How to get rid of new car smell and other unwanted car smells
I guess most of us had already experienced bad car smells. Not only old cars but also brand-new cars can have a bad smell.
The artificial "new car smell"
When moving back to Australia, one of the first things to organize in this great big country was to get a set of wheels to be mobile, especially for the school run in the mornings. As COVID had pushed the prices for used cars to the moon I decided to buy a new car. I went through the tedious task of test driving several vehicles and going through the routine of 20 minutes or so new car sales talk with the vendors.
One thing that really put me off at the test drives, no matter what vehicle, was the “new car smell”. It made me feel sick and it gave me a feeling of sitting in a confined space of plastics and glue, kind of contra productive to what it should be for an investment with a heavy price tag as a car.
I researched a little bit about that topic and found, that actually in these days, it's not anymore the smell of glues and plastics, nowadays the manufacturers artificially add this smell to the cars just to give customers the feeling of a new car.
I for myself cannot see any benefit in trying to simulate plastic and glue smell, so naturally I decided to install our Viper Car Vent Diffuser, thinking that it is much nicer to have a cedar smell in my car rather than a chemistry smell. What can I say, it did a great job and it made me feel good getting in my car in the morning, being welcomed by a forestry scent and not questioning why investing a whole lot of money for a subjectively feeling hostile environment.
So which oils are best to be used in cars?
For sure you want an oil which raises alertness and helps you to keep calm. Another important factor: a vehicle is a small enclosed space, so scents can easily become concentrated. While you may use a larger amount of oil in a diffuser to cover your living room, much less is needed in a car. We can recommend following oils:
- Basil
- Bergamot
- Cedarwood
- Cypress
- Frankincense
- Geranium
- Grapefruit
- Juniper berry
- Lemon
- Lemongrass
- Lime
- Orange
- Patchouli
- Pine
- Sandalwood
- Tangerine
- Vanilla
You can also try these blends:
Calming:
- 1 drop Cedar
- 3 drops Bergamot
Energizing:
- 1 drop Tangerine
- 1 drop Grapefruit
- 2 drops Lime
How to diffuse essential oils in your car?
The easiest way is to use a car vent diffuser. You just drop your favourite oil or blend on the felt pad and clip the diffuser on the air vent. The air will flow through the diffuser and creates immediately a welcoming atmosphere.
You see, it's not necessary to accept any unwanted scents in your car. Just create your own personal wellbeing atmosphere with a car diffuser.
Let us know if you had similar experiences and how you dealt with it. Our Car Vent Diffusers will be on special currently to support you setting up your own little oasis in your car, no matter if old or new.