How to Refill Glade, Airwick, and Febreze Air Fresheners to Save Money
96Air fresheners create an enjoyable atmosphere but while some units may be a delight to own, they are anything but a delight to refill. With the cost of some refill packages higher than $8.00 each in retail stores, there has to be a better way.
By choosing an air freshener which uses refillable scented oil containers you can enjoy long-lasting freshness and fragrance varieties at an unbeatable price. This article will teach you how to refill your air fresheners and choose the best refillable air freshener products.
In this article...
Buying fragrance oil • How to refill your air freshener • Recommended refillable air fresheners • Deals and coupons for manufacturer refills • Reader comments
Purchasing Affordable Scented Oil
It is possible to save money, as much as 90%, by refilling your scented oil warmer while reducing waste from empty refills. Fragrance oils can be purchased for $1 per ounce or less and most air fresheners can be refilled simply by removing a plastic cap.
Where to Buy Scented Oil for Refilling an Air Freshener
Fragrance oils are sold at craft stores, on the Internet, and in some supermarkets, such as Walmart. While most high quality oils are sold in 1/2oz to 2oz sizes, you may be able to find larger quantities of oil at a lower price, but consider first whether you would rather spend that money on a wider variety of scents.
Fragrance oil is sold at Walmart near the reed diffusers for around $1 per ounce, and unless you are a fragrance connoisseur this will make a great, inexpensive refill for your air freshener. Each 2oz bottle will refill your favorite air freshener several times since most scented oil refill canisters contain less than an ounce of oil.
A step further
- Essential Oils in Aromatherapy
Explore alternative medicinal uses for essential oils. - Making Essential Oils at Home
Learn how to save money by extracting essential oils through distillation.
Safety Hazards
Some essential oils, such as pine, rosemary, and grapefruit, have very low flashpoints and could catch fire in an oil warmer. Avoid any oil that is not safe for use in a hotter-burning flame oil burner.
Fragrance Oils vs. Essential Oils
Fragrance and Essential Oils are the primary competitors for air freshening. Fragrance oils are artificially produced and may include hundreds of artificial ingredients, resulting in a nearly limitless variety of fragrances. Essential oils are derived from natural sources and have been shown to carry the positive properties of some of the plant sources.
Most important to this topic is the fact that essential oils are generally much more expensive than essential oils. However, it is also possible to make your own essential oil. It is also important to know that both natural and artificial oils as well as the original air freshener oil may cause allergic reactions or other complications due to over-sensitivity.
Safety Hazards
Using the wrong type of oil, refilling more than once, damaging the wick, puncturing the refill canister, using the wrong type of refill liquid, overfilling the canister, and incorrectly positioning the air freshener are all potential safety hazards.
If the wick expands or is positioned incorrectly, the air freshener can leak. Leaking air fresheners which plug into an electrical outlet can catch on fire or cause damage to the wall.
Old air freshener units are more likely malfunction. Replace your old scented oil warmers and only use them in visible locations to avoid safety issues due to neglect. Warmers are generally much cheaper than refills.
The safest type of air freshener to refill at home is the Glade Wisp. Instead of using heat, the Wisp uses vibrations to disperse fragrance into the air.
How to Refill Scented Oil Air Fresheners
Many scented oil warmers and diffusers use glass or plastic refill media which is very simple to refill. Before you begin, you will need a fragrance canister for your air freshener - to stock up on refill canisters before refilling them yourself, check the air freshener coupons and deals list for your product.
- If you have already refilled the canister once, discard it. The scented oil wicks are not designed to be used more than once, so refill only if you have understood the risks.
- Remove the empty oil refill from the device, allowing time for the wick to cool if it is hot.
- Cover your work surface with a paper towel or cloth to absorb any spilled oil. Wear latex gloves while refilling to avoid contact with the strong fragrances (optional but recommended).
- Use your fingers or a small screwdriver to remove the plastic cap, you will need to apply force to pry off the plastic cap. Do not pull on the wick.
- Carefully remove the plastic cap, do not touch the wick. Never rinse the wick in water. If the wick swells or breaks open the air freshener could leak; such wicks must be discarded immediately.
- Insert a small funnel (usually less than 1/2" in diameter) into the refill canister (optional).
- Pour fragrance oil, be careful to not overfill - leave enough free volume for the wick plus some air space to avoid over-saturation.
- Carefully re-insert the wick and plastic cap. The refill must be discarded if the wick is damaged in any way.
- Write the name of the fragrance oil scent on a piece of masking tape and adhere it to the refill canister so that you won't forget which scent it is.
- Watch the air freshener daily for signs of damage to the wick, if the wick begins to expand the refill must be discarded immediately.
