7 things you can do with your empty essential oil bottles

When you think your essential oil bottles have run out, think again! There is actually still a LOT of precious oil left in there, coating the sides that you can actually use before they get tossed into recycling. Here are some uses you can put your empty essential oil bottles to, depending on the oil in question: 

1. Pop them into the bath

Empty bottles of oils that lend themselves to being used in the bath (e.g., lavender, stress away, helichrysum, frankincense, peace & calming, lavender, etc) can be popped into the bath when you or your kiddies next have one.

2. Submerge them in water in the diffuser

For any oils that can be diffused, submerge the entire bottle in the diffuser with water. Rest assured, all of the lush essential oils coating the sides of the bottle run into the water and will fortify the air in your room.

3. Pop them into a glass or jug of cold or hot water to consume

Empty bottles of oils that lend themselves to this are the food-grade/culinary oils. See the complete list of such oils in the culinary section of the Essential Oils 101 guide found in the password-protected section of my website. Favourites for this purpose include all of the citrus oils, franky, thieves, rose, and copaiba.

You can repeat this process over and over again until you cannot taste the oil at all in the water.

4. Pop them into a jug /bottle of cold water to add to the diffuser or spray bottles

Empty bottles of oils that lend themselves to be diffused can be added to a big jug or bottle of water and allow to steep overnight. Use the water in your diffuser or pour it into a spray bottle to make a room spray or face mist, depending on the oils in question.

5. Fill the empty bottles with water and pop a pump spray on them to use as a room spray or face mist

You can buy the pump sprays online from New Directions (or in store at Marrickville).

6. Pop them into your laundry soaking bucket

Oils that you don’t really want to soak in a bath with and that are not food grade fall into this category. Examples include purification, northern lights black spruce, R.C., kunzea. These cleanse your clothes while they soak and add a lovely scent to them.

7. Pop them into the bottle of Cornwells vinegar that you use as your natural fabric softener or rinse aid – see “DIY Recipes” in this Essential Oils 101 Guide found in the password-protected member resources pages of my website.

Cornwells vinegar is a fabulous natural rinse aid for the dishwasher and fabric softener for the washing machine. Pop empty bottles of citrus oils or lavender oil into the big bottle of Cornwells vinegar and pour into the rinse aid dispenser of your dishwasher and the fabric softener dispenser of your washing machine. Add extra drops of lemon oil or lavender oil for an extra boost.

Once you have extracted every skerrick of oil from the bottle, then - and only then – can you toss them in the recycling bin!

What are some other ways that you use your empty oil bottles?

Love Soulla