5 Best Air Fresheners for Pet Odor In 2023 (Buying Guide & Review)

If you’re in a hurry and just want to know which air freshener would be the best for pet odor, then I would recommend,Pet House Freshening Room Spray by OneFurAll, as your best choice. 

Eliminating pet odors from the home can pose a persistent challenge for pet parents. Some pets make their presence known by smell before they are ever seen or heard by guests. Pet parents are often immune to the stench. But facial expressions from one guest can quickly communicate a reminder.

You don’t have to be embarrassed to invite over company. Quickly freshening up the space is possible using some of the best air fresheners for pet odor.

In this article, I’m going to review the following air fresheners:

Read on to discover my list of top products for eliminating pet odors along with points to consider when making your selections. 

Top 5 Best Air Fresheners for Pet Odor

Air fresheners are intended to make an interior space smell nice. They can be formatted as an aerosol spray, gel, liquid, candles, a diffuser, powder, or other products that are designed to introduce a pleasant fragrance into the room while masking or eliminating odors.

Below is a list of mostly spray fresheners that can combat pet odor and add a fragrant boost to your home.

1. Best Natural Option: Pet House Freshening Room Spray by OneFurAll

This is a concentrated, non-toxic liquid spray formulated to neutralize pet odors.

Ingredients you won’t find in this formula are:

• Dyes
• Formaldehyde
• Phthalates
• Parabens
• Paraffin

Since there aren’t any toxic ingredients, Pet House Freshening Room Spray is safe enough to spray directly on a dog’s coat, inside a hamster’s cage, or a cat’s litter box. Furniture, drapery, and most other surfaces can be sprayed without damage as well. 

Press the spray pump up to three times to not only freshen the home but disarm it. Ingredients in this solution cling to odors in the air and on surfaces and basically snuffs them out, making the smell go away.  

Available fragrances include:

• Lavender Green Tea: White lily, melon, citrus, and sage add fragrant complexity to French lavender and subtle green tea.
• Evergreen Forest: Evergreen pines, redwood trees, balsam, and crushed leaves.
• Mango Peach: Mostly fruity mango, peach, melon, and tangerine, with hints of jasmine.
• Pumpkin Spice: Smells just like a freshly baked pumpkin pie. 
• Sunwashed Cotton: Crisp laundry and fresh fruits.

There is sure to be at least one scent that all members of the family will love. The fragrances are rich and delightful, but not overpowering. 

Pros

• Non-toxic
• Works fast
• Five fragrance choices

Cons

• Some people feel as though the scent doesn’t last long
• Small bottle for the price

== Check Price on Amazon ==

2. Best Value: OdoBan Odor Eliminator Spray in Lavender

OdoBan Odor Eliminator is a multi-purpose liquid that effectively addresses pet odors. The company claims that it’s even powerful enough to get rid of skunk odors. 

In my opinion OdoBan’s lavender fragrance is preferred over their original eucalyptus scent. The original scent isn’t bad, but the lavender is more tolerable, especially when being used within the home.

It’s safe to spray on pet bedding, cushions, throw pillows, and on objects your pet uses. And you can expect it to remove pet urine odors from the carpet, which can help freshen the air in the home overall. 

This value bundle includes:

• 2 x 32 oz spray bottles
• 1 x 1 gallon concentrate

Both of the spray bottles are ready to use. By following the instructions on the gallon of concentrate, you can make an additional 32 gallons of spray.

In addition to eliminating odor, this formula disinfects, cleans, and sanitizes nonporous surfaces. It removes foul odors from fabrics, walls, carpets, and other porous objects. Being able to use it on so many different surfaces makes it even more valuable.

It’s a liquid spray that you can see land on surfaces, but it doesn’t leave spots or a residue once it dries.

Pros

• Safe for pets and humans
• Significant amount of product for the price
• Ideal for large spaces or multiple pets
• Lovely fragrance

Cons

• Less toxic than most brands but not non-toxic

== Check Price on Amazon ==

3. Best Budget Option: Arm & Hammer for Pet Scents

If you are looking for a quick, inexpensive air freshener for pet odor, you may want to try this one. Made with the natural cleaning ingredient that we know and love, this aerosol spray formula is enhanced by Arm & Hammer baking soda.

In their Fresh Breeze scent, this spray deodorizes and freshens up the space. It’s probably one of the easiest to use. You just point, press the nozzle, and spray in a sweeping motion. Can’t get much simpler than that. 

