingredients can cause irritation of skin, eyes, and so much more. To help your house stay smelling fresh and clean without harmful additives, we’ve compiled a list of the best natural air fresheners to use instead.
What’s Here
In this article we will go over what qualifies as a natural eco friendly air freshener. We will give you some ingredients to look for that could be a red flag, as well as some resources on how to DIY an all natural air freshener at home. Up first, is our best natural air freshener reviews section, where we give you some great products that you can pick up and know that they are healthy for you and the environment.
Best Natural Air Fresheners: Comparison Chart
In our comparison table below, we’ve got all of the best natural air fresheners in one place. It’s easy to compare cost, popularity, and browse through them. We’ve got them in order of cost ascending- although they are all pretty similar in price.
We have reviews of these same products in the next section. If you’re on mobile or a smaller screen, you may have to select the green plus buttons to expand the table and see more information.
Image | Air Freshener | Main Ingredient | Type | Cost | Popularity |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Products 4 Future Decorative Air Freshener Bags | Bamboo Activated Charcoal | Bag Filter | 💰💰💰💰 | ⭐⭐⭐ | |
PURGGO Natural Bamboo Activated Charcoal Air Freshener | Bamboo Activated Charcoal | Bag Filter | 💰💰💰 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | |
Moso Natural Air Purifying Bag | Bamboo Activated Charcoal | Bag Filter | 💰💰💰💰💰 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | |
Grow Fragrance | Essential Oils | Room & Fabric Spray | 💰💰💰 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | |
Natural Flower Power Natural Air Fresheners | Essential Oils | Room Spray | 💰💰💰 | ⭐⭐⭐ | |
Hank's Garden Sprays | Essential Oils | Aromatherapy Spray | 💰💰 | ⭐⭐ | |
Shabby Chick All Natural Air Freshener | Essential Oils | Room Spray | 💰💰💰 | ⭐⭐ |
7 Best Natural Air Freshener Reviews
In our “best of” list, we’ve featured a variety of brands, as well as types of healthy air fresheners that we think you will love. Some of them are better used for certain rooms/environments, so we’ve thrown in some awards for each of our best eco-friendly air fresheners on the list to help you make a decision.
Below we have 3 odor elimination bags and following that, you’ll find 4 air freshener sprays.
1. Products 4 Future Air Purifying Bags
Best Bamboo Activated Charcoal Air Freshener
Natural Air Freshener Bags are a great way to neutralize odors in your home without the risk of exposure to toxic chemicals or allergens. Using bamboo-activated charcoal, these bags absorb odor in a healthy way that’s easily recyclable. Products 4 Future’s natural air freshener bags are versatile and can be used in your closet, shoes, car, or other areas that are prone to smell. EcoKarma recommends using the charcoal air freshener bits in your garden when you are finished with each bag. Your plants will love it! They are available stylish pyramid bags, in 4 different colors.
2. PURGGO Natural Bamboo Activated Charcoal Air Freshener
Best Air Freshener for the Bathroom
We can confidently say that odor eliminating bags have never looked this good. PURGGO’s Natural Air Freshener Bags are available in two colors, and as singles or a 4-pack. Aside from just looking good, they are the perfect size to fit in shoes, boots, or to hang in cars and bathrooms. PURGGO also boasts lasting at least 365 days- which means buying their natural freshener is a long-term investment. They are also great for ridding of smells from a litter box or pet room!
More About the Brand:
PURGGO’s company story is a relatable and endearing one. It was created because fragrant “air fresheners” such as Febreeze just weren’t working on a lingering pet smell. The creators were also driven to find an honestly clean solution to an odor problem, and expose the true amount of air contaminants that can be found in the average room spray. Even if you don’t end up buying their product, we highly recommend you read more about their research and process of design. We’re confident that you’ll never want a non-natural air freshener again.
3. Moso Natural Air Purifying Bag
Best Natural Air Freshener for the Money
Lasting up to two years, the Moso Natural Air Purifying Bag is going to give you the most bang for your buck. This is another great brand that has seized upon the natural resource of bamboo activated charcoal air freshener as the next best thing for your home. In order to keep using the bag, all you have to do is leave it in the sun once a month for about an hour. This will keep the charcoal activated and capable of absorbing all odors! The Moso Bag covers up to 90 square feet.
More About the Brand:
Moso’s motivation was driven strongly by the amount of chemicals (what they refer to as a “cocktail”) that are found in common home air fresheners. Moso is all about making small positive changes one at a time, to help impact the world in a big way.