If your air freshener refill does not have a removable cap, do not attempt to refill it. Never attempt to refill a metal canister, gel pack, or other canister without a removable lid. These types of air freshener refills must be purchased from the manufacturer.
Recommended Refillable Air Fresheners
The following air fresheners are recommended for the ease of refilling and refill value compared to purchasing manufacturer refills.
 | Amazon Price: $7.99 List Price: $17.99 |
 | Amazon Price: $9.99 List Price: $7.99 |
![Glade Wisp Fragrance Oil Refill, Hawaiian Breeze , 1 refill [.26 fl oz (7.9 ml)]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51GDAJQ4A6L._SL75_.jpg) | Amazon Price: $0.99 |
 | Amazon Price: $13.23 |
 | Amazon Price: $13.45 List Price: $29.27 |
 | Amazon Price: $29.27 |
 | Amazon Price: $0.18 List Price: $1.99 |
 | Amazon Price: $18.53 |
Glade Wisp
The battery-operated Glade Wisp diffuses scented oil at a customizable rate and works very well with inexpensive fragrance oil. The 0.26oz plastic refill canisters ($3 to $4 each) have a tight-fitting white cap which holds the wick firmly. A mini screwdriver is recommended for removing the cap.
Refill your Glade Wisp air freshener with fragrance oil to save as much as 93% off the cost of manufacturer refills. A full canister can last several months and will be noticeably stronger than oil warmers without the tapering-off that is common in gel air fresheners. Be sure to clean the metal disc weekly with a cotton swab to avoid dust accumulation.
Febreze Noticeables
Febreze Noticeables alternates between two fragrances at either a low or high intensity setting, dispensing the scent by warming one of two wicks. For up to $8 for each refill which lasts only a month, Febreze Noticeables are expensive to own. Use fingers or a small screwdriver to remove the plastic ring that holds each wick. The 1.42oz glass canister can be filled with two separate fragrance oils at a savings of up to 82%.
Over time the warming device will become stained, regardless of whether the manufacturer refills are used or a fragrance oil refill. The wicks are sturdy and will stand up to many refills. Febreze Noticeables excel over most other air fresheners by alternating scents to keep the air smelling fresh.
Air Wick Scented Oil
Air Wick scented oil is very easy to refill, but the construction of the wick is less sturdy than the other models. A simple adjustable warmer, Air Wick Scented Oil delivers one scent, stronger than the Febreze Noticeables. Manufacturer refills are much less expensive, so by refilling an Air Wick Scented Oil yourself you will save up to 70%. Use fingers or a screwdriver to remove the thin plastic ring holding the wick, but be very careful not to damage the wick.
Over time, the thin coating on the wick will split apart, causing the fibrous material inside to expand to nearly the size of the canister. Once this occurs, it is too messy and difficult to bother refilling the canister.
Deals on Manufacturers' Air Freshener Refills
If you don't want to refill your air freshener or need to stock up on refill canisters, check out the links to these great deals and printable coupons for air freshener refills in the list below. Keep an eye on the deals, they're always being updated! Sometimes you can find manufacturer refills for less than the cost of a manual fragrance oil refill!
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Using these oils as a refill for the Glade and Airwick item sis an excellent idea !! Thanks.
I have used the Fragrance Oils you suggest and show in the picture - Elegant Expressions Fragrance Oil - it is one the best quality fragrance oils in the market and is very strong. My mom's friends introduced these to me at a bunko party. These are stronger in fragrance strength than either Yankee Candle oils or the Oils sold at Bath and Body works, and are much much cheaper. I bought mine at Wal-Mart and also noticed recently that some new fragrance options are available at Michaels in a larger size bottle.
One correction to your article above ... these may be cheap in price, BUT I BEG TO DIFFER ON YOUR STATEMENT THAT THESE ARE "LOW END" ... They are anything but low end. In fact when I use these oils - they blow away anything else I have used before and compared these to... it is a very good quality product.
Mary,
Thank you for the comments. I agree, I have been using these Elegant Expressions oils recently to freshen up the bathroom. They actually work better in our Wisp flameless candle than the original scents. Also I don't feel bad about cranking the air freshener to maximum strength! I changed the wording of the article a bit :)
Hello, Great info here on refilling air fresheners. I have a Glade Wisp Candle, and my favorite scent is Glade's Hawaiian Breeze. Does anyone know of an oil similar to this scent? Thank you.
PM, one of my photos above shows Hawaiian Mist which I found to be the most similar among the fragrance oils available at Walmart. They may have new fragrances now, but besides a strange hint of berry or something in the Hawaiian Mist, it is about as close as I've gotten to Hawaiian Breeze.
