French Pear & Footy Socks

My car is a moving slide-in-wardrobe and portable food shop, with the kids and dogs coming and going so much. I hate to think what lies under the baby seats. My guess would be 3938 sultanas, a missing bra, a pile of mouldy crusts and maybe a gremlin.

My favourite smell in the car is when I have a fresh hot cup of my sanity juice: often labelled by many as ‘coffee’. But this week the distinct smell of rotten banana mixed with little boy wee was permeating my car and my mental health. It is quite the stench. It could have been dog wee, to be fair to my boys.

I left the windows down in the car for days but realised I needed help. So, I started the search by asking my friends for their advice for the best air freshener brands and remedies so I could sit in my car and not gag. A simple wish. In the process I unearthed the seemingly benign topic of car air fresheners. Who knew people were so passionate about blocking the pong from their Prados? I mistakenly thought no one had used those paper-thin fresheners since the 90’s. You know the ones I mean? They are often shaped in the form of alpine trees and they dangle from your rear- view mirror.

Well! There is a secret little cult on the Coast of fans of them, in particular a brand called Black Ice. It sounds like an undercover special services team, but it is one of the best-selling car air fresheners in Australia. Our smelly sprays, sachets and scents have radically changed in the last few years. Nowadays you can all sorts of styles including clip-ons, linen bags, old school jars, oil diffusers, sprays, gels, swinging tags and is a swag of home- made options too.

My friend Kellie has a great life hack where she uses small packs of fabric softeners hidden under the seats. Kel whips them inside zip lock bags in case it melts in our Queensland heat. The trendiest options seem to be made from bamboo charcoal. I know I am showing my ignorance but what is this charcoal that all the hipsters are rubbing their kitchen benches and teeth with and basically spreading all over their organic linen lives? It is a long way from the vinegar or good old Gumption I have used my whole life to clean.

One air freshener sucked me in however from the blurb on the web site as it promises to leave a fresh smell in your car that is a “beautiful mixture of verbena, leather, patchouli, and warm woods that will make every ride more enjoyable”. Sign me up, Susan! It sounds better than a vacation to the Greek islands.

One of my wise friends (Sian) gave me this little golden tip: “Ecoya has an amazing range. Currently I have French pear. My boys fart and do sport, and this is the reason why I could buy shares in this stuff.”

So, wish me luck on my zest for a little zing in the air and for all of you I leave you with this wish: hope your air freshener is like bubble gum and a great glass of wine: may it last as long as possible!


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