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What to Do With Old Perfume? (10 Tips)

You just realized your perfume is as old as your Maltese. Big oof! You better do something about that.

One thing you shouldn’t do is pour it down the drain. That’ll only mess up your water system.

It’s best if you give it away. It’s still good enough for that right?

If you’re not too sure about that, let’s take a little detour.

When is a Perfume Considered Old?

The average shelf life falls around the 3–5-year range and the easiest way to distinguish old from expired perfume is the scent.

For some, the fragrance notes evolve into something else—something sour or even repugnant. For others, the scent is simply faded away.

Both mean that your perfume is old.

10 Tips What to Do with Old Perfume

1. Sell It

I know this is probably not the best start considering this is a post on how to actually use it.

However, here’s the thing: some perfumes are not in store anymore, and if what you own is now rare, a clever solution would be to sell it to fragrance enthusiasts. The same goes for your perfume bottles.

You’ll make a profit on it too considering it being hard to find. It’s a win for all parties involved.

2. Jazz Up Your Humidifier

Wanna dream of heaven? Try sleeping with a vanilla-infused humidifier.

Just make sure you do it the right way.

3. Use It as Air Freshener

Speaking of scented rooms, it’s quite easy to turn a perfume into your home’s default scent.

Here are three simple steps for you to follow.

  • Wash an unused spray bottle.
  • Dilute a tiny amount of the perfume into ½ cup of water. Note: You can also add essential oils.
  • Get to spraying.

4. Take It Out for a Sweet Ride

Yes, the pun there was totally intended. Bad jokes aside, who doesn’t love a car with a sweet, memorable fragrance.

To do this, simply pop open your bottle of perfume and let the fragrance slowly soothe into the car.

You can also get an ornament, say a cute stuffed animal, and spray a small amount on it. Hang it inside the car.

5. Freshen Up Your Carpet

It’s an unconventional way to go about it but hey, we’ve got a number of perfume bottles laying around. We might as well be creative about it.

What you’ll need is your bottle of perfume and some baking soda. Essential oils are a perfect fit in this situation provided you’re not using tea tree oil. It can be harmful to pets.

Mix the two, pouring in ½ a cup of baking soda and 20-30 drops of the essential oil.

After about 24 hours, sprinkle the mixture on the carpet. Finally, get to vacuuming.

Your carpet will smell as fresh as ever. Plus you also get rid of unwanted dust.

6. Make Some Scented Lotion

Add the tiniest amount of the perfume into some cream and voila! You’ve managed to turn cream into lotion.

7. Get Your Undies Smelling Great

If the perfume bottle is pocket-sized, why not throw it into your linen and underwear drawer?

While you’re at it, go ahead and spritz some more into your hot steamy bath—straight from soaking in elegance to strolling in elegance.

8. Use It On Your Hair

If the perfume isn’t good enough anymore on your skin, why not spritz it on your hair?

9. Spray on Your Bedding

The air freshener was a great hack on how to make your house and/or room smell fresh and cozy, and sometimes, sprays on specific surfaces can just be as good.

If you don’t subscribe to the idea of spraying bed sheets and pillows, try spraying the mattress when changing the bedding.

10. Mix It Up a Bit

It might seem unusual, but if you have scents and fragrances that have similar tones, the idea is to try mixing them into one joint scent. Lavender and bergamot, for example, often blend well.

You can go a bit further and try pairing up fragrances that seem uncomplimentary. Take notes; you might be surprised at what you could potentially create.

What to Do With Empty Perfume Bottles?

You just used up all your old, leftover perfume. You now need to do something about those empty perfume bottles and free up some space.

Luckily for you, there’s an endless list of what you can create with them. Here are some ideas that you can use to fire up your creativity.

  • Use an empty perfume bottle as a reed diffuser. Fill it with your favorite room spray and insert some reeds or wooden skewers into the solution—the rest is magic.
  • Display some beautiful flowers by using the bottle as a flower vase.
  • Recycle your old perfume bottles by disposing of them in a recycling bin.
  • Save some money and turn your collection into classy candle holders.
  • Use the perfume bottles as vessels to hold your favorite homemade perfumes.
  • Make some money by selling rare perfume bottles, or give them away for free.
  • Use your favorite ones as decorative elements.
  • Fill in a string light into the empty perfume bottle.
  • Save money by converting the perfume bottle into a candle burner.
  • Turn the perfume bottle into a beautiful piece of art.

The Bottom Line

If you’re not that crazy about fragrances but keep on finding a bottle of old perfume in your drawers and personal space, it’s time for you to stop buying more than you need.

And, if you feel like you can’t, don’t waste it. You can always come back to this post if you’re looking for ways to get rid of unused perfumes.

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