I haven't noticed anything that smells quite as strongly of coconut as the Glade Hawaiian Breeze fragrance, if you like that then maybe you can find some coconut fragrance and do some mixing? Good luck!
Hey, fritteritter - thank you! I'm going to Walmart tomorrow anyway, so I'll try it. The strange thing with Glade's Hawaiian Breeze fragrance is that the oil version, in my opinion, has a stronger mango/pineapple scent, while the Sense & Spray version has a stronger coconut scent. I prefer the oil version. By the way, what is the price of Walmart's Hawaiian Mist? Thank you, PM
PM, I think they are either $1.99 or $2.99, probably varies by region. The Sense & Spray Hawaiian Breeze sounds like the regular aerosol which is what I have, I haven't bought Wisp refills in a long time =)
Also try Tropical Citrus Tango if your Walmart has it - I think that might be close as well. Usually there is at least one bottle of each fragrance with the foil punctured so that you can smell it first, they're near arts & crafts by the incense and flower pots/vases.
Thanks again, fritteritter for all your suggestions. I'm really happy with the Wisp candle, as it's not as overpowering as the plug-in oil warmers can sometimes be. I just hope the metal disc doesn't wear out; I noticed Wisp candles are no longer available in my area.
I agree, I really wish they would make something new with the vibration dispersion system, it's very unique compared to all the fans, burners, and aerosol systems out there.
I had a portion of the disc crack off on one of mine when it was dropped. I had to open it up, resolder some of the wires, and figure out how to reposition the broken disc. It still worked but not as well so we threw it out a few months later when the glass bowl fell and shattered.
The Wisp is definitely still the most effective air freshener I've tried, mostly because the performance is consistent regardless of how old the refill wick is. Have you compared the Wisp Flameless Candle to the new Febreze Flameless Luminaries? I hoped to see a similar technology but they are nothing more than a fancy twist on the token pine tree freshener... thin fragrance shades last only 2 weeks and are expensive to replace - just a gimmick.
Hi fritteritter - Well, I like the look of the Febreeze Flameless Luminaries, but they are expensive for just being, as you mentioned, scented shades. I'll stick with the Wisp for now. I'm also going to try rechargeable batteries in my Wisps - a 4-pack of Energizers with the charger cost me $12.00, but they are rechargeable over 100 times which I think in the long run will save me over regular alkalines.
CAN I CREATE MY OWN FRAGRANCES WITH ESSENTIAL OIL ADDED TO A CARRIER OIL OF SOME SORT? I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHAT THE BASE OIL IS SO I CAN ADD A FEW DROPS OF ANISE, LAVENDER ETC TO IT I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO ADD TEA TREE OIL. DOES ANYONE KNOW WHAT KIND OF OIL IS THE BASIS FOR THSE AIRWICK LIQUIDS/ THANKS
Bob, I am not an expert in essential oils, but after some research I have a recommendation. The original oil in these products is very thin and it doesn't leave any residue in the container.
The best essential oil carrier I can think of for use in refilling scented oil air fresheners is sunflower oil. It is readily available, very thin, and looks similar in color to most of the original oils. There may be other suitable, more exotic base oils, but my guess is that sunflower oil will work well.
Glade Wisp Flameless Candle air fresheners are currently on clearance at many Rite Aid stores for half price, making them about $4 each. Unfortunately the Glade coupons available for that product line expired quite a long time ago. That's the best base price I've ever seen... if yours has broken or you want to give it a try, it's a great time to buy one even without a coupon!
My comment is in regards to the article suggesting the refilling of the scented oil refill brand name air fresheners. My friend, you are a Moron. You are not only endangering the welfare families through ignoring the rigours home safety requirements that the proper oils have gone through used in both battery and electrical devices, but you are also ensuring the improper performance of all devices by making such a suggestion. These products are structured in such a way to perform, and release fragrance at a proper rate into the home. By suggesting the re-use of a clogged wick (and they are all clogged to some extent after one use) and by suggesting the use of oils with improper solvents for each system you are by far wasting more money than people would spend on using a coupon and purchasing a proper refill. You give AF a bad name - as the ones that catch fire in the home are probably the ones refilled by consumers listening to your garbage and putting improper liquids with improper flashpoints into their electrical sockets based on the advise of someone who obviously has no clue what they are talking about.
I've never read anything so stupid and dangerous before in my life.
