Automatic Air Freshener Dispensers: How They Work and How to Set One Up

Quick answer: an automatic air freshener dispenser is a small wall-mounted unit that holds an aerosol refill and sprays it on a timer. You choose how often it sprays and, on programmable models, which hours and days it works. Dispensers suit washrooms, small offices and reception areas. For a large room, or a steady scent all day, a cold-air scent diffuser machine does the job better.

This guide explains how a dispenser works, how to set one up, where to place it, and how it compares with a reed diffuser and a scent diffuser machine.

How an automatic air freshener dispenser works

The dispenser holds an aerosol can. At each interval a small motor presses the can's valve and releases one short burst of fragrance. The burst spreads through the room and slowly fades, and the next spray tops it up. Because the dispenser sprays on a timer, the room smells the same at 9 am and at 5 pm without anyone having to remember to spray it.

Scentivo's LCD dispensers run on batteries, so you can mount them anywhere: no socket or wiring is needed.

Scentivo's automatic dispensers

Choose the LCD model when the dispenser should only work during opening hours, for example in an office that is empty at night and at the weekend. The LED model is the simple option: it sprays at the interval you choose.

How to set up an automatic dispenser

1. Load it. Open the cover, fit the batteries and the aerosol refill as shown in the instructions in the box, and close the cover.
2. Set the clock (LCD models), so the working hours start and end at the right time.
3. Choose the working hours and days (LCD models). Match them to when the room is in use. A dispenser that sprays all night in an empty office only empties the can faster.
4. Choose the spray interval. Start in the middle, for example every 15 minutes, and adjust after a day or two. Busy washrooms usually need a shorter interval; a small, quiet room a longer one.
5. Mount it. Fix it to the wall out of reach, where the spray goes into open air rather than onto a mirror, a wall corner or people. Keep it away from food and from where people sit.

Where a dispenser works best

An automatic dispenser suits small and medium rooms that people pass through:

• washrooms in offices, restaurants, clinics and malls;
• small offices, meeting rooms and reception desks;
• corridors, changing rooms and staff areas;
• guest bathrooms and entrances at home.

For a lobby, a showroom or an open-plan office, a single dispenser is too small. A cold-air scent diffuser machine scents the whole space evenly, and an HVAC diffuser scents a whole villa or building through the air-conditioning ducts.

Dispenser, reed diffuser or scent diffuser machine?

Many businesses use two: a scent diffuser machine for the main space and a dispenser in each washroom, often with the same family of scent.

Choosing a spray scent

Scentivo's air freshener sprays come in these scents:

• Fresh and citrus: Citrus (lemon, orange and bergamot) and Lemon. Clean and bright, a common choice for washrooms.
• Floral: Lavender (lavender with soft herbal undertones), Floral (a soft floral bouquet) and Lily.
• Sweet and fruity: Vanilla (creamy vanilla), Framboise (sweet raspberry) and Berry Breeze.
• For guest spaces: Sense (soft, perfumed freshness with a clean finish), Event (a refined fragrance for guest spaces) and Oudy (an oud scent).
• Also available: Crystal and Moon. You can smell all of them at our store in Al Karama, Dubai.

Refills for businesses

If you run dispensers across several washrooms, the Aerosol Spray Plan is the entry plan in Scentivo's AMC range, made for washrooms and small enclosed areas with an aerosol dispenser. See the AMC page for what every plan includes.

Frequently asked questions

How often should an automatic air freshener spray?

It depends on the size of the room and how busy it is. On the LED dispenser you can choose anything from every minute to every hour. Every 15 minutes is a sensible starting point; shorten it for a busy washroom and lengthen it for a small, quiet room.

Does an automatic air freshener need a power socket?

Not the LCD models: they run on batteries, so you can mount them anywhere.

Can I stop it spraying at night or at the weekend?

Yes, with an LCD dispenser. Set the working hours and the working days, and it stays quiet outside them.

Is an automatic air freshener the same as a scent diffuser?

No. A dispenser sprays short bursts from an aerosol can. A scent diffuser machine turns diffuser oil into a fine, dry mist on its own schedule and can scent much larger spaces. See our guide to diffusers and diffuser oils.

Which refills fit my dispenser?

Scentivo's sprays are sold for use with Scentivo's LCD and LED dispensers. If you have a dispenser from another brand, send us its model and we will tell you before you buy.

Find the right dispenser

Shop the aerosol dispensers and sprays, or visit us at Office No. S208B, Block T, Karama Shopping Complex, Al Karama, Dubai, every day from 10 am to 9 pm. For larger spaces, browse our scent diffuser machines.