Don’t throw them away! Find out how to clean and reuse essential oil bottles to give them a wonderful and useful second life!
Do you have a relatively big stash of essential oil bottles?
If you use essential oils in your day to day life like we do, chances are you have plenty of oils you have used up… and tossed in a basket like we have. Do not throw your oil bottles away – you can reuse and recycle them to use for other things at home.
If you find yourself with empty essential oil bottles (including the cap and orifice), dump them all in a basket, and prepare to clean and reuse essential oil bottles in just a few minutes.
How to Clean and Reuse Essential Oil Bottles
Cleaning your bottles can take just 15 – 25 minutes, and would be a great way to have your kids chip in and help you to shorten the time.
To clean your bottles:
Prepare a large tub, and have a bath towel you can lay on your counter to soak up the water, then pull out your basket of bottles and get started.
- Peel off as much of the label as you can
- Remove the cap, the orifice and the plastic ring from each bottle.
- Soak the bottle and the plastic parts in a tub of warm, soapy water for 10-15 minutes.
- Use your Lemon Essential Oil to remove what is left of the label on each bottle. Rub the oil into the bottle to get all the sticky residue off, and repeat with all the bottles.
- Once the bottles are clean and the labels removed, put them in a new tub of warm water combined with a 1/2 cap of non-toxic Cleaner and let them soak for 5-10 minutes.
- Dump the bottles, rinse them one last time and let them air dry on a towel on the counter for a few hours until they are completely dry.
Ways to Reuse Essential Oil Bottles
Now that you have all of your bottles clean, and the sticky residue has been removed, here are some ways to give them a new life.
Use them to create your own roller blends.
Your 15ml and 5ml bottles are the perfect size to create your own blends – or, rollers of cologne or perfume for yourself or for family members. One of my favorite combinations is 6 drops of each Bergamot, Joy and Grapefruit….. or, you can do 6 drops of Joy and Orange for a Happy Mommy Blend. Once you add the oils to the roller, top off with sweet almond or jojoba oil.
Share oils with friends and family
Store a little of each of your favorite in extra bottles to take with you in your purse, or… to share with friends or family.
Make a Kids Line of Oils
Adults are not the only people that can benefit from essential oils – kids can too. However.. when using essential oils on kids, you’ll want to ensure that you dilute appropriately. One of the best ways to use oils on your children without having to dilute constantly is by reusing some of the newly cleaned bottles to make your own kids blends – you can do one for sleep, one for owies, one for focus, and more.
Once you add the oils to the roller, top off with sweet almond or jojoba oil.
See also: Using Essential oils on Children
Share Thieves Cleaner with Friends
If you use Young Living, it’s a great way to “share” Thieves Cleaner with friends or family. Your 5ml essential oil bottles are exactly one capful of Thieves Cleaner. Put the cap on, and put in a small baggie and include instructions on using Thieves Cleaner in their home.
Use it for Travel Size Bottles
Your 5ml and 10ml oils bottles work wonderful as a personal travel kit. Simply fill with your facial toner, lotion, moisturizer, and toothpaste and take with you on trips. The glass bottles are perfect as they won’t leach toxic chemicals. They are perfect for going through security at the airport.
Do you keep your essential oil bottles? If you do, how do you use them?
Hello!
I made my own lavender oil, and have an empty lavender essential oil bottle. Can I put the oil in without cleaning it first? Or would that effect my oil?
Thanks
I would definitely clean it first.
I have several narrow glass rollerball bottles that I need to empty and clean and reuse (I found a stash and idk what is in them but it’s OLD!) Are they dishwasher safe? They all have stainless steel rollerballs. Thanks!
They should be fine in the dishwasher. I have always soaked mine in a dish with a little dish soap, I wouldn’t put the roller tops in the dishwasher though. Just the bottles!
Hi.
Hope all is well. How many minutes should I boil the empty bottles?
Thanking you in advance!!
5-10 minutes is sufficient. Hope you have a great weekend 😉
What do you call that tool to squeeze oil inside small amber bottles? I have 10 empty 2ml amber bottles and bot sure how to squeeze the oil in so i can share my essential oils to my relatives and family.
Pipettes! If you were closer to me I’d share mine. I have so many! I got them on Amazon way back when. They are relatively inexpensive!
Hi, does this method work to clean the roller piece with the steel ball? I had a peppermint blend in one of mine & can’t seem to get the roller ball clean. Thanks!
I have done it before Samantha, because I have quite a few of those as well. It seems to work for me — Young Living has the roller bottle tops I pop off and re-use (after cleaning of course). Hope that helps.