For those of us who like to do as much reducing, reusing, and recycling as we can, it can be difficult to toss things out after they have served their original purpose. Sooner or later the empty amber bottles start to pile up, and we wonder if there is something else we might do with them. Don’t throw out your empty essential oil bottles just yet. With just a few tools such as pipettes, carrier oils, and our favorite diffusers, we can extend the life of our essential oil bottles and help reduce waste.
Scent a closet or drawer
Even when a bottle of essential oil seems empty, we can still use the aroma of the trace amount of oil left behind. Remove the cap from an empty essential oil bottle and place it in closets, drawers, or cabinets to freshen them up. Eucalyptus, Lemon, Sweet Orange, Rosemary, and Lemongrass are especially good to use in this way.
Make EO Water
We can also get additional use from the last bit of essential oil in seemingly empty bottles with something as simple as water. Place essential oil bottles in water and soak overnight. This now scented water (EO Water) can be used to fill your home diffuser or to replace plain water in a variety of DIY recipes for extra aroma.
Simple Surface Cleaner
Ingredients
- 16oz Amber Glass Bottle with Spray Top
- 1 cup White Vinegar
- 1 cup EO Water
- 0.5 mL Tea Tree Essential Oil
- 0.5 mL Lemon Essential Oil
Instructions
Combine all the ingredients in a 16oz glass spray bottle and shake very well until thoroughly combined. This spray can be used on floors, wood furniture, countertops, tables, sinks, and all of your bathroom and kitchen surfaces. Shake well before each use and store in a cool, dark area out of the reach of children and pets.
Top up a nearly empty bottle with carrier oil
When we reach for one of our favorite essential oils and notice the bottle is nearly empty, we can turn it into something to use topically. Fill the nearly empty bottle with a carrier oil and give it a good shake to combine. Be sure the essential oil is diluted to a safe percentage for topical use. Lavender Essential Oil diluted with Sweet Almond Oil is good to have on hand. Diluting Rosemary Essential Oil with Jojoba Oil makes a simple hair oil.
Reuse the clean bottle for your own blends
When we have finally used the last of our favorite essential oil, the bottle itself can still be useful. After a thorough cleaning, the bottles can be used to store our own DIY essential oil creations. This is a good idea for those of us who travel often, so we can still enjoy our favorite essential oil combinations even when we do not have access to our whole collection. Here are a few simple blends we can use with our Aroma Companion personal diffuser wherever we go.
Lavender, Chamomile and Frankincense
- 2 parts Lavender Essential Oil
- 1 part Roman Chamomile Essential Oil
- 1 part Frankincense Essential Oil
Peppermint, Lavender and Eucalyptus
- 1 part Peppermint Essential Oil
- 1 part Lavender Essential Oil
- 1 part Eucalyptus Essential Oil
Sweet Orange, Peppermint and Rosemary
- 2 parts Sweet Orange Essential Oil
- 1 part Peppermint Essential Oil
- 1 part Rosemary Essential Oil