It’s a 5.3 oz (150 g) canister. Although natural baking soda is primarily advertised, there are two ingredients that stand out to me: ethanol and N-butane – the first two listed. Neither of them are especially safe. My opinion is that this spray is generally safe, but I wouldn’t use it daily or for months or years on end. A quick burst of freshness every now and then after an odor event wouldn’t hurt.

Pros

• Inexpensive
• Effectively eliminates pet odors
• Fresh fragrance

Cons

• Questionable ingredients
• Scent might be overpowering for some

== Check Price on Amazon ==

4. Best for Strong Odors: Angry Orange Pet Odor Eliminator Spray

If you’ve cleaned your home top to bottom and still experience strong pet odors, you may want to try this industrial-strength citrus deodorizer.

It’s pre-mixed, so you simply shake, point, and spray. But there are some precautions to keep in mind. 

Since it’s industrial grade, you can’t spray it around pets or their toys. Nor should it be sprayed in or around the cat’s litter box or dog’s kennel. You definitely can’t spray it on your pet’s coat or near your pet’s food. Even so, the spray is labeled as being non-toxic and all-natural.

After applying this spray, the area always needs to be dry before you allow your pet to return to the cleaned area. 

Angry Orange can freshen carpet and only non-leather furniture. 

This same formula has been used to eliminate odors from dog kennels, barns, and horse stables. I suppose that can justify the price if it’s truly effective.

Pros

• Eliminates strong pet odors
• Orange essence fragrance
• Also removes older, stale pet odors

Cons

• It’s expensive 
• Must monitor your pets to prevent exposure to this product

== Check Price on Amazon ==

5. Best for Continuous Use: Citrus Magic Pet Odor Absorbing Gel (Set of 3)

One benefit to these odor absorbing gels is that you can place them in various spots around your house, and then go about your day-to-day activities. Many people set them right next to their cat’s litter box.

Peeling off the label activates the gel, and it basically evaporates in the air over time. They last for up to 6 weeks and indirectly work to remove pet odors from carpet, kennels, litter boxes, pet beds, and just generally freshen the air.

One of the freshening ingredients is baking soda and each solid citrus air freshener disc is 8 oz (227g).

One downfall to choosing these, though, is that you can’t immediately address a particular area or object as you can with sprays. If the source of the odor is a spot on the carpet, the gels can help eliminate odors when placed in the vicinity but the odor-eliminating properties can’t be directly sprayed onto the carpet. 

It’s a matter of preference. These gels effectively freshen small areas up to 350 sq ft.  

Pros

• Moderate price
• Helps with overall freshness
• Harmless ingredients
• Safely use around pets
• Three for the price of two

Cons

• Must remember to replace them
• No direct application

== Check Price on Amazon ==

Ways to Select the Best Air Freshener for Pet Odor

There is a wide selection of air fresheners for pet odor.

Some solely freshen the air. Others also clean, deodorize, or fight germs. And then there’s all the different forms of fresheners – scented candles, solids, sprays, aroma beads, plug-ins, and more.

There are a lot of different factors to consider when selecting the best one for your home and pet. I would suggest that the best fresheners effectively eliminate pet odors without harming your pets.

Precautions to Consider When Using Air Freshener for Pet Odors

Some pets have sensitivities that others don’t and you know your pet best. When it comes to fragrances found in sprays and other pet products, it’s possible for them to cause irritation or allergic reactions. Cats are especially sensitive to the “respiratory effects of inhaling perfumes.”

But fragrances can also help reduce stress and anxiety in pets. It really just depends on how your pet responds to certain ingredients. Overall, lavender, citrus, and chamomile scents tend to help keep pets calm. 

Researching product ingredients prior to making a purchase is the first point I’d keep in mind when choosing the best air freshener for stenchy pet odors. 

Another precaution would be product placement. If you have a little puppy inclined to gnaw on objects, it might be best not to place air freshener solids in any place the puppy can access when you’re not around. 

Lastly, some freshening sprays can be misted over pet cushions and toys. Some can even be sprayed directly onto a clean pet. But this isn’t always the case. Carefully reading about product application before making a purchase can help keep you and your pet safe. 

Alternatives to Air Fresheners for Pet Odor

Maintaining a home that houses a pet can be a lot of extra work. But that comes with the territory, so you have to either commit to making accommodations or find a new home for your pet. 

To truly reduce the amount of pet odor in your home, air fresheners can only help so much. Before stocking your cabinets with air fresheners to eliminate pet odor, consider these points first:

Open Up Some Windows

This is the most natural and inexpensive solution for improving indoor air quality. 

