How can I reuse or recycle pretty old perfume bottles?
We’ve had an email from Jenny asking:
I have some old perfume bottles, they are so pretty they shouldn’t just be thrown in the normal glass recycling.
Is there anything I can do with them, other that just display as an ornament. I don’t want to do this, as I hate clutter. Any ideas?
For starters, some of the Tabasco sauce bottle ideas might apply here too – since both are small, pretty glass bottles with a tiny-teeny neck.
For sprays, I also like DJ’s idea on the pump action spray bottle page – fill the bottle with water to use as a cooling spray mist on hot days. Taking that a step further, you could refill the bottles by making your own scented body or room sprays using essential oils – if that’s not your sort of thing, you could maybe offer the empty, clean bottles on Freecycle to someone in your area who would like to do that.
Any other ideas?
You could sell them on ebay , ebid or another venue. Charity shops may like them too. There are lots of collectors of old bottles out there.
Make ornaments of the smaller ones… Turn the larger ones into fancy snow globes…… Or add some old broken jewelry to the outside… voila…. Bling Bottle Paperweights!
I was thinking that perhaps you could put lotion or liquid soap inside and fit a pump on it, so it could be beside the bathroom sink, functional but beautiful. All depends on finding a pump to fit…
When I was at nursery school, we had some big empty perfume bottles to smell.
This was a long time ago, and it might not be allowed now, though — small bottles and lids would be a choking hazard; and it wouldn’t be so good for kids with chemical sensitivites.
For those of us who are bitten by mosquitoes in the night alot – and spray repellent stuff around everywhere – and then take a breath and think – ugh what am I breathing in *choking noise ensues* ….anyway , how about filling them with mosquito repelling essential oils / herbal teas etc. and spraying that around – It would work the same way for oils and stuff to make the room smell nice :)
Pump style ones can be used to mist plants in the window. I keep a bottle like this in every window with plants. Looks pretty and i don’t have to run around the house looking for a misting bottle.
Is it safe to use it for lotions? Just after rinsing it with water?
I have a few ideas. I use my most beautiful empty perfume bottles to make christmas ornaments. The ovely glass bottles are beautiful on the tree when all the lights are on or off. Also, they make great sun catchers. Creat the design you like and hang them in a sunny window or a sunny spot in the yard and look at them sparkle and make beatiful colors reflect everywhere. If anyone else has any good ideas please.ladyshewolfwitch@aol.com
PS..if your wiccan like me, some of them are good for potions, hold herbs or creating your own essential oils.