The queen of air fresheners must work for a government agency that has warped her mind into thinking they actually produce codes to protect the public. I am glad that there are people like her out there to pay the fees and high prices for consumer products to think they are protected so the rest of us can save money! She probably spends 80 bucks for her ink jet refills too!! What an idiot
Ernestine, your comment was removed. Please do not post your phone number in public places. Please read the article to learn how to refill your air fresheners.
More like she works for Glade, Airwick or Fabreze.
Besides, these products are surely designed to the highest safety levels and tested within an inch of their lives to gain their safety markings, safety markings that cover the US, UK and Europe. One would think they were tested with their own oils, other oils and no oils just to make absolutely sure they do not set on fire under any circumstances. I'm happy to try the cheaper oils you mention, it's not like my printer ever died from not using original ink like they said it would, lol.
Dear The Queen of Air Fresheners, do not call people morons. People stop listening right after that word, regardless how important the message is. sad. sigh.
I am able to refill the bottles more than five times. Clogged, you say? Not with mine. Here's the key: I pull the wicks out, and put them, along with the plastic top (not the glass bottoms) in a zippered delicates bag, then run through several loads of laundry- ONLY IN THE WASHER. When it's all done, the clothes and laundry smell great. When I pop the wicks out of the delicates bag, they are thoroughly unclogged, clean, and ready to use often again! (This works only on solid foam wicks. Case-wrapped fiber wicks do not survive laundering, but they'll make the laundry smell good the same. Just make sure you're not washing anything dark that'll show errant strings.)
I have a semi-stupid question: I have a air freshener (that you can plug scented oil canisters in) but it has no logo and I forgot the brand... How do I tell if it's a Glade or Air Wick, etc?
Will any scented oil canister fit?
Thanks
Kat
Kat,
You could take it to a store with you and match it up against the current models. If you can't find a match, it's best to just buy a new one. The warmers are very inexpensive and it is not safe (or worth your time and money if it doesn't fit) to try a refill container that is not made for the warmer.
Thanks for the speedy reply!
You're welcome, thanks for reading :)
fritteritter ~ We have been refilling our liquid fresheners with men's after shave for well over a year and recently put together a video which has been added to our blog. You mention several times about discarding bottles that have defective wicks but it's so cheap and easy to simply replace them with 1/4" round wicks or rolling flat wicks and inserting them into the smaller size kid's straws leaving a short amount extended at each end. A plug-in air freshener is simply a warming device and the amount of alcohol in any type of cologne or after shave is minimal so there is no danger using it (otherwise smokers might set their faces on fire and freebase like Richard Pryor did years ago).
Mamma Blogga, thank you for the advice, that's a very creative way to save money on air freshener refills. I have added a permanent link to your blog entry to the article.
i like the plug in but way to expensive can never afford to fill all the ones i have
WHAT MATERIAL CAN YOU USE TO SUBSTITUTE FOR A USED GLADE WICK IN FRAGRANCE OIL BOTTLES?
I am not sure whether you are asking about replacing the fragrance or the wick. Since the article discusses the fragrance, I assume you want to replace the wick. There is no safe and easy way to replace the wick in a commercial electric oil warmer, you should buy a new Glade refill if the old wick is damaged.
I have a yankee candle and I am wondering if I can just buy refill air freshner for it?
I have alan airwick plug in and as soon as I refilled it the wick expanded I was wondering why that happened and what would happen if I continued to use it, if that's even safe??
Rachel, unfortunately it is not safe use a wick that has expanded in that way. The wick most likely expanded like that due to a difference in density between the original liquid and the liquid that you refilled it with. The biggest problem with an expanded wick is that the top portion could expand as well, causing the wick to touch the warmer and leak down the wall or into the outlet. If the wick expanded like that, it will likely become "clogged" with the old oil and not deliver much fragrance.
Can you use perfume the same as fragrance oils in the febreze containers?
No, perfume would not be safe to use in an oil warmer. Perfume is generally alcohol based rather than oil, so it could be dangerously flammable, would probably evaporate too quickly, and may damage the wick or warmer unit.
WOOHOO!!! Finally-someone has the answer I've been seeking (almost). I have been experimenting with replacement wicks for Air Wick...those little glass plug-ins with the wicks that fall apart after one use...MammaBlogga said use a straw to hold replacement wicks upright..I just tried the straw filled with cosmetic cotton that I cut and rolled to fit..I am not sure what kind of wick she is referring to...are those candle wicks? Cotton string or cotton pads should work...now that she solved the problem about holding them upright through a straw. Thank You!
All for refill with oils intended for incense burners... But using a filled plastic straw as a wick sub? Not sure that is so safe. The plugin type burners works with heat....
flameless candles 2 years ago
great idea for the refills but real flameless candles are more wax and LEDs rather than a air freshener candle