What To Do With Empty Perfume Bottles? ( 7 Creative Ideas! )

As beautiful as the aroma of our perfumes are, their bottles are creatively crafted to blow our minds off.

Also, we don’t just pay for the liquid, but the perfume bottle, so I believe we should make the best use.

I have researched and try to put together all the creative things you can do with your empty perfume bottles, so keep reading to find what works for you the best.

What To Do With Empty Perfume Bottles?

You can actually be very creative with your empty perfume bottles. There are a lot of DIY projects for them that will blow your mind. Also, there are people out there who love buying empty perfume bottles. Honestly, you have many options, so those bottles will not go to waste.

Follow our guide to know Are Perfumes From FragranceNet Real?

Should You Keep Empty Perfume Bottles?

It may come to you as a surprise, but your empty perfume bottles are not useless at all.

You can do a lot of creative and helpful stuff with those beautiful bottles.

And that’s much better than tossing them in the bin when you have paid for them as well.

Those bottles can be so much more than being left neglected. Here’s what you can do:

1# Keep old perfume bottles for decoration

The beautiful glass bottles of our fragrance are carved to make us go wow. But you can go some extra steps to make it prettier for an aesthetic look in your room. Here’s what you can do.

2# Use it as a homemade perfume container

You can make your fragrance by mixing a few essential oils and diluting the oil with a neutral alcohol. So, you can put your perfume inside an empty perfume bottle.

3# Make it a jewelry holder

Perfume bottles themselves are designed beautifully, and as much as we want to decorate them in our room, we cannot because the perfume inside can go bad.

But with an empty perfume bottle, we can decorate it in our room without fear of the perfume inside and use it to hold our rings or bracelets.

4# Use it as a candle holder

Place a birthday candle inside the empty perfume bottle, and it will create a nice ambiance in your home.

However, make sure to fit the candle properly, and for that, put a few drops of wax inside the bottle and then place the candle on it to make it stick.

5# Make a diffuser

Fill your perfume bottle halfway with aromatic essential oils or room sprays. Then place a few wooden skewers inside the bottle.

The oils will creep up the skewers and slowly diffuse the scent throughout your home.

Also, you can make a blend of essential oil that suits your taste. And you can make a reed diffuser with it as well.

6# Use them for your plants

You can use your empty perfume bottles as a vase for your plants or flowers. Just clean the bottle thoroughly, and then add water accordingly to fit your plants or flowers.

You can place them in the living area, and it will be a nice addition to the overall look of your home.

7# Reuse the small bottles for traveling

If you have small-sized, empty perfume bottles, wash them properly and use them to carry your other fragrances while traveling.

We cannot carry more than 3.4 oz perfume bottles while traveling through the air, so small bottles come in handy.

How Do You Dispose of Perfume Bottles?

Your unwanted or empty perfume bottles can take up a lot of unnecessary space in your home.

Since most perfumes have a lot of alcohol in them and chemicals, make sure those bottles are empty before disposing of them.

There is no specific guideline when it comes to disposing of perfume. To do so, look up region-specific procedures to dispose of fragrances.

However, you do need to follow specific rules to dispose of your glass bottle properly. Here are 3 things you can do:

1# Toss your empty perfume bottles in the recycle bin

As long as there is no perfume inside your perfume bottle, you can recycle it. But you must check your region’s recycle protocol online and follow the rules to recycle accordingly.

2# Give unused perfume bottle to a charity shop

There are many charity shops where you can donate your unwanted and unused perfume bottles. And you can look for such organizations online.

3# Offer unwanted perfume bottle to a friend or family

It’s always a shame to let go of that perfume bottle, even if it’s killing space or you have no time to be creative with it. Nonetheless, you can pass it to a friend or family who’d appreciate it.

Are Perfume Bottles Recyclable?

Yes, perfume bottles are recyclable, but it needs to be empty and disposed of properly. Moreover, when you send back the empty perfume bottles to the manufacturers, they are recycled into totally new glass bottles. So, your empty bottles will not go to waste.

You can do a lot of things with your perfume bottles, especially when it’s empty.

However, if you want to recycle, then it is possible as well. But you can only recycle an empty perfume bottle.

As glass is a non-porous and 100% recyclable material, glass bottles can be recycled without losing quality.

So it is a great option to recycle empty perfume bottles instead of throwing them in the garbage.

However, to recycle your perfume bottles, you need to dispose of them properly first.

Also, the empty perfume bottles are recycled into a wide range of products and brand new glass bottles.

Please check our exclusive tutorial on How Many Perfume Sprays Should You Apply?

How To Recycle Perfume Bottles?

Most perfume bottles are designed beautifully, so you can reuse them in multiple ways.

All you have to do is disassemble and wash your perfume bottles to prepare them for recycling or crafting.

