10 Recipes for Upcycling Your Essential Oil Bottles

These 10 Recipes for Upcycling Your Essential Oil Bottles include room sprays, breath freshener, scented paint, and more. You will also find easy instructions for getting those tiny glass bottles clean inside and out. Don’t throw away the empty bottles, reuse them!

If you are like many of us out there who are in the habit of using essential oils in your daily life, you can easily start to accumulate quite a few empty bottles. You know they have possibilities, so you save them. Next thing you know, you’ve got a whole jar full and you’re wondering, “Now what!?” Here are 10 Recipes for Upcycling Your Essential Oil Bottles along with instructions on how to get the bottles nice and clean.

Cleaning Your Essential Oil Bottles

Directions:

1. First off, gather your bottles and remove any plastic orifice inserts they have in them as well as their lids.
2. Boil some water in a large pot on the stove that will hold them all, and add about 3 or 4 drops of lemon essential oil and a little dish soap to it. You can put the bottles and lids in the water right at the beginning and then just bring them to a boil.
3. Once it boils, let it stay at a medium boil for about 10 minutes. That will help break down and loosen the labels and help remove residue.
4. Turn down the boil and let them simmer for another 10 to 15 minutes. Sometimes the labels will come loose fast and other times they will take a little longer. I have left mine simmering on low for more than an hour before. Periodically check them and stir them around to see how they are doing. If most of your labels seem loose, they are almost ready. If it has been a long time and they don’t appear to be peeling, you may need to add a little more soap and lemon oil to help move that along.
5. When you think they’re good to go, gently remove the bottles from the water and peel any labels off.
6. Scrub any that have residue still on them and rinse well. Let dry on a rack or towel.

10 Recipes for Upcycling Your Essential Oil Bottles

There are a few of the recipes that call for filling the bottles with Epsom salts. For those recipes you won’t need to clean the bottles, as the Epsom salts will actually soak the last few drops of oil up and you can make use of them afterwards. Set your favorite scents aside for those recipes. The others can be cleaned out beforehand as instructed.

Mouth & Breath Spray: You can make any combination you like for this, using your favorite oils for dental use. I prefer either a combination of clove and orange, which will help with building your immunity as well as any mouth pain you may have, or using a peppermint and spearmint combo.
Use about 6 drops of the essential oils first in the bottle, and then add distilled water to fill it the rest of the way, and then place on a spray top and you’re ready to go. Shake well and then spray away!

Hand Sanitizer: Place 3 drops clove, 4 drops lemon and 2 drops peppermint in your bottle and then top it off with witch hazel. Put on a spray top and you have a handy little hand cleaner spray that will kill germs and bacteria and fit in many small places!

Linen Spray: This is another one that you can make with your favorite oils for relaxation or sleep. A great combo I like to use is 4 drops lavender and 3 drops cedarwood essential oils. Once you add whatever oils you prefer, top off the bottle with distilled water and put on a spray top. Shake before using and spray on pillow cases, sheets, and even in the air to create a relaxing atmosphere and help you get a good night’s sleep.

Air Freshener Spray: This is a great one to make, as it can replace those types that are store bought and full of toxins. The size makes it easy to carry it in your purse and have it for use in public bathrooms. Also, you can make it a cute little “Poo spray” and give it as a gift! My favorite combination I make for my own bathroom is: 4 drops white fir, 2 drops lemon, and 3 drops bergamot. Top off with distilled water and screw on a lid. Shake before using and spray as needed.

Make Scented Paint: You will need one color acrylic paint per bottle. Fill your bottle to nearly the top with the paint and then add in one to two drops of oil to give a great scent to the paint. Just shake it up well before starting to paint with it. This can also be used to help use up the last drops in a bottle without washing the bottle if you’d rather do it that way. Use an invigorating scent, such as a citrus or mint to help your painter get creative!

Reed Diffuser: Make a nice and cute little reed diffuser for a small space by cutting some rattan reed sticks to about a 4” height. Then add in about 5 to 10 drops of essential oil into the bottle, add the reeds, then tie a cute little twine or raffia bow around the neck and let it scent your room! Replace oils as necessary.

The last 3 recipes all use Epsom salts. These will be the ones you do NOT need to wash beforehand. You will be surprised how much scent will come from that last residue in the bottle! You will need little sachet bags and Epsom salts to make all 3 of these.

Bath Salts: Take your bottle and fill it with Epsom salts and replace the lid. Let it sit like that for a few days and then go back and open it up and smell it. The scent really soaks in to the salts and you can use it to pour into your bath. Lavender is a great one for a kid’s bath time to calm them down, juniper berry or cedarwood also is a good calming scent before bedtime.

Seasonal Relief Smelling Salts: Use eucalyptus bottles or any you prefer for allergy type symptoms or for relief for breathing issues or stuffiness – such as peppermint, lemon, or any blends that are made for that specifically. Fill bottles with Epsom salts and close up with lid for a few days at least. When you feel stuffy, go back and open it up and use it as needed to smell and breathe in the scent. It will really help open your sinuses!

Scent Sachets: First, fill the bottle of choice with Epsom salts, close it up tight with lid and let sit for a few days. Then when it’s ready, add the salts into a cute baggie (like the drawstring organza kind or make some cute fabric ones.) You can give these as gifts, use them for favors, or put in a drawer to add scent to clothing or lingerie.

I hope these ideas will help you get some great uses out of your bottles and inspire you to share your oils with others!