I’m not a huge fanatic of spray air fresheners for the task of getting rid of odors. They don’t really work in that aspect.

But I can appreciate a nice scent once I’ve chased the bad odor bugaboo away.

One of my new favorites is California Scents.

I knew they were good when I went to my local office supply store, went up the escalator, and was greeted with a surprisingly strong - yet pleasant - smell of one.

I asked the salesman how long the air freshener had been open. “Four days,” he said. “It’s really potent!”

So I purchased one that was strawberry scented. It comes in a tuna fish-like can, only smaller.

When you open it up, it looks almost like a spongey material. That spongey material is completely biodegradable. In fact, the California Scents themselves are labeled as organic.

I put mine in the closet. It lasted a good month before it began to die down.

Because the can is small, they’re not really suited for a bedroom sized space.

But if you want a long-lasting, environmentally friendly smell in small area, you can’t go wrong with California Scents.

Product being reviewed
The Body Shop Home Fragrance Oil

Cost
$7.50US

Fragrance
Cranberry

Odor you’re trying to get rid of?
Just a general ‘house’ smell.

How does the product deliver fragrance?
I put 7 drops of the oil in an oil burner (which I also got from The Body Shop). You place the oil burner wherever you want to eliminate the odor.

How long did you use the product?
20 minutes

Detailed impressions…
First of all, let me say that this is a wintery smelling oil. Think Christmas, without the smell of pine. And because it’s after the holiday season, TheBodyShop.com currently has it on sale for only $2.

I burned the oil right before going to bed. All of the windows were shut tight (it’s a frigid -22C where I am!) and the heat was on.

Even though I kept the oil burner in the living room, the smell spread throughout my entire apartment (2 bedrooms) in a matter of minutes.

It was a very sweet, sugary smell. It made me think of cranberries turned into maple syrup. And since I like sweet smells, it worked for me.

By the time I got up to blow out the candle, I could tell that the oil had evaporated because the smell was definitely less sweet.

It didn’t smell burnt, per se. However I see where it could get to that point. Next time I’ll only let it burn 10 minutes or so.

The following morning I got up and made my usual bacon and english muffin breakfast. I always open the window in the kitchen while I’m cooking. And I couldn’t noticably smell the fragrance oil at this point.

But after dropping my daughter off at school, I definitely noticed the fragrance oil smell upon walking in the door.

Even after the early morning bacon-fest, the fragrance oil was still gently traveling through the air.

Not quite as strong as the night before. But it was pleasant.

Sure beats coming home to fried food smell.

On a scale of 1-5, how do you rate the air freshener, considering the job you needed it for?

I give it 5 stars on the merits of offering an 8+ hour pleasant smell.

Alexis Dawes
Editor, No More Smelly House