Product Face-Off: Air Wick Scented Oil Warmer VS Glade Plug-Ins Scented Oil

I received a package of products to review back in Spring, which included a set of Glade Plug In Refills in the scent Crisp Waters. I already had Airwick products in my scent warmer, so I wanted to wait until the Airwick one ran out before I tested the Glade version.

Pictured here are the two refills for a side by side comparison.

As you can see, packaging wise, the Glade Plug-Ins are not as attractive. They're a bit cheap looking to me, since they're made from that off white plastic and embossed with a sea shell on the front. They remind me of something I'd see at a stereotypical Grandma type home, or in one of those super old fashioned hotels. They're also smaller in size than the Airwick ones, at .71 fl oz.

The Airwick refills are made of a nice, sturdy clear glass. They look more attractive, clean and expensive in the warming unit. They're more sleek, modern and contemporary in appearance, which I prefer. These could easily fit in with just about any motif. I'm not sure if they're larger because they are from Costco, but these are .80 fl oz size refills. Since they are larger, that would explain why they do last a few days longer than regular refills.

Both versions come with removable caps that can be put back on if you want to change scents halfway through a refill, or you need to take off the refill to store it. This is nice because it keeps your refills fresh no matter what happens.

The premise of the new Glade Plug In Refills is that they fit into both Glade & Airwick warmers, which I was overjoyed to find out. You might agree that it's pretty clever to make one unit that fits into the competitors warmers as well!
I wish that Glade had sent the warmer unit along with their refill, since the refills are probably better fitting into the Airwick unit.

Personally I find it kind of annoying that more brands are not cross compatible. I don't know about you, but I don't have the money or space for 2 different types of warmers, especially with the limited amount of outlets in my home. Trying to keep track of what one you have at home on top of that becomes a pain. If you're like me,You stand staring at the aisle of refills, trying to remember which brand it is that you went with originally, and it's overwhelming.
Glade makes the process convenient and simple, and gets points for being innovative.

However, you might find that the Glade refills fit pretty loosely into the Airwick warmer units. They "fit", but you can most definitely tell that they are not made to go together, as the Glade ones don't really schnick into place.

After my Airwick refill emptied, I plugged in the Glade. Right off the bat, I noticed that the Glade refill was much much less potent. I prefer my scents to fill up my bathroom, and go out into my bedroom and the other rooms in the house. The Glade refill does not do this. It's very subtle, and sometimes I had to check if I had the warmer plugged in because it just was not giving off much scent at all. Part of the problem might have been the loose fit into the warmer unit.

The Crisp Waters scent is a fresh, clean one that's very light and smells a lot like clean linen mixed with a beachy scent. If it were stronger, I really would love it. I also had a problem with my Glade refill drying out before the oil could be used up. The whole wick part got all dried out and filled with dried out oil, rendering the plug in useless, which was disappointing. I had the Glade Plug In in the warmer unit for at least a month, and there is still oil left in the bottom that never was used because of the drying out problem.

My Airwick Scented Oil refills last at least 3 weeks, and are extremely potent. After I realized that the Glade one had dried out, I put in an Airwick one just to compare, and see if my memory was wrong or not regarding how strong of a scent it gave off. Today I came home, and my bathroom, room and kitchen all smell like the Airwick Refill, which I love. Nothing else was changed, yet the Airwick easily outperforms the Glade Plug in Refill.

All in all, the Glade Plug in Refills are a great concept, but the Airwick version outperformed and outlasted them. I'll stick with my Airwick Scented Oil instead of Glade. I'm grateful for getting sent the Glade Plug In's to test out, and hope that they continue to improve their products to compete.

Appearance: Glade 4/10 Airwick 10/10
Innovation: Glade 10/10 Airwick 5/10
Scent Potency: Glade 3/10 Airwick 10/10
Refill Longevity: Glade 3/10 Airwick 10/10

What's your favorite scent for fall? Right now I'm loving the Air Wick Apple Cinnamon Melody. I got a huge set of the refills and a warmer last year at Costco, and I'm so excited to get to bust out the Cinnamon one again. It's scent is so warm and inviting,just like fresh pressed apple cider and it's perfect for the start of Fall!
Tell me your favorite scents, I love hearing about them!