11 May 2023 , 19:45
1033
0
Whether you drive or not, chances are you're familiar with Little Trees air fresheners - small tree-shaped car fresheners that come in a wide array of classic fragrances from Royal Pine to Sunset Beach.
Usually, you'll see these mini trees dangling from a driver's internal rear-view mirror, helping to mask any unpleasant car odours while creating an all-around more pleasant ambiance during long car journeys.
You may well have been using these nifty air fresheners all wrong for years, however, just like one woman who recently discovered that the specified instructions actually give a very different set of directions.
In a TikTok video that has since gone viral, a woman by the name of Alex Sumner has shared a discovery that has resonated with a number of her stunned followers - the true way to use car air fresheners.
Alex - who goes by the username @_alexsumner - explained: "Apparently, loads of us who use Little Trees air fresheners have been using them wrong".
'I don't want children staying up late at weekends - I really need adult time'
In a vid that has since clocked up more than 529.1K likes and counting, Alex demonstrated her usual way of dangling the freshener over her mirror, just like millions of us do every single day.
She continued: "Put mine in like this one day, and my friend was like, 'what are you doing? This is not right'. I didn't know what she was talking about, but then she showed me the directions".
She only figured out the correct way after a friend called her up on it (Andrew Drysdale/REX/Shutterstock)
Many people would never think to read the instructions (Getty Images)Alex then went on to read the instructions in question, which outlined a completely different method entirely.
She revealed: "'Open top of bag along dotted lines. Pull down the bag to expose top of the tree. Each week, expose more or less of tree to adjust fragrance strength'. So you're not even supposed to take it out of the bag. My whole life had been a lie!".
Expressing complete bewilderment in the caption of her vid, Alex wrote: "Surely, if I used a car freshener the 'right way' someone would think I was nuts."
A number of Alex's followers were left equally perplexed, with one person commenting: "So that's why my dad keeps his in a package. I thought he was just old and didn't know how to use it."
Another remarked: "I don't like the way the bag looks hanging, so I don't do it."