4. Grow Fragrance Air Freshener
Editor’s Pick: Best Natural Air Freshener Spray
If you’re looking for a high-quality neutralizer that is actually transparent about ingredients: Grow Fragrance is the company for you. They use a blend of natural essential oils to create astounding scents that help block odors throughout the house. All Grow Fragrance sprays are safe to use on fabrics and furniture.
We love these sprays for their unique packaging, and fantastic smells. Their core scents include Citrus Cedar & Lavender Blossom. They also release seasonal scents in sets or small on-the-go bottles.
5. Natural Flower Power Natural Air Freshener
Natural Flower Power makes their natural air freshener sprays with no harsh chemicals. They are scented with pure essential oils, without any synthetic fragrance additives. The scents are all fresh, but not overpowering, which is perfect for anyone with allergies or sensitivities to fragrance. We also love that they are cruelty free, and made in the US. Natural Flower Power suggests you use their natural air freshener for rooms, cars, or linens!
More About the Brand:
Natural Flower Power has 4 key values at the core of their mission as a company. Safe ingredients, being environmentally conscious, socially responsible, all while making products that actually work effectively.
6. Hank’s Garden Aromatherapy Mists
Hank’s Garden is a small company that makes some amazing organic, vegan, and overall earth friendly products. While their Serenity spray isn’t formulated to mask odors, it still is one of the best natural air freshener sprays. It’s especially great for relaxing during yoga or meditation, and is stimulating for your senses and your skin. Hank’s Garden Aromatherapy Mist contains 100% pure therapeutic grade organic essential oils, and includes a medicinal guide on the label. This air freshener is available in a multitude of sizes to fit your frequency of use.
Find their other great scents, like Happiness or Dream, that are perfect for all of your moodscapes.
More About the Brand:
Hank’s Garden is a local business run out of Washington in the Pacific Northwest. His mission is to create sustainable and healthy products from start to finish. This includes biodegradable packaging and offering deposit returns to anyone that sends back their empties! You can check out the site and other products, and even sign the virtual guest book.
7. Shabby Chick All Natural Air Freshener
Shabby Chick’s natural room deodorizer spray is made with all-natural ingredients. They educate their customers about harmful chemicals such as polysorbate, fragrances, and dyes that contain carcinogens. They only use therapeutic grade essential oils that are safe for pillows, pets, clothes. Shabby Chick’s spray will leave a fresh scent behind for a sustained amount of time. The natural air and fabric freshener is available in two scents, “Kimberly” (Lavender) and “Jessica” (Ylang-Ylang).
More About the Brand:
Shabby Chick is a brand started by a mother that was fed up with using safer products on her farm animals and garden than she was using to clean the surfaces of her home. After extensive research and lots of trial runs, Shabby Chick natural cleaning products were born. We love the story behind this brand, because it shows that if there is an environmental problem happening on a large scale, anyone with gumption can solve it.
Be Wary of Greenwashing “Natural” Air Fresheners
Just because the label says “natural” doesn’t mean that it truly is so. Even when I was researching products, I was shocked at some of the smaller brands that had seemingly checked all of the boxes- until I dug deeper and discovered vague labeling and ingredients. The word “fragrance” can have a lot hidden within it. If you come across a non-specific ingredient such as that, be wary. Dig deeper! Just because it claims to be safe around pets and children, doesn’t mean that it’s a good choice for the environment or your home.
Steer Clear of Big Box Brands
Similar to the greenwashing that can happen on seemingly eco-friendly air fresheners, bigger companies that dominate the odor eliminating product market like to use buzz words to draw people in. Commonly, you’ll see products labeled with words like “pure” and “clean” and advertise a more organically based product. However, this often means that it is only more “pure” or “clean” than the rest of their product line. These products can still contain many air contaminants and allergens.
DIY Air Fresheners
At EcoKarma, we are all about the DIY method. You might have noticed that many of the brands we suggested started as a home project! Here are some great resources and recipes for some DIY natural air fresheners.
- Here are 7 ideas and suggestions for DIY eco-friendly air fresheners for your home! We love the old school simmer pot recipe, and the suggestion of upcycling old plug-in diffusers by filling them with an essential oil blend!
- Consider adding some aromatic plants or making Pomander Balls with your kids to encourage them to find natural ways to make healthy air fresheners.
- Watch videos on YouTube on how to make some essential oil room sprays with three ingredients. We highly recommend creator Katie Bookser!