Febreze Auto Fabric Refresher Review

We recently upgraded to a larger van to accommodate our five growing kids. It turns out a little minivan wasn't going to cut it any longer. But a bigger van can present a bigger challenge for cleaning. There are more nooks and crannies for the kids to "forget" things in. Please don't ask about the weirdest thing I found after cleaning my glove compartment. This isn't so bad when it's a book or paper, but when it's a can of soda or a cheeseburger or even gasoline odors from a spilled gas can...

Unfortunately, once a smell sets in, it can be difficult to remove those odors. Because cars tend to sit cooped up with whatever is in them, removing long standing odors can be difficult. If you are trying to remove pet odors from your car, that can be difficult, too. If you've ever tried air freshener in your car, you know that most air fresheners don't do a lot at removing smells that seem to have soaked into the surfaces of your car. Odor removers meant for fabric are really your best bet. After a particularly icky incident where my husband took a boy scout troop camping with our van, I needed something powerful.

The scent of my van after the camping trip was one of the worst things I've ever smelled. It was a mixture of campfire, sweat, unwashed adolescents, and fast food. I drove around the first day with every window down and holding my breath for good measure. Then I remembered the review bottle Febreze had sent me to test.

I drove home quickly. I was running out of air. I took the review bottle and read the directions. "Spray fabric until slightly damp." Easy, enough. After I was done spraying down the car, I went back inside the house. After two hours it was time to head out to pick up my daughter. With all of my other items I had to do, I forgot that I had sprayed down the car. I remembered quickly the moment I got in. It smelled great. Even better, even though I couldn't smell any more camping trip, I had only a slight hint of the spray to smell. It wasn't overpowering, just light and pleasant. My daughter noticed, as well, asking if I had taken the car to be washed. The suggested price for a 16.9 oz bottle is about 4.00. The product is widely available where you buy cleaning supplies.

The bottle of Febreze Auto is compact and easy to use. I know packaging may not be important, but the sleek silver color on the bottle is nice to look at, too. The bottle has a locking mechanism that would make me more comfortable about keeping a bottle stored in my car.
The scent is light and fresh. It does not linger of weigh down the air. It's not something that people would notice in a bad way.
It worked well on even tough odors without being overpowering. I tested this on some of the worst car odors possible and it beat every single one.

This product is not recommended for use on vinyl and leather. There's actually a good chance that it could stain your vinyl or leather, so be careful even using it on carpet when there are vinyl and leather around. It may be a good idea to test for colorfastness in a hidden spot if you are concerned.
There is a warning against using on the interior head liner of cars that are older than 10 years. i wasn't able to determine if this was because of a change in headliner material or it extended use might make even newer headliners sag. As a precaution, I would be cautious about using it directly on any headliner.
Although the product says it is safe for use around kids and dogs and cats, it should not be used around birds. This is important for pet owners to know. While some might assume that if it is safe for one pet, it is safe for all. However, this warning is printed directly on the bottle.

Disclosure: Review samples were provided by the manufacturer. For more information, please see our Ethics Policy.