Searching for the best reed diffuser for your home? Whether for scenting your bedroom or keeping your living room smelling fresh, we can help. We’ve been tasked with the oh-so-hard job of testing reed diffusers, inside our own homes, and the ones we love are featured in this roundup. Because a reed diffuser is an easy way to ensure your home smells fragrant year-round. They can also help disguise everyday odours from cooking, pets and more.
We’ve found a reed diffuser for each and every room of your home, and for all seasons. You might want to go for something woody, spicy or warm for autumn and winter. We’ve got you covered below. Before you buy a reed diffuser, though, it might be worth considering where you’ll be using it. Why? Some scents are best for certain areas of the home, while others are super strong. Selected reed diffusers can be nice and subtle so best suited for smaller rooms. We’ve listed everything you need to know in our guide below.
Related: the best home fragrance buys from reed diffusers to candles and room sprays
A good quality reed diffuser will last for up to six months of use, depending on how many reeds you are using. Though you might have to replace your reeds before this, as these sometimes get clogged with dust. If you are finding that your reed diffuser isn’t working as well as it has in the past, and you can barely smell anything from the reeds, it’s a sign to replace. With some reed diffusers, you can buy refills. This means you can top them up after use, instead of buying the entire thing again. Clever!
We’ve rounded up our favourite fragrances of the season below…
The best reed diffusers
1. Rituals The Ritual of Sakura Mini Fragrance Sticks
Image credit: Rituals
This wow-worthy reed diffuser comes in a gorgeous white vessel that’s ribbed and compact by nature. With help from wooden sticks, it works to fragrance an entire room, from corner to corner. Though small in size it’s surprisingly powerful and definitely a unique scent. A blend of rice milk and cherry blossom, this oriental reed diffuser is slightly floral and perfect for year-round use. You needn’t flip the reeds regularly, too. Just a note: due to its slim bottle design, it can be easy to tip over. Place it far away from wandering hands or paws. Oh, and you can buy a refill bottle to top it up when necessary.
Capacity: 70ml/250ml
Refill available? Yes
2. The White Company Fireside Diffuser
Image credit: The White Company
The only reed diffuser you should be buying this autumn, The White Company’s Fireside fragrance replicates the scent of a burning fire – without the fumes or the hassle. You’ll find yourself tempted to flip the reeds every few days as this scent is addictive, whilst it’s super warm to add a cosy vibe to your space. We say to place it in a living room, bedroom or even a hallway, but it really is versatile so you can use it anywhere. We can almost guarantee that your guests will comment on its woody fragrance, whilst it should last for three months on your side. It comes housed inside a classic The White Company vessel and is complete with rattan sticks. It’s perfect for Scandi-style homes. We just wish you could buy refills.
Capacity: 150ml
Refill available? No
3. Orphic Living Black Tea, Patchouli, Peppercorn Scented Reed Diffuser
Image credit: Orphic Living
This reed diffuser from small business Orphic Living is fantastically fragranced – and it comes housed in a lux looking amber glass bottle. It emits a deep scent of leather, tobacco, amber and musk, yet rest assured it’s never too overpowering. It’s great for using at home during the colder months, whilst it works its magic best in smaller, warmer rooms. There’s a matching candle available, plus a room spray, in the same fragrance. It makes a lovely gift idea…
Capacity: 150ml
Refill available? No
4. [Cocod’or/English Pearfree] Lavender Reed Diffuser
![[Cocod'or/English Pearfree] Lavender Reed Diffuser](https://ksassets.timeincuk.net/wp/uploads/sites/56/2020/07/CocodorEnglish-Pearfree-Lavender-Reed-Diffuser.jpg)
Image credit: Cocod’or
Capacity: 200ml
Refill available? No
5. Skandinavisk Lempi Diffuser
Image credit: Skandinavisk
This is one of our most favourite candles and our top-rated Skandinavisk candle, so why wouldn’t we want to buy it in reed diffuser form? It’s pretty in looks and in scent, with a decorative white glass casing, plus, refills are available to buy, too. We say pop it right in the middle of your living room – pride of place! Boasting aromas of peonies and roses, strawberries and mosses, this sweet-smelling floral fragrance is definitely one for spring and summer. Housed in white glass that’s made of 30% recyclable materials, this eco-friendly fragrance comes with 8 sticks included, while you can top up your existing vessel with fragrance as they sell refills. They say 200ml should last you more than three months.
Capacity: 200ml
Refill available? Yes
6. Botanica by Air Wick Air Freshener Reed Diffuser Fresh Pineapple and Tunisian Rosemary
Image credit: Botanica by Airwick
If you are looking for something fresh to make a conservatory nice, then we can recommend this Air Wick reed diffuser – it smells lovely, it’s eco-friendly, and it’s very affordable. Perfect for getting rid of damp smells, and making a not-so lived in room smell lovely. Especially great for use in conservatories during colder months. Scented of juicy pineapple and herby rosemary, this unique blend is nice and powerful. It’s infused with natural essential oils, and it’s free from phthalates and dyes. This reed diffuser uses naturally derived rattan stems to make it environmentally friendly. The fragrance should last for around 45 days in your home. You can purchase refills so you needn’t repurchase the glass vessel, and these refills come in lots of scents so you can switch things up if need be.
