What To Do With Old Perfume Bottles

Whether you want to use your old perfume bottles to display fresh flowers, house your own essential oils, or simply create an artistic display of pretty bottles on your wall, one thing is clear, there are so many upcycle projects you can work on this weekend to keep you busy.

The important thing to remember is that a bottle of perfume can become anything you want it to be – a herb holder, a glitter globe, new jewelry, or even a bubble wand. Look at the pretty glass that is available to you and decide for yourself. Here are some tips to get you started.

Not all used perfume bottles are made simply from glass, some are accented with precious metals and gems. But that’s not always what makes one special. Usually, people choose to upcycle pieces that hold sentimental value to them, or gifts they’ve received from someone special in their lives. If you have a piece you just cannot let go of, here are some ideas to get you started:

Grow Herbs In The Old Bottles

You can use empty bottles to grow your favorite herbs inside your home for cooking or decoration. The added greenery would make a great display for your window sill and introduce new aromatic scents to your room. Which herbs you decide to grow depends on your personal taste, but fragrance bottles will certainly do the trick as far as housing the herbs. For this project, you won’t need to hold onto the bottle caps and should consider selling them online to make some extra cash.

Sell Them on eBay

Some people take old bottles apart and sell them by individual pieces. You won’t make a ton of money if the bottles aren’t designer, but there is absolutely a market for these kinds of goods. More times than not, people break their own caps and go online looking for replacements. You know what they say – one person’s trash is another person’s treasure.

Use Perfume Bottles To Store Items

Transform your empty bottle into a small container that will store other things you need to house in your life. The options are limitless. Anything from essential oils, to bath salts, to vitamin c serum – the choice is yours.

Make a Glitter Globe

Glitter globes are a great way to add some pizazz to your old fragrance bottles. Most people like to watch the glitter float around in what looks like a snow globe and claim it helps them relax and clear their mind., It’s usually best to use transparent bottles for this craft. You will need a funnel, some glitter (small pieces of paper or fabric will work as an alternative), glue, and water.

Fill your bottle with the glue and water mixture until it is near the top. Then add in your glitter slowly as you shake it all around gently. Once the bottle is filled to within an inch of the neck, put on the funnel cap tightly and set aside overnight so that time for your glue mixture to completely dry.

Try to use a bottle shape that is unique and special, but this will be an object you will be interacting with on a regular basis.

Turn A Perfume Bottle Into A Vase

You can turn perfume bottles into vases quite easily! Create lovely flower vases by filling them with water and adding some rocks or decorative items to provide additional dimension. You can create the decorative item and fill them with small plants, bringing new life into your space. It’s best to use a gorgeous perfume bottle, like Chanel bottles, when making this particular DIY craft. There are bottles of all kinds to choose from for these DIY ideas. Just make sure you fill them with natural flowers.

This is a fantastic idea that not only will have your house smelling amazing, but it makes for a great centerpiece idea.

Decorate A Room With Perfume Bottles

Why not take your empty bottles and give them a second life by making a decorative pattern all around your room – choosing one wall to create an accent look? Consider combining different colors of perfume bottle caps or sticking to one singular theme.

You can use any size or shape that you have one hand and personalize your style as desired. Want to get seasonal? Think ahead! If you are nearing Fall, swap the bottles for orange, brown, and yellow-toned styles to match the seasonal and natural themes.

Use the Bottle Tips to Make Jewelry

Make really beautiful and unique jewelry using old perfume bottle tips. Attach them to necklace chains to create statement pendants that will certainly become conversation pieces. The possibilities are endless when it comes to this, the only limit is your imagination.

Create A Photo Display With Perfume Bottle Caps

Instead of going out and purchasing picture frames for photos around the house, you can use empty perfume bottles instead! You can make a whole wall filled with photos simply by arranging your perfume bottle caps in a pattern that coincides nicely with your decor.

Set up some photo display shelves or buy one of those special boards and frame kits (the type used for scrapbooking) so that the arrangement stands alone as a unit.

Make Unique Salt And Pepper Shaker Set

If you love your perfume bottles and don’t want to part with them, you could always consider making them one-of-a-kind salt and pepper shakers. All you need to do is cut holes into the cap that securely fits the closure. They will look unique and beautiful in your kitchen!

Use Old Perfume Bottles To Make Bubbles

If you have children, you might want to use your old perfume bottles to house bubble solution. Kids will love this and it can provide them with hours of entertainment, keeping their imaginations active and busy.

