Consumer Reports Puts Febreze Air Effects To The Test

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - When it comes to commercials that really grab your attention, some of the most memorable are for Febreze Air Effects air fresheners.

But, do they really live up to the ads?

Consumer Reports recently put them to the test and Consumer Editor Susan Koeppen has the results.

One Febreze ad shows an "experiment" using an old goat, a sweaty bodybuilder and a day-old fish.

A group of "real people" confirms that it all stinks.

Then the room is treated with Febreze Air Effects and blindfolded people are brought in.

Consumer Reports decided to do a sniff test of its own and called on some brave volunteers.

They were taken to a room where a cat litter box and sardines had been sitting for four hours.

Blindfolded, they confirmed the room smelled bad.

Then, a tester sprayed the room with Febreze Air Effects and more blindfolded staffers were led in.

"The bottom line - although the spray concealed some of the odors, it didn't work as well as it did in the ad, and any effects were just temporary," Tod Marks from Consumer Reports said.

So you still need to clean out the cat box, put your fish away and take out the trash.

Consumer Reports also tested another Febreze Air Effects Pet Odor Eliminator to see if it worked any better with the litter box smell.

They found it did do a bit better, but not by much.

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