Moso Natural Air Purifying Bag 200g, Charcoal Odor Absorber, Car Odor Eliminator & Closet Deodorizer for Home & Pet, Lasts 2 Years, Unscented Bamboo Charcoal Bags, HGTV Editors' Pick

The Moso Natural bag is 200g of bamboo charcoal in a linen-style pouch with a grommet for hanging. There's no power, no fragrance and nothing to refill. You put it near the smell and leave it. Once a month you set it outside in sunlight for an hour to recharge it, and Moso says one bag lasts two years that way.

What it's good at

Charcoal adsorbs odor molecules into its pores. It doesn't add a scent over the top, so the room ends up smelling of nothing rather than of "fresh linen." The listing also says it soaks up excess humidity, which helps with the musty smell you get under a sink or inside a cabinet that never dries out.

Moso rates one bag for spaces up to 90 square feet. That's a pantry, the cabinet under the sink, the corner where the trash can lives, or a small galley kitchen. It isn't a whole open-plan kitchen and living room.

Who should skip it

Skip it if you need a smell gone tonight. Charcoal works over hours and days. After frying fish, you'll get further by ventilating and cleaning first (our fish smell guide goes through the order), then letting a bag handle what's left.

Skip it too if your kitchen is large and open to the living area. One 90 sq ft bag won't make a dent, and you'd be better off fixing the range hood or looking at a purifier with a carbon filter.

How it compares

• Moso Natural 4-pack: same bag, four of them. At the listed prices (about $12.95 single, $39.95 for four) each bag in the pack costs roughly $10. If you want bags in the kitchen, hallway and at the bottom of the stairs, buy the pack.
• Fresh Wave gel: a jar of plant-oil gel that lasts 30 to 60 days per the listing. It has its own scent from the oils, and you have to refill it. The Moso bag is unscented and reusable, but slower.

Where to put it

Put it as close to the source as you can. Warm cooking air rises, so the top of the kitchen cabinets is a decent spot, and so is a shelf near the trash can. If smells are reaching the upstairs, a second bag on the landing helps. Our guide to stopping cooking smells going upstairs explains where the air actually goes.

It has 4.2 stars from about 1,300 reviews on Amazon. For where it sits next to sprays and plug-ins, see charcoal bags vs odor sprays vs plug-ins.