Create Jam Jars

Turning old bottles into pretty jam jars for your kitchen is easier than you think. You just need to make sure you have a funnel. There are several DIY craft projects on this page that requires a funnel, so it might be best to just pick one up to make it easier to fill the glass bottles as you see fit. Just remember, when it comes to jam, you need to make sure that the lids fit tightly since you are dealing with food.

It is not recommended that you store the jam for long periods of time and be sure to clean them out thoroughly before introducing food.

Create Candle Stands From Perfume Bottle Tops

You could take the lids from glass perfume bottles the next time you find one empty and use them as candle stands or candle holders. If you want these small containers to look really attractive, add decorative elements like flowers or beads on the outside of the base. The decorative piece will help your eye catch the light as it shines through them. The possibilities are endless when it comes to making these and you can use any size or shape of perfume bottle tops that you want.

Use Empty Perfume Bottle Tops As Earring Holders

Instead of recycling your old bottles, why not wear them instead? If they are small and light enough that it. Get creative and try using the stoppers at the top of each bottle as earring holders.

Use Perfume Bottles To Store Glitter

Beautiful bottles make great glitter storage vessels since they are small and have a screw-on top. You can organize the different colors by creating a color code system that is shown by label or lettering, making it easy for you to find what you need in case of emergency (if you’re doing crafts, etc.) The possibilities for this one are endless as well! If you want to make it more complicated than just storing glitter, try using tiny beads too. They will look beautiful – especially if arranged together in a pattern across your table or desk.

Fill with DIY insect repellent

Insects can be a real problem, especially if you have a picnic or barbecue at home and are trying to keep your food protected from insects. You can avoid this by using old perfume bottles as containers for your DIY insect repellent spray.

This is a great idea for those who don’t want to wear repellent but want the benefits. You will need some tea tree oil and peppermint oil mixed with water (the exact ratios depend on your personal preferences). Combine these ingredients into an empty bottle and enjoy the scented oil and its benefits. You’ll feel better knowing that you’re taking precautions against pesky insects in your home environment without using toxic gases.

Store And Display Bath Salts

It’s a good idea to keep bath salts in small containers with lids so that you don’t spill them on the floor or countertop. Why not use vintage perfumes for this purpose? You can take out the interior dropper holder and replace it with a funnel instead, making it easy to access your bath salts when needed. Funky perfume bottles work for this craft as well.

Make them into reed diffusers

This is a really simple project to do and will make your home smell amazing. All you need are some reeds which can be found in craft stores or online stores and a couple of empty perfume bottles. You should fill the lower half of the bottle with warm water (the exact amount depends on how strong you want the scent to be) and then add some essential oils, making sure that each bottle has its own different scent. The longer you leave it, the stronger the fragrance becomes so remember this if you’re giving them as gifts!

Make Perfume Bottle Candles

You can also try making small candles by using old perfume bottles for this purpose. All you need is wax , wicks ,ives and a small funnel . Basically, put some wax in the perfume bottle and then melt it in a double boiler system. Once it is liquid, pour it into the bottle until half full or when you are happy with the thickness of your candle . Then use the funnel to place the wick inside before putting more melted wax on top. This process should be repeated two or three times until your candle is a decent height and thickness which will give off very strong scent.

Can you recycle old perfume bottles?

In theory, it is possible to recycle old perfume bottles. However recent studies have shown that many types of plastics contain hormone-disrupting chemicals, and are most likely not safe for re-use in food and drink packaging. The safest way to dispose of your empty perfume bottle is in the trash.

Should you find that you have some leftover perfume in a bottle that you want to use, it is recommended that you do not dump your perfume down the drain because harmful chemicals can enter the water supply.

If you want to remove the scent of old perfume from your bottles, you can soak them in a mixture of warm water and white vinegar before washing with dishwashing soap and rinsing thoroughly with water. This should help dissolve any remaining particles that have stuck to your bottle over time.

How to paint over old perfume bottles

If you want to repaint an old or plain-looking glass perfume bottle, use a lacquer spray specifically made for plastic containers such as Krylon Looking Glass. These sprays give the final paint job a metallic sparkle look without being too obvious that they’re actually painted plastic.

The key however is to make sure that you start with a very clean surface; otherwise, the paint won’t stick properly once it dries.