6 Innovative Ways To Use Empty Essential Oil Bottles

salisha peters

I read an article over a year ago featuring ways to use up all those 'almost empty' essential oil bottles we all have laying around. I thought now would be a wonderful time to refresh that list by writing about the ones that we actually still use! 

Here are our favorite ways to use up the last few drops of oil in your essential oil bottles.

1. Mattress Refresher

Using this refresher and vacuuming help to reduce dust mites, dead skin cells, and germs.  Plus it is a great deodorizer!

  • fill empty (or almost empty) essential oil bottle about 3/4s full with baking soda
  • if the bottle had been washed out and is completely empty of essential oil, then add about 4 drops of essential oil.  (if the bottle was empty, but hadn’t been washed out yet and still has the smell of essential oils, then just add about 2 drops of essential oil).  Here are some great antimicrobial/antibacterial/antiviral essential oils to use for cleaning a mattress:  lavender, lemon, orange, tea tree, cinnamon, eucalyptus, grapefruit, lime, peppermint, spearmint, orange, tangerine, and rosemary.  Choose just one or a favorite combination of 2-3 oils.  Here are a few combinations I love using to clean my mattress:
    • tea tree, lavender, and lemon (very fresh and clean smelling)
    • eucalyptus and spearmint (very relaxing, and relieves stress)
    • tangerine, lime, and spearmint (smells like a citrus mojito)
  • shake to mix
  • put cap back on
  • let it let sit overnight so the baking soda can absorb the essential oil

 To Use:

  • remove pillows, sheets, and blankets from bed
  • pour baking soda/EO mix into a shaker or into a small strainer (if you have a king-sized bed, I would use at least two 15ml bottles of the baking soda/eo mixture)
  • sprinkle on mattress
  • leave on for a couple hours (perfect timing to wash and dry the bedding)
  • then vacuum off

2. Car Diffuser

Use an almost empty essential oil bottle to make a diffuser for your car:

  • stuff a cotton ball into essential oil bottle
  • put cap back on
  • let it sit for a day or two so that cotton ball can absorb any leftover essential oil
  • pull cotton ball out of essential oil bottle (use tweezers if needed)
  • use paperclip to attach cotton ball to car’s AC/heat vent
  • scent should last for 2-3 days, then you can add another drop or two of essential oil to refresh the car diffuser

3.  Freshen as You Vacuum

Using essential oils when you vacuum is a simple way to make your whole house smell fantastic!

Here’s how to use up the last bit of essential oil from an almost empty bottle to make this vacuum refresher:

  • stuff a cotton ball into almost empty essential oil bottle
  • put cap back on
  • let it sit for a day or two so that cotton ball will absorb any leftover essential oil.
  • pull cotton ball out of essential oil bottle (use tweezers if needed)
  • place scented cotton ball on the floor
  • then vacuum it up

4. Homemade All-Natural 'Febreeze'

There’s a great one to use up those last few drops of essential oil in the bottom of a bottle.  Add a spray top to the essential oil bottle and turn it into a homemade all-natural “Febreeze” fabric refresher.  Here’s how to do it:

  1. start with an empty (or almost empty) 15ml essential oil bottle
  2. choose the linen spray that you want to make.
  3. add 2-3 drops of essential oil to the bottle
  4. fill the rest of the 15ml bottle with vodka (make sure you leave a little room at the top for the sprayer)
  5. put on the new spray top
  6. gently shake or roll the bottle to mix the vodka and essential oils
  7. shake again each time before use, spray lightly on fabric and allow fabric to dry completely

You can substitute witch hazel or water for the vodka, but it’s best to use alcohol if you can in this recipe.  Alcohol has a faster evaporation rate than witch hazel and water, and as a result, is less likely to cause mold or mildew in fabric.  If you do need to substitute witch hazel or water, give the fabric extra time to dry, and if possible, use a fan to circulate air over the fabric until it is dry.

5.  Instant Deodorizer

Here’s how you turn your empty essential oil bottle into an instant deodorizer:

  • take cap and dropper off
  • place bottle in a spot that needs a little deodorizing (laundry room, bathroom, closet, refrigerator, etc)
  • that’s it; you’re done.  Let the bottle stay in there for a few days to do its work.  When the scent is gone, clean and sanitize the bottle and upcycle it for another DIY project on this page.

6. Smelling Salts (Breathe Better Blend)

Feeling a like congested?  Here’s a great way to upcycle your empty essential oil bottles to help support clear breathing.

How to make essential oil smelling salts:

  • start with a cleaned and sanitized essential oil bottle
  • fill bottle with Epsom salt
  • add 4 drops of essential oil (a blend of 1 drop each eucalyptus, peppermint, lemon, and lavender works great, but you can use all peppermint or all eucalyptus if that’s all your have)
  • shake to mix well
  • put cap back on bottle in-between uses

To use:

  • uncap bottle
  • hold bottle up close to nose (but not touching nose)
  • inhale deeply
  • repeat as needed

    Enjoy
    Salisha

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