Kid-Friendly Scents: Safe and Pleasant Aromatics for Family Cars

You’re careful about what products you use around your children, especially when it comes to scented car fresheners. Certain fragrances can trigger allergic reactions, headaches, and grumpiness. At the same time, every family car has seen its share of crumbs, spills, and sticky messes that can leave an unpleasant, lingering odor in your vehicle. 

Below are several non-toxic car air fresheners in various kid-friendly scents you can use to create a safe and pleasant aroma in your family car—no matter how many road trips, fast food meals, and family adventures it’s seen. We’ve also included a few tips to help introduce your children—and your vehicle—to a new scent. Treat your family and yourself to a luxury and kid-friendly car freshener, available exclusively from the scent experts at Drift. 

Why Fragrance Matters in Family Cars

In many ways, the family vehicle is an extension of your home, albeit with wheels. Wanting your home and your car to smell familiar and pleasant is natural, especially when you have children. Here are just a few reasons why fragrance matters in the family vehicle: 

• Promotes a calm and enjoyable ride: Lavender and sandalwood represent calming scents your family can use to make time in the car less stressful and more enjoyable. 

• Masks foul odors: It doesn’t matter where the malodor came from—the best fragrances make even the smallest noses forget. 

• Supports an allergen-free environment: Clean fragrances promote a healthy environment in your family car. 

• Improves air quality: Ease headaches and asthma with natural fragrances that clear the air and help you breathe easily. 

• Encourages feelings of comfort and positivity: Memories are often tied to scent, so infuse your greatest moments with memorable aromas filled with positive associations. 

Recognizing the value of an enjoyable fragrance in your family vehicle is very different from maintaining it. However, non-toxic car air fresheners can provide a kid-friendly and eco-friendly solution. Plus, they’re great for you as well!

What Makes a Scent Kid-Friendly?

Kid-friendly scents feature non-toxic ingredients, calming notes, and are free from harsh chemicals. They’re typically of mild intensity, hypoallergenic, or even pediatrician-approved. The best kid-friendly scents incorporate natural ingredients and comforting elements like lavender, chamomile, vanilla, and lemon. 

Best Non-Toxic Car Air Fresheners for Family Cars

It’s not hard to find car air fresheners at various local stores or online, but tracking down a non-toxic car air freshener can prove a bit more challenging. Hanging car air fresheners from the rearview mirror, neutralizing scents with activated charcoal bags, or creating your own scent sachets can help keep your family car smelling fresh. Yet, the simplest solution is a premium Drift car freshener that’s safe for kids, stylish, and sustainable. 

Drift Luxury Car Fresheners

Made with sustainable materials like alder wood, organic stone, and alloy metal, Drift’s signature car fresheners incorporate essential and fragrance oil blends free from harsh chemicals like phthalates, parabens, mineral oils, and formaldehyde. The Wood and Stone car fresheners fit easily onto the driver’s or passenger’s visor, while the Metal car freshener clips onto any air vent. Drift car fresheners are also vegan, cruelty-free, and GMO-free and available in signature scents like Pine, Teak, Amber, Cabana, Grove, and Open Air. 

Hanging Car Air Fresheners

Hanging car air fresheners are one of the more popular ways to infuse your car with fragrance and come in a variety of styles, scents, and materials. These scented products typically hang from the rearview mirror and diffuse scent passively, often concentrating the fragrance near the front of the vehicle. Although many of these products are non-toxic and kid-friendly, they can often be distracting.

DIY Scent Sachets

Creating your own scent sachets enables you to choose non-toxic ingredients and incorporate your favorite fragrances. Better yet, you can involve your children in the sachet-making process, from picking out fragrance ingredients and scent materials to placing them in your family car. Most scent sachets last anywhere from one to three months.

Activated Charcoal Bags

When overpowering scents are too much for your sensitive children, an activated charcoal bag can help neutralize odors without irritating small noses. These bags sit underneath car seats while they work their magic. However, you will need to periodically place them in the sun to renew the charcoal’s neutralizing properties. 

Tips for Using Scents Safely in Family Cars

Seasoned parents know that introducing a new scent product into the family vehicle can have some unintended consequences, not all of them pleasant. Beyond choosing safe and kid-friendly non-toxic car air fresheners, parents can implement the following tips to make a new scent experience more fun for the whole family:

• Before you install a car air freshener, make sure the vehicle is well-ventilated 

• Test new scents on short rides before installing the fragranced product long-term

• For fragrance sprays, start with a small amount and work up from there

• Involve kids in picking out scents they think will smell good

• Keep any car air freshener products out of reach of small children 

Premium car air fresheners also pair well with a clean interior. Although keeping the family car clean can be challenging, turning it into a family activity also opens the door for a valuable teaching moment. A clean, amazing-smelling family car can be immensely rewarding—for all passengers. 

Luxury Non-Toxic Car Air Fresheners Safe for Kids—and Pets

When it comes to the scented products you choose for your family, don’t settle for anything less than the best. Drift premium car fresheners are made from sustainable materials and incorporate distinctive scents that are safe for use around children and pets. Order from our exclusive lineup of mainstay scents, or subscribe to our Scent of the Month Club to receive a new scent every month, delivered directly to your doorstep.