However, if you are not into crafting and opt for recycling, just follow through with the steps. Here is how you need to clean it:

Step-1# Take the exterior cap off the perfume and pull off the nozzle.

Hold the bottle and use your finger to pull straight up the nozzle. And keep the nozzle aside when it pops off.

Step-2# Cut off the plastic valve and loosen the metal around the perfume bottle’s neck.

Look at the top of your perfume bottle and cut away any plastic encasing with a knife or scissor. And then discard the plastic.

Step-3# Use needle-nose pliers to remove the metal around the neck.

Use a pair of pliers to loosen the metal and then pull it straight up until it comes off.

Step-4# Discard any remaining perfume.

If there are any perfume residues, discard them down the sink and wash the bottle with hot water.

Step-5# Rinse the perfume bottle with hot running water.

Use a gentle stream of water and fill your perfume bottle with it. Then dump the water and repeat the process at least twice.

Step-6# Wash the bottle with warm white vinegar.

Heat ½ cup (120ml) of white vinegar for 20 seconds. Then pour the warm vinegar onto the rinsed bottle until it’s ¾ full. Plus, the hole on the top with your finger and then shake the bottle for 30 seconds.

Let the bottle with the vinegar sit for an hour, then pour it down the sink and rinse with water.

Step-7# Wash the bottle with hot water and dish detergent.

Fill your sink or a bucket with hot water and add a few drops of dish detergent to wash the bottle. Also, you can use a toothbrush to clean the inside of it.

Step-8# Dry the bottles.

Your glass bottle must be completely dry. So, you can dry it by placing it under a bright sun or by hair dryers.

Now, once you are done cleaning your perfume bottle thoroughly, it is ready to recycle. Here’s how you can recycle:

Step-1# Find what type of glass your local recycling accepts.

Call your local recycling municipality to check if they accept perfume bottles for recycling. And then match if your bottle fits the criteria.

Step-2# Check the bottom of the bottle for a recycling symbol.

Look at the bottom of your perfume bottle to see a number inside a triangular arrow symbol. The number will help you to match up your glass accepted by the municipality.

Step-3# Put your perfume bottle in the recycle bin.

Follow the rules regarding sitting the glass bottles for recycling. And then just the bin out ready for pick up.

Also, whenever possible, separate empty glass perfume bottles from components made with other materials, like metal or plastic caps.

And you can also separate glass bottles by color in different containers.

When you follow these simple steps, it helps in making the recycling process more manageable.

Moreover, some companies have recycling programs that accept your used bottles and offer an incentive.

Are Empty Perfume Bottles Worth Money?

When you have your hands full, it’s better to sell or donate your unwanted perfume bottles.

Also, we spend a lot on perfumes, so we make some extra buck from the unwanted ones, then that’s a great option. Here are some options:

Sell your perfume bottles in an online marketplace.

You can post an ad for your perfume bottle on Freecycle, Craigslist, or Facebook. Check other similar items to get an idea about how much you can charge.

Sell your perfume bottles on an online site.

There are many websites where you can get potential buyers for perfume bottles, like eBay or Etsy. You can sell your perfume. Create a posting with a photo of your perfume bottles and write their condition in the description.

Check with the manufacturer or brand.

You should check up with the manufacturer or your perfume brand because many such companies have recycling programs of their own.

Though it varies from company to company, some accept empty bottles and offer discounts or free products.

Instead of throwing away your perfume bottles, there are many options to go with them.

What Can I Do With Vintage Perfume Bottles?

Many perfume fanatics love to collect vintage perfume bottles from all over the world.

And you can help them out by selling your vintage perfume bottles to them. You can sell vintage perfume bottles on:

eBay

eBay is an online auction site. It is an amazing online platform to connect with potential collectors.

All you have to do is create a post for your vintage perfume bottle on the website. And you have to add a photo plus write details like conditions in the description area. Also, the vintage perfume bottles can sell up to ＄100 USD.

However, you should start the auction price as low as you can because it attracts buyers more.

Etsy

Etsy is an online vintage marketplace. Many buyers shop through this site for vintage stuff.

In Etsy, you need to create a virtual shop where potential buyers can browse your items.

Moreover, if you have multiple perfume bottles, then Etsy is a great choice to sell them.

However, you can always sell your vintage perfume bottles on many other sites like regular perfume bottles.

Follow our guide to know How Many Perfumes Should A Woman Have?

Conclusion

Packaging is a crucial part of every brand’s identity, and we all know perfumes are luxury items.

The glass bottles elevate brands to a luxury standard, and so perfume bottles are designed beautifully.

But we can get overwhelmed with empty perfume bottles stacking up or taking up unnecessary space.

However, with a bit of imagination or creativity, they can be put to a new use.

Also, you can always recycle empty perfume bottles by properly disposing of them or selling them online.

Nonetheless, the choice is up to you as you gotta do what works best for you.

However, let us know about any further questions or queries in the comment section below.