Ick! (Air Wick Plug-In Diffuser)

Member Name: Ali72

Product:	Air Wick Plug-In Diffuser
Date:	27/10/05 (1268 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Continuous fragrance

Disadvantages: The fragrance!

We are currently trying to sell our house. We have two cats, and two small children, and despite having scrubbed the place from top to bottom before putting it on the market, we became conscious of the fact that some viewers seemed to notice the fact that we have pets. I was mortified of course.

I looked for a suitable air freshener on my next visit to Tesco. I already had a room spray, which I used before a viewing, but the problem with this is that the smell doesn't last terribly long, and also I am not always able to get back to the house before viewers arrive. So I decided to purchase a "plug-in" gadget, which releases fragrance constantly.

I plumped for a pack containing the Air Wick plug-in diffuser, and a bottle of "Relaxing Lavender and Camomile" fragrance with essential oils. (My estate agent advised me that lavender should create the right atmosphere).

Appearance

The diffuser unit is a white plastic dome, about two inches high and two inches wide, with a three-pin plug on the back. It protrudes about two inches from the plug socket. There is a circular hole in the top where the fragrance releases. A dial surrounds the hole, which you can use to adjust the intensity of the fragrance, from 1 to 5.

The perfume is supplied in a small, clear glass bottle with a white fabric "wick" rising up from the neck of the bottle, and this is what inserts into the bottom of the diffuser unit. The bottle clicks easily into place.

Smell and performance

Unfortunately, this is what lets this gadget down. It smells - badly. When I first removed the cap of the perfume bottle, and sniffed the aroma, I thought it was reasonably pleasant, if somewhat artificial. However, the smell is quite sweet, and a bit sickly and cloying. Once I plugged the unit in, I turned the dial up to 5 and the fragrance really pumped out. In this respect, the product does work well and delivers what it promises. The unit didn't get warm, which I had worried about with small children on the loose, although the instructions do warn not to leave the unit plugged in continuously for long periods of time, for example, over-night. Unfortunately the smell became over-powering, even when I turned the dial down to 1. I did try it out on one set of viewers, but when they commented to the agent that we "must be trying to mask something because the air freshener smell was awful", I concluded that I wouldn't bother again. I would just open my windows and let in some lovely, clean, fresh air instead - for free.

If you do happen to like the smell, Air Wick claim that one bottle of perfume should last up to 80 days, on a low setting. Based on my short use, I would say this is a bit optimistic and it would probably last for a shorter period than this.

Price

The price of the pack containing the diffuser unit and bottle of perfume was £3.94. It is possible to buy the diffuser unit separately, for 99p. Perfume refills are £3.48.

Fragrances available

The other fragrances available are Uplifting Mandarin & Green Tea, Balancing Amber & Wild Rose, White Flowers, Crisp Breeze, Vanilla & Orchid and Cedar & Bergamot (Anti-Tobacco).

Conclusion

I can see that this air freshener could appeal to some people, and does do a good job of pumping out the fragrance, but I did not like the smell and won't be using it again. Save your money and open the windows instead.

Summary: Save your money and open the windows instead.