Fur-Friendly Fragrances: Keep Your Car Fresh on Furry Adventures

Taking your pet on the road can make for a fun adventure, as there are plenty of things to smell along the way. However, the smell of wet dog and muddy paws can become overwhelming, especially as temperatures rise. Use the guide below to find safe, pet-friendly scent solutions like a pleasant aroma car air freshener from Drift. 

Why Pet Odors Linger in Vehicles

Imagine the largest dog species you know, drooling, stepping on, lying down in, and sneezing all over the inside of your vehicle. Now imagine that they have muddy paws, a wet coat, or a queasy stomach, and it’s easy to see that, without a proper cleaning after every car ride, your car will continue to hold onto these pet scents well after you’ve come back from your travels. Yet, chances are, if you’ve got a pet and you explore the world together, that leaves little time for deep cleaning.

Fur, skin oils, dander, and drool demonstrate your pet’s claim on your vehicle’s interior. In the face of these strong opponents, traditional car fresheners stand little chance. You need something more to refresh everything from the carpets and seats to the headliner and door panels. 

What Makes a Fragrance Pet-Safe?

Pet-safe fragrances are very similar to scents that are safe for children, especially when it comes to natural ingredients. A pet-safe scent should be free from harsh chemicals like phthalates, parabens, mineral oils, DEA, formaldehyde, petroleum, propylene, and dichlorobenzene. Products free from volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and heavy perfumes are also ideal. 

Pet owners looking for a solution to a stinky vehicle often do well with natural odor neutralizers. Veterinarians and pet wellness brands may also endorse certain fragrance products that are approved for use around pets.

Best Fur-Friendly Aroma Car Air Fresheners

Activated charcoal bags and natural spray mists can help keep your car fresh on furry adventures. However, they’re not the best products to use if you’re concerned about your pet’s health and safety. Instead, check out a Drift premium car freshener designed to enhance your vehicle’s interior without harming your pet. 

Activated Charcoal Bags

Starting out with a clean slate can help your car smell better and allow you to enjoy any other scented products you introduce once the smell of your furry friend fades. An activated charcoal bag is a pet-safe car freshening alternative to hanging car fresheners and essential oil diffusers—so long as your pet doesn’t ingest the bag or charcoal within it. Charcoal also helps neutralize odors without infusing your vehicle with synthetic scents.

Drift Pet-Safe Car Fresheners 

Cruelty-free, vegan, GMO-free, and safe for kids and pets, Drift luxury car fresheners feature sustainable materials, natural ingredients, and deluxe scents that will have you questioning why you didn’t think of a visor-mounted or air vent-mounted car freshener sooner. Our Wood and Stone car fresheners are infused with essential and fragrance oil blends. The Drift Metal car freshener features a scent block of similar infusion. 

In addition to being sustainably sourced from alder wood, organic stone, and alloy metal, Drift signature car fresheners are free from phthalates, parabens, mineral oils, DEA, formaldehyde, petroleum, propylene, dichlorobenzene, and other harsh chemicals. Each scent block lasts for up to 30 days, but will stay fresh longer if you keep it in the original packaging and out of direct sunlight. Available scents include Pine, Teak, Amber, Cabana, Grove, and Open Air. 

Natural Spray Mists

Spray mists made with natural ingredients are both pet-safe and healthy for you, too. Spritzing your car’s interior with a spray mist can also help you control how much fragrance you’re introducing into your vehicle. You can start out with a spray or two and adjust as needed if the pet odor becomes too much. 

Scented Products to Avoid Around Pets

Unfortunately, not all scented car freshener products are pet-friendly. Certain scents like tea tree, eucalyptus, and peppermint can irritate your dog’s olfactory senses and, in some cases, become extremely dangerous if ingested. For example, essential oils such as cinnamon, pennyroyal, sweet birch, and ylang ylang are toxic to dogs. 

It’s also a good rule of thumb to avoid strong aerosol sprays and synthetic scents, as these can cause harm to a pet’s respiratory system when inhaled. Plug-in and heated car fresheners can also pose a health risk to pets, especially if your cat is driven more by curiosity than common sense. 

Tips to Keep Your Car Fresh on Furry Adventures

Car rides with your pet are always an adventure to look forward to, regardless of where you go. However, all that traveling can make it harder to keep your car clean and fresh. Use the tips below to keep smelly car seats and stinky carpets at bay:

• Brush your pet before you go on a road trip

• Install washable seat covers and travel mats 

• Air out your vehicle, especially after a long car ride

• Rotate between odor-absorbing products and pet-safe car fresheners 

• Clean up immediately after any accidents

Regular grooming can also help keep your car’s interior odor-free. Schedule a visit to the groomer’s at the same interval as your car’s oil changes, or sooner, depending on your pet’s needs. The next time you get in the car to go on an adventure, your pet and your vehicle will be ready for whatever lies ahead. 

Drift: Your Source for Pet-Friendly Car Fresheners

Don’t leave Rufus behind just because you don’t want your car to smell like a wet dog! Choose Drift luxury car fresheners designed to neutralize odors with premium scents and enhance your vehicle’s interior for a more pleasant experience behind the wheel. Enjoy more of our pet-safe car fresheners by joining the Scent of the Month Club to receive a fresh new scent every month.