Essential Oils (EO) are expensive and it would be a shame to have to throw them away once they have reached their use-by date! Here are some ideas to use out-of-date Essential Oils
To be frank, it is difficult to determine this date exactly as it depends on so many factors – on their quality, the plant that was distilled, how you used it and how you stored it… You can use most essential oils beyond that date… EO, in general, are fine for about 5 years (legal duration), 3 years for citrus ones (zest) and perhaps less still for resinous ones.
What are out-of-date Essential Oils? You can consider it when:
- Its smell has turned
- It has become viscous
- It has a darker colour
If you no longer want to use these EO for yourself, don’t throw them away because they can easily be recycled in the home!! Here are a few “recycling” suggestions.
- Perfume your pots-pourris
- Dilute it in vinegar and add this mixture to water for cleaning the floors
- Make a bottle of vinegar / EO to clean and disinfect toilets
- A few drops in the softener dispenser of your washing machine
- A few drops at the bottom of the rubbish bin to avoid bad odours
- 2 drops to perfume the ironing water
- Make perfumed soaps
- A few drops on a handkerchief or a flat pebble to perfume cupboards
CONSERVATION
- Do not expose to sunlight
Do not store them in a glass cupboard on which the sun shines or a shelf next to a window. They like neither heat nor light. Any source of light or artificial heat is to be banned.
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Choose opaque bottles
The added cardboard packaging of certain brands may result in better conservation if the oil is in clear glass but is it really necessary from an ecological viewpoint?
- Neither heat nor humidity
Avoid storing them in the bathroom. It is far better to store them in a dark, fresh and dry place. We keep Pacific Scents essential oils in a wine cellar. This allows for optimal conservation of the oil and its properties.
- Storing them head up
Some essential oils have a corrosive action and prolonged contact with the plastic dropper tip could harm the bottle.
- Do not put your fingers in the bottle
This is tempting for some oils (rarely the case) that can be applied undiluted to the skin. Your fingers’ contact with the stopper and all the impurities it carries will alter the strength of your essential oil.
- Don’t forget to close it
Aromatic compounds are volatile. Therefore, a bottle should not be left open but should be resealed immediately. Furthermore, the contact with air will provoke oxidation that will eventually shorten the life of your essential oil (this is why it is sometimes advised to pour the remaining content in a smaller bottle when half-empty).
