There are a number of "new car scent" sprays that you can use to give your car a clean scent. These sprays are easy to use: just spritz them throughout the car and let them air dry. Some people like to put towels or some kind of fabric softener sheet under their seats before spraying, so that everything smells great all the time! Wine guy Jeff Hennig, the dapper fortyish sommelier for the tony Valbella!! restaurant in Greenwich, Connecticut, agreed to come with me and smell cars.

The circulation of a car air freshener’s scent may be impacted by how it is opened and used. “The secret about Little Trees is you’re not supposed to completely remove the plastic. There are two lines on the top that you’re supposed to cut and then pull the plastic down one level a week to get the most out of each tree,” Belair says. Clean cloth seats with a carpet and upholstery cleaning product like Resolve and a carpet and upholstery brush, or with a portable carpet and upholstery cleaning machine like Bissell’s Cordless Portable Carpet Cleaner. Treat leather seats with leather cleaner and wipe dry with a clean microfiber cloth. Clean the Vents Most air fresheners are designed to last between three and four weeks before they need replacing but longer-lasting products are available but will cost more. Single-use products like freshener bombs may well last for a couple of weeks but aren’t designed to smell good for long periods of time. What do you want it to smell like? Not one car manufacturer admitted to creating a scent, although once in a while one would accuse a competitor of doing so: infusing a piece of plastic with an aroma and installing it under a seat, for example, or blowing a fragrance into the plastic bags that cover the seats during shipment. Car manufacturers say they are working toward a neutral environment, and the smell that lingers is the stuff they can't—or don't need to—eliminate.The best car air fresheners have a variety of pleasant scents. “Refreshing and light scents like citrus, clean linen, or a subtle floral aroma tend to be popular choices for car air fresheners,” Belair says. “Men tend to lean towards stronger fragrances, such as leather, mahogany, and dark ice.” Eastland is especially suited to his role thanks to his naturally keen sense of smell, while a master’s degree in chemistry with forensic science doesn’t hurt, either. He’s been with Nissan since 2016, but the manufacturer’s mission to keep its cars smelling good has been going since the nineties. It’s a global mission, too. Eastland is Nissan’s smell expert in Europe, but he has counterparts in both Japan and the US. You can also try this DIY solution for creating a new car smell in your old ride. Combine one part vinegar with two parts water and put them into a spray bottle. Spray the mixture onto the seats and let it sit for about 30 minutes or so, then wipe or scrub away any remaining residue. The vinegar is an effective cleaner that kills odours, while the water helps to rehydrate your vehicle's interior. These clips should be stored at room temperature, so you won’t be able to keep the extras in your car. These car air freshener vent clips are made for those who prefer stronger scents and may not be the best option if you’re looking for a more subtle scent for your car. You’ll know when it’s time to replace your clip when you no longer see liquid in the jar.

Our testers generally found more mellow flavours the most pleasant, but the sweet Jelly Belly was loved almost universally, with a gentle confectionery whiff and an attractive pot. The familiarity of scent, discreet design and solid build of the Lynx freshener also shone through, while the fast-mellowing, coconut-scented Miami Fresh has the longest claimed lifespan of our podium finishers. General Motors does not have a standardized smell test, but damned if those Cadillacs don't smell good. Most people attribute that to Nuance leather. Jim Embach, design technology manager for the General Motors Design Center, worked on the team that developed Nuance, and he said they actually built entire cars with an assortment of materials and then had customers sit in them and rate them. "A total contextual experience," he said. According to Embach, the test cars were then dismantled. The first, Intra Clean, is a dedicated wash spray that cleans and deodorizes leather, cloth, and all dashboard surfaces. With Intra Clean by your side, those unpleasant odors don’t stand a chance! One tester described Golden State Delight as “overly ripe banana”, but it left everyone else confused as to what it was actually supposed to smell like. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but our testers ranked this California Scents last, and by some distance. One said it was like a cheap whisky, another thought it was like rotting bubble gum, while other responses included petrol, and it made another tester cough.Although you may be tempted to hang a disposable air freshener on your rearview mirror, Reynoso doesn't recommend it. “It obstructs your vision while you're driving and can be dangerous,” he explains. Finally, when the seats are dry, add some scented seat-covering protectors. These smell great and will help keep your car smelling fresh longer than you would expect! Wash the Floor Mats How leather gets to smell so good is a real feat, since the tanning process removes virtually all the cow odor, which is a good thing. The products used to soften and shine the leather give it its smell. "Most leathers used to be processed with fish oil," said Embach. "You only thought it smelled good because you were holding a Coach bag or sitting in an expensive car. Close your eyes, and you'd have smelled whale blubber." There is some debate about the chemicals’ toxicity. However, Jeff Gearhart, the research director at the Ecology Center, stated that “automobiles function as chemical reactors, creating one of the most hazardous environments we spend time in.”