In addition to pet dander and cat saliva, indoor air pollution has many different sources. Tobacco smoke, bacteria, mold, pests, building materials, pesticides, heating and cooling systems, outdoor pollution that seeps into the home, and so forth.

Opening the window ushers in clean, fresh air.  Having two windows open across from one another improves air circulation even more by creating a cross breeze. Cross breezes aid in air circulation by pushing the bad air out and pulling clean air inside.

Fresh air isn’t a flawless solution nor does the weather permit windows being open all the time. But opening them even for five to fifteen minutes can make an improvement in indoor air quality, thus creating a fresher atmosphere inside.

Clean the Floors

Another step towards resolving the pet odor issue is with cleaning all the floors. Pets returning in from outside can quickly track across the floor leaving a trail of germs. Dirt and grime can quickly build up, even if it’s not visible.

A thorough cleaning can make a huge difference, and it doesn’t have to involve chemicals. Adding warm water to white vinegar and baking soda and maybe a drop of dish soap, can be combined to mop the floors. 

Different types of floors might require different cleaning solutions, sure, but the overall point is that cleaning them can drastically improve smells within the home. 

Clean Your Pet’s Accessories

Dogs can roll around in the dirt outside and then come back inside the house to nap on their favorite cushion. If this happens often enough times, it won’t be long before odors build up, making that cushion unbearable to be around. 

Odors and bacteria can also build up on dog leashes, dog jackets, cat collars and beds, and so on. Cleaning and sanitizing them can help prevent those odors from taking over your home.

Shampoo Your Furniture

When Fido sits on the couch, he brings all his lovely pet stench along with him. If you have textile furniture, it is more likely to have odors embedded in the fibers.

Shampooing non-leather furniture sucks out all the dirt and germs that pets lovingly leave behind. 

If your furniture is leather, wiping it down with the appropriate cleaning solutions can have the same effect.

Deep Clean Your Carpets

Dirt and odors gets trapped in carpet fibers as well. Deep cleaning them with a carpet shampooer can not only make the carpet look new, but it will release all the nastiness that accumulates from normal use. No matter how often people vacuum the carpet, it still collects dirt and odors, pulling them in like a magnet. 

Homes smell fresher when carpets are shampooed regularly.

Quickly Resolve Pet Accidents

Pet accidents can still happen in between scheduled carpet and furniture deep cleaning. It’s common to deep clean carpets and furniture two to four times a year, depending. But a lot can happen in the months in between, so it can help to have a reliable spot cleaner on hand for those times when pets might urinate on the carpet, floor, or furniture. 

That smell just doesn’t come out easily. In the past I’ve relied on OxyClean. I prefer the powder, and I’d add some to an old spray bottle, pour warm water over it, and then shake. Applying this solution directly to the spot, it visibly begins to clean it right away. I’d simply use a towel to absorb the moisture, let it dry, and then finish up by vacuuming the area.

There are also ready to use sprays.  This one is specifically for pet stains but even the original formula gets rid of the stains.

What’s great, too, is that most of them are scent free and gentle – no harsh chemicals.

Spot cleaning the carpet as soon as you discover a pet has had an accident helps reduce the amount of pet odor within the home.

Is It Time for Pet Grooming?

Sometimes Fido simply needs a bath. Whether you administer them yourself or take trips to the groomer, dog stench and breath can smell foul enough to linger in the rooms and halls of your home. 

Rinse & Repeat

Creating a cleaning schedule actually reduces the amount of effort needed to keep your home smelling fresh and clean. The more consistent a person is with their schedule, the less time required to complete the cleaning cycle. 

Consider An Air Purifier

If your home still needs freshening up, an air purifier might help.

Some models absorb and eliminate pet odors using a carbon filter. The filter also catches smoke, dust, and other odor-causing particles.

Final Thoughts

Sometimes a person can meticulously clean the home but find that it could still smell better. If this is true, no worries. Wanting or needing a bit more freshening up does not make a person a bad pet parent.

I think that the best choice on my top five list would be Pet House Freshening Room Spray by OneFurAll. Although it’s a small bottle, it’s concentrated so you don’t have to spray much for it to be effective. I love that it’s so gentle that it can be sprayed on the dog’s coat or any accessories a pet will use.

An alternative that I would consider is OdoBan Odor Eliminator Spray because you’ll have a lot on hand, and it’s also really safe to use around pets and humans.

Read more:

• Best Odor Eliminating Candles