I once had a few bottles of perfume oil from The Body Shop that I didn’t quite know what to do with. They had survived several organizing and decluttering sessions because I love the smell of the perfume, but I don’t wear perfume much anymore. I was stuck in that in between limbo state of not wanting to toss a perfectly good product and having to hang on to something that I no longer used until I hit upon the idea of making homemade scent diffusers.
It was very easy. I removed the plastic sprayer or dropper, exposing the wide neck of the bottle. Then I inserted the maximum number of toothpicks possible, making sure they were wedged in tightly and as far down into the bottle as possible yet still sticking out of the top. The toothpicks act as a wick, drawing the perfume oil up to the top of the bottle and diffusing it into the air.
Voila! Instant frugal scent diffuser. I’ve placed one in each room of my house and am delighted to rediscover my favorite scents each time I walk by.
Edited to add: this post was first published in June 2008. As of December 2009, the scent diffusers are still going strong, although I only expect they will last another month or two.
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{ 2 comments }
What a great idea! (Can you post pics?)
Do you find the scent noticeable in the room?
I think that if they were near a source of heat the smell would diffuse better but as it’s already 100° F, I’m not about to introduce more heat into the house! The scent does diffuse nicely though.