One of the routine tasks you’ll have when practicing aromatherapy is cleaning your emptied bottles of essential oil. You can skip doing this if you want to keep on buying amber bottles. However, if you want to be practical and reuse your bottles then you might wonder how can you clean the bottles properly.
This was my question when I was just starting aromatherapy. The challenge for me was how to remove the strong scent of the oil and make it oil free. Even though I’ve washed my amber bottles several times and soaked them for a long time in the water, the odor and oil just don’t go away. It stays even after I washed and dried them, Hence I would refill the bottle even if it’s still oily and has a remaining scent.
When I was refilling the bottle with diluted essential oil for personal use, I didn’t mind using it even if it has an odor left in it, and was still oily. After all, I would refill it with the same essential and carrier oil. However, when I was going to make a diluted oil for someone and changed the oil’s measurement of the blend, I wanted to make sure that it was odorless and had no oils left.
For someone who’s not an expert in house cleaning or decluttering asking your mother’s cleaning wisdom and little help from Google will help. That’s what I did and combined the tips I’ve learned. I used some liquids to clean the amber bottles but skipped some suggested steps.
Sharing with you below is the process I did and found effective in cleaning my bottles. You’re going to notice that the first three steps are just the same but the liquids being used are different as each liquid has a different purpose.
1. Fill and soak the bottle with vinegar
I’m not sure if you like the acidic scent of vinegar, but if you’re like me who doesn’t really appreciate the smell of vinegar then you have to endure it. The irony is that even though vinegar is smelly, it can get rid of the odor of your bottle.
After filing the bottle with vinegar, I set it aside and waited for a couple of hours. After I rinsed it with water, and smelled it, I figured out that vinegar is effective in removing the odor that stayed in your bottles. Soaking your bottles filled with vinegar can also help in removing the scent on the bottles lid or cover and dropper.
2. Fill and soak the bottle with dishwashing liquid
I got this tip from my mother. When I was rinsing the bottles and asked what is being used to remove the fats and oils on plates and pans when washing them, she said dishwashing liquid. Hence, I filled the 10ml amber bottle with half dishwashing liquid and half water. Just like in the first step, I set it aside and waited for a couple of hours before washing it again with water. While the bottle is filled with dishwashing liquid with water, I soaked it also with the same liquid mixture. After I rinsed it, the bottle is no longer oily.
3. Fill and soak the bottle with alcohol
Alcohol is used to make sure your bottles are disinfected. Just like the second step, fill your bottles with half alcohol then shake it then add water until it is full. I soaked them with alcohol with water for several hours before rinsing them.
When I was done rinsing the bottles, I smelled and glided my fingers on them to feel if it’s still oily. After a few minutes, I find myself satisfied. The bottles are no longer oily plus the odor of the essential oil is gone.
4. Air dry
The next step is of course dry your amber bottles. Once they are completely dry, they are ready to be re-used.
I’ve skipped one step that others are suggesting. Some recommend sterilizing your bottle. I think that’s also good to ensure your bottles are clean. But for someone who wants easier doing things, I opted to skip that part. I was thinking I’d use alcohol anyway so maybe that’s already enough. But if you want to ensure that your bottles are very clean, then feel free to sterilize your bottles. (Since I skipped this step, I’m not sure if doing this can cut your waiting time when you soak them with vinegar, dishwashing liquid, and alcohol)
Cleaning the amber bottles is easy, but takes a lot of waiting before you can finish it. I don’t know if my process is the same as how others do it because I did not read a particular article or blog before doing it. I just looked at the snippets in the search result and asked my mother. But the process I did enable me to achieve the result I want – odorless and oily-free amber bottles.
Stay bubbly, and happy cleaning! 💋❤
Oil Therapy 