How to Clean Essential Oil Bottles

You can reuse empty essential oil bottles for a number of things, like storing a blend of essential oils, or a DIY perfume you’ve created. But first, you’ll need to clean your empty bottle thoroughly. Otherwise, the residue of the original essential oil will taint the smell of the new oil, perfume or blend you put in the bottle. To do this, you can use non-toxic cleaners, high-proof alcohol, or Epsom salt.

Steps

1Using a Non-Toxic Cleaner

1. 2Disassemble the bottle. By taking the bottle apart, you can soak the cap and bottle, as well as any other bottle parts, separately in the basin. This will help you get the whole bottle absolutely clean. First:
   • Twist off the cap. If there is an orifice reducer cap, pry it out with your fingers.
   • Then place these bottle parts, along with any others that need cleaning, in the basin.
2. 3Steep the bottle in alcohol for two to three days. You'll want to reposition the bottle and its parts several times to make sure the alcohol is dissolving all of the leftover oil. The alcohol will also loosen the label on the outside of the bottle.
3. 4Remove the bottle and parts from the basin. Your bottle might be fully clean by this point. But there might still be some leftover oil. To get rid of it:
   • Scrub out the bottle with a bottle brush.
   • Also, clean the other bottle parts with a cloth.
4. 1Take the label off of the bottle. Lift the edge of the label from the bottle with your fingers, and pull it away from the surface. If you can't get all of it off with your fingers:
   • Put the bottle in a sink full of soapy water.
   • Take the bottle out after about 10 minutes.
   • Pick the rest of the label off with your fingers again.
   • Dry the bottle completely.^[7]

1. 6Dry the bottle and bottle parts. You can air dry everything on a towel. Or you can rub the bottle and each part vigorously with a paper towel or cloth. Once fully dry, put the bottle back together and use it to store your favorite oils.