Capacity: 80ml
Refill available? No
7. Stoneglow Natures Gift Pink Pepper Flowers Reed Diffuser
Image credit: Stoneglow
Looking for a reed diffuser to pop in your living room? This one from Stoneglow should be at the very top of your list. Not only does it look the part – in an oval glass bottle, with visible dried lily of the valley flowers and pink peppercorns – but it smells lovely, too. And by lovely we mean unique – it’ll be sure to banish smells and wow your guests.Just flip the reeds every now and then to release the fragrance. Made from a blend of lily of the valley (muget), rose and geranium, along with base notes of ginger and elemi – to add a luxury feel – this unique blend is ideal for those who love floral smells. This reed diffuser is said to last for up to 16 weeks when using all reeds, and as with all Stoneglow diffusers, it’s made with essential oils and natural waxes, all of which are sustainably sourced. They are also hand-poured right here in the UK.
Capacity: 180ml
Refill available? Yes
8. Floral Street Lady Emma Reed Diffuser
Image credit: Floral Street
This lovely Floral Street reed diffuser is a fab buy for a toilet or bathroom – or if you love a fresh scent. It would equally make a lovely addition to an orangery or conservatory, as its fresh leafy fragrance will help bring the outside in. Lady Emma smells of a mix of fresh leaves, green apple and Bulgarian rose oil, so it’s safe to say it’s one for spring and summer months. This reed diffuser is completely vegan and also cruelty-free, while it arrives in gorgeous recyclable packaging that ought to wow you (and your giftee). It’s housed in a pink glossy glass vessel, to add a pop of colour somewhere that needs it.
Capacity: 100ml
Refill available? No
Buy now: Floral Street Lady Emma Diffuser, £34, Floral Street
9. Aldi Lime, Basil & Mandarin Reed Diffuser
Image credit: Aldi
We’ve heard only good things about Aldi reed diffusers, and one that always comes up is their Lime, Basil & Mandarin scent. A dupe of Jo Malone’s one, but at very small fraction of the price, it’s a great buy if you are on a budget – or if you’re buying a reed diffuser to live in a room you don’t often chill inside – such as a spare bedroom or extra bathroom. This Aldi reed diffuser smells of lime, basil and mandarin, while it comes housed in a glass vessel with a silver lid, to look the part in your home, too. They say it should scent your home for up to 8 weeks, which, considering the price is fab. It even comes with 8 rattan sticks included, and it comes in a fancy box to make it feel and look a lot more high quality than its price tag portrays. There’s a reason Aldi shoppers go mad for this diffuser.
Capacity: 100ml
Refill available? No
Buy now: Hotel Collection No.1 Lime, Basil & Mandarin, £3.49, Aldi
10. Yankee Candle Signature Reed Diffuser Fluffy Towels
Image credit: Yankee Candle
Perfect for a utility room, the Yankee Candle Fluffy Towel scent is perfectly subtle. As the name suggests, it emulates the sweet scent of freshly washed towels. Place it near your washing machine or tumble dryer for a double whammy. The aroma of clean, warm towels straight from the dryer is combined with notes of lemon, apple, lavender and lily. Deliciously invigorating for any room in the house – not just your utility room. Pop the Scandi-looking bottle on a shelf to fill the room with long-lasting fragrance – even if you’ve not done a towels wash in a few days. Yankee Candle reed diffusers offer the same long-lasting, true-to-life fragrance their candles do.
Capacity: 120ml
Refill available? No
What is the best reed diffuser to buy?
We rate The White Company’s Fireside Diffuser as the best reed diffuser you can buy right now – for autumn 2021. It’s comforting and woody, and perfect for placing in any room in your home. This reed diffuser is housed inside a decorative vessel that will fit in seamlessly with your decor, too. We’ve also tried, tested and loved Rituals’ The Ritual of Sakura Fragrance Sticks and this small yet powerful diffuser packs a punch, too.
Why buy a reed diffuser?
Reed diffusers are much safer to use as opposed to candles, though we obviously still love striking a match to our fave candle. They also require basically zero effort from you – all you need to do is flip the reeds every now and then. They are great for pet owners and parents since they needn’t be watched around inquisitive hands (or paws). Just place them well out of the way to do their job. Perhaps on a bookshelf, atop a chest of drawers, or on a high console table.
The best part? You can control how much scent is released when using a reed diffuser – add more reeds to the mix for a stronger scent, remove to make it subtle.
Where to use a reed diffuser?
You could pop a reed diffuser in your bathroom, to keep it smelling lovely all of the time and to banish odours. Alternatively, they work well in hallways – to greet your guests on arrival and to flood all of your other rooms with a subtle scent. Use a reed diffuser in a living area as this busy space is in need of a fragrance. This way, you’ll benefit from a constant breath of (lovely smelling) fresh air. Just be careful when placing reed diffusers in rooms where children often spend time, just in case they become too overpowering. We would suggest using a reed diffuser in a well-ventilated room. You can adjust the intensity of yours by removing reeds or adding them.
Don’t miss our best candles guide if you’re after a different type of home fragrance
