Your car smells terrible, and you want tips to make your car smell good. You’ve tried to get rid of the smell, but it just won’t go away. Air fresheners don’t seem to make your car smell good very long. There’s nothing like that fresh leather new car smell and fresh upholstery. But, unfortunately, that pleasant odor doesn’t last. After the new car scent wears off, it can be hard to make your car smell fresh. With everyday usage and transporting kids or pets, it’s no wonder the smell of your car is less than desirable. Thankfully Meguiar has a great solution to make your car smell better. Here is my review of Meguiar’s Whole Care Air Re-Fresher. Plus, I’ve included some additional tricks that will work when you need to make your car smell better.
My company sent me to open a new location, so I stored my car for six months. When I finally got around to having it shipped to me, it was pretty depressing. Upon entering my car for the first time in a long time, it reminded me of one of the many old cars my dad would restore. It was dirty, but even more, it smelled awful. Then, while doing random shopping one day, I stumbled across Meguiar’s Whole Car Air Re-Fresher and have used it regularly since. It instantly made my car smell better. What was most impressive was how long the smell lasted.
If you’re like me, you don’t care for the overpowering smell that comes from clip-on air vent fresheners. I find that when you first open them, they are overpowering and powerful. However, they fade quickly, usually after a week or two, and your car no longer smells good. So I was eager to give Meguiar’s Whole Car Air Re-Fresher a try.
Meguiar has three scents for their whole car air fresheners. You can choose from new car scent, summer breeze, and black chrome. I’ve tried all three, but I only prefer two of them. Meguiar’s summer breeze whole car air re-fresher was too perfumey for my taste and reminded me of using an air vent clip-on. I didn’t feel it made my car smell good. Instead, it made it smell artificial and sweet. So unless that is your preferred scent to make your car smell better, avoid it.
How do you use Meguiar’s Whole Car Air Re-Fresher?
First, the Meguiar car air freshener reminds me of bug defogger, but instead of killing bugs, it kills nasty car odors. It is so easy to use too.
Step one: Close your windows, start the car and turn on the air conditioning and set it to recirculate.
Step two: Place the small can in the center of the car and activate it so it can do its job.
Step three: Exit the car quickly to avoid inhaling the mist then close the doors and let the car run for fifteen minutes.
Step four: After fifteen minutes, turn the car off, roll down the windows and let it air out for another fifteen minutes.
Viola, your car smells good again. Even more, I have found the scent to last about 30 days.
How does Meguiar’s Whole Car Air Re-Fresher Make Your Car Smell Good?
As previously mentioned, this auto air freshener is not your rear-view mirror tree or air vent clip. Instead, the package includes a relatively small aerosol can that sprays a fine mist throughout your car’s cabin. Then, by turning your air conditioner on and setting it to recirculate, the fine mist circulates throughout the car, in the vents, all while capturing the unpleasant smells lingering in your car.
When I tried Meguiar’s Whole Car Air Re-Fresher summer breeze scent, I found the initial smell was overpowering, similar to what I find with the air vent clip-on. So much so that the first few days of driving after using it make me nauseous.
However, the initial smell wasn’t overpowering when I used Meguiar’s Whole Car Air Re-Fresher new car or black chrome scent. With both of those scents, I was able to make my car smell good. It wasn’t artificial, and it wasn’t something that felt familiar. It just smelled clean, and that is how I prefer my car to smell when I want it to smell good. Additionally, I didn’t feel that it was masking odors in my car. Instead, it felt like it eliminated them.
I’ve also tried the Armorall Smoke X car air freshener to make my car smell good. But, of all the scents Armorall makes, this is the only one I recommend because of its natural clean scent.
5 Easy Tips to Make Your Car Smell Good
Dryer sheets
Open a small box of dryer sheets, and place them under a seat. Dryer sheets will deodorize your car with a fresh, clean scent. Also, you can take a dryer sheet and rub the cloth seats and carpet.
Coffee beans
Have you ever noticed how they have containers of coffee beans in the cologne sections of department stores? Coffee beans are energizing, absorb odors, and make your car smell good. Unfortunately, they need replacing often.
Baking soda
Baking soda is the most useful home deodorizer, which is why you often find an open box in the refrigerator. It works wonders to make your car smell good too. Sprinkle some on the carpets and upholstery, let it sit for several hours, and vacuum up the baking soda and odors it has captured. Additionally, you can put some in a container under the seat for ongoing odor absorption.
Keep your car clean to make it smell good
Regular cleaning is required if you want to make your car smell good. Throw trash away daily. Wipe down the interior with your favorite cleaner and protectant. My top choice is Armor All Car Air Freshener and Cleaner. Clean the mats and vacuum regularly. I try to stick to a two-week schedule for cleaning the interior of my car.
Listen to the mechanic when getting an oil change
Finally, listen to the mechanic when they recommend changing your cabin filter. Changing your cabin air filter will help make your car smell good while it filters out any odors.
So if you are tired of that awful smell in your car and are ready to do something about it, these tips will help. Even more, most of these items are probably already in your home and don’t require additional purchases. However, I encourage you to make Meguiar’s Whole Car Air Re-Fresher part of your monthly auto detailing routine to make your car smell good.
Share your tips to make your car smell good in the comments below.
