10 of the Best Ways to Reuse Essential Oil Bottles

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Read this post before throwing away empty essential oil bottles. Here are 10 ways pet parents can put those bottles to use, again.

I'm an essential oils junkie.

I have over 100 essential oils, I receive oils from two subscription services (linked below), and I reference Dr. Melissa Shelton's book at least once a week.

Plant Therapy Oil of the Month Club – I receive one oil (sometimes two) each month. I've found some of my favorite oils (Peru Balsam, Kumquat) through this affordable service.

Simply Earth EO Subscription Box – I receive a quarterly box that includes four essentials, recipe cards, and the ingredients and tools I need to create cool products at home.

AnimalEO – when using essential oils ON my dogs, I reach for AnimalEO. These are essential oils formulated by Dr. Shelton.

Using Essential Oils with Dogs

I have a lot of articles over on KeepTheTailWagging.com about essential oils. And I highly recommend checking out Dr. Melissa Shelton's desk reference manual on essential oils for pets.

10 Ways to Reuse Essential Oil Bottles

I use essential oils daily on myself, our dogs, and our home. And I have a box full of used bottles. I felt weird about throwing them away, and I came up with a list of ten ways to reuse my growing used bottle collection.

1 – Carpet/Bedding Freshener

When the bottle is down to the last drops…

fill the bottle 3/4 full with baking soda
put the cap back on
let sit overnight to give the baking soda time to absorb the remaining essential oil

Sprinkle the infused baking soda on carpet, rugs, or bedding, leave freshener powder for an hour, then vacuum.

2 – Create Diluted Essential Oil Blends

AnimalEO is an essential oil brand formulated by Dr. Melissa Shelton to be used on and around pets. There are “Lite” options for many of the oils, but the scents may be too strong for some dogs. If this is the case, you can use an empty essential oil bottle to further dilute the oil by adding more of the carrier oil.

3 – Create New Essential Oil Blends

If you enjoy essential oil recipes and find a blend that you love, use an empty essential oil bottle to store your new creations.

4 – Create a Travel Kit for Your Dog

I have a small kit with essential oils that promote calming, ease tummy upset, and soothe muscle aches. I've also added small amounts of the following to used essential oil bottles:

Vetricyn (for wound healing)
natural flea & tick spray
hand sanitizer (see #5 for recipe)

You can order essential oil spray toppers on Amazon.

5 – Natural Hand Sanitizers

I use hand sanitizer when I pick up dog poop. Although I use a poo bag, plastic is porous, and I'm convinced minuscule poop particles are all over my hand. So…

fill 3/4 of the empty bottle with witch hazel
add 3-4 drops of your favorite essential oil combination
complete filling bottle with your favorite carrier oil
add a spray topper
shake before each use

Essential Oil Combo Ideas…

Carrier Oil Ideas…

6 – Dry Shampoo

I only bathe my dogs once or twice a year when needed. Like this weekend, when Apollo had a blast playing in the mud. I use dry shampoos or a product by Project Sudz (I love it) for the remainder of the year.

Making Dry Shampoo

fill 3/4 of the empty (or near-empty) bottle with baking soda
If the bottle is empty, also add 2-3 drops of your favorite essential oil(s)
shake the bottle to mix the ingredients
put the cap back on and let sit overnight for oil(s) to absorb
transfer ingredients to a shaker (I like to use glass spice jars)

Bathing Your Dog

sprinkle the powder over your dog's coat, avoiding the face
let it sit for five minutes or so
brush your dog to spread the dry shampoo throughout the coat evenly

I do this once a week as part of our grooming routine,

7 – Diffuser for the Dog Car (aka My Car)

We only have one dog car, my car. When I was shopping for a new car, I was able to stop the hard sale FAST by saying, “This is the dog car.” It was the best car shopping experience I've ever had.

put a cotton ball into a near-empty essential oil bottle
put the cap back on, and let sit for a couple of days to allow the cotton to absorb the remaining essential oil
after a couple of days, use tweezers to remove the cotton ball from EO bottle
set the cotton ball into a cup holder or use a binder clip (or paperclip) to attach the cotton ball to the A/C vent.
the diffuser will last for a few days

8 – Refresh Vacuum Cleaner (aka Vanessa)

My friend named my vacuum Vanessa. I like it, so it stuck, Vanessa's job is to suck up the dog hair on our floors, dog beds, and furniture, and she does a bang-up job. But, after a while, she starts to smell a bit ripe.

put a cotton ball into near-empty essential oil bottle
put the cap back on and let sit for a couple of days to allow the cotton to absorb the remaining essential oil
after a couple of days, use tweezers to remove the cotton ball from the EO bottle
vacuum up the cotton ball, and empty the vacuum cleaner after the next cleaning day

9 – Instant Deodorizer

Use this trick to refresh kennels, cars, and small rooms.

remove the cap and dropper from a near-empty essential oil bottle
set the bottle in an area where it won't be knocked over
walk away

Great oils to use: eucalyptus, rosemary, lavender, kumquat, tangerine, peru balsam

Great AnimalEO oils to use: Calm-a-Mile, Sunshine in a Bottle, Gingerbread Doghouse, Warmth

10 – Refrigerator Freshener

start with a near-empty citrus essential oil
fill bottle 3/4 full with baking soda
put the cap back on and shake
store in the fridge with the cap off
freshener lasts up to a week