Hello everyone,
A reed diffuser, a type of room air freshener, draws up fragrance oil through the diffuser sticks and spreads scent. It can create a stylish “scented life.” However, I was wondering if reed diffusers are used in the wrong way.
Where to place the reed diffuser? Wrong installation / What to do if fragrance oil spills. /When to refill oil?
The 16th installment of FRAGRANCE LAB.BLOG, brought to you by fragrance manufacturer ART LAB., discusses the “Wrong ways to use reed diffusers.”
Examples of wrong placement of reed diffusers
The good thing about reed diffusers is that you can easily enjoy the fragrance by inserting sticks into a glass bottle and nothing else. Where do you place your reed diffuser to enjoy its fragrance? The following are some examples of places where reed diffusers should be placed.
Do not place them higher than eye level.
The best place to enjoy the fragrance effectively is where there is moderate air movement, such as where people often pass by, or doors are opened and closed. This is because fragrance components have the characteristic of ascending when volatilizing. It is ideal to place a diffuser below a person’s nose, if placed above that, it is difficult to perceive the fragrance. However, if it is placed on the floor or close to it, might get kicked over and also it should stay away from children or pets’ reach to avoid accidental ingestion.
○ Do not place it near a wall.
The sticks inserted into reed diffusers are soaked with oil, so if they touch a wall, the oil can stain it though the sticks. This can happen when you accidentally move the reed diffuser by a wall when cleaning without noticing that sticks are touching the wall. If such a stain gets on the wall of a rental house, you may be charged for the replacement of the entire wallpaper when you move out. Once the stain is on the wall, it cannot be removed, so it is safer to keep the diffuser away from walls.
○ Be careful of direct wind from air conditioners.
“If the wind from air conditioner hit the diffuser, the fragrance will spread more!? It actually is not a good idea to place a diffuser in a place where it is exposed to a lot of wind. If the air conditioning is too direct, only the solvent that volatilizes the fragrance will decrease, or only the top note of the triangular recipe designed by the perfumer will be reduced, and the result would be “The liquid is reduced too quickly without the fragrance spreading…/ The fragrance of the diffuser has changed…??” It is best to avoid places that are directly exposed to air conditioning.
○ Avoid fire, food, and direct sunlight.
With the exception of some alcohol-free fragrance oils, fragrance oils that contain alcohol to enhance volatilization could cause fire if used near fire, such as candles(such oils are marked as Flammable on the warning label). Another surrounding to be aware of is that if food is left nearby for a long period of time, it may absorb the fragrance and the flavor may change. Reed diffusers, in particular, should be avoided from direct sunlight, as this can enhance the oil to be drawn up by sticks (accelerating capillary action of the sticks) and may cause oil to drip from the sticks.
“Flammable ” near fire.
Place a coaster or similar item underneath to prevent dripping.
Fragrance oils mostly contain oil. If spilled on a wooden table or floor in particular, it may leave a stain because it absorbs oil very well. Some people have reported that when they turned the reed sticks upside down to intensify the fragrance, the oil spilled out and made a stain. We recommend placing a coaster or tray under the diffuser bottle in case of the diffuser to tip over or dripping from sticks. There are many stylish coasters on the market these days, so your favorite coaster and diffuser can be enjoyed together.
What if I spill oil?
If you accidentally spill oil, immediately open a window to ventilate, absorb the spill onto a paper towel, and wipe it off with a new paper towel moistened with water by dabbing on. However, it is difficult to remove the oil completely, so it is safer to use a coaster or tray as mentioned above.
When to refill
○Refilling should be done when all the oil is gone.
We at ART.LAB, including 201LAB, which specializes in selling fragrance oils by weight, encourage sustainable living and have a series of refill oils available. The timing for refill is when all the oil is gone. Refilling while leftover oil is still in the bottle will cause the sticks to absorb less oil and will also affect the fragrance. Reed sticks that have been used for a long period of time will become clogged with fragrance and will not absorb the fragrance well, so the fragrance will not be able to spread in the room. When refilling, the reed sticks should be replaced together with the refill oil.
○What should I do if the oil stays in the bottle for a long period of time?
You might have the experience of oil in the diffuser not being so fragrant even though there is still enough left. Basically, all fragrance oils are designed to be used up, but depending on the environment in which they are used, the oil may stop smelling and remain forever. Please dispose of any oil that has remained for a long time and has changed its fragrance by placing tissues in a bag and let the oil absorbed by them, then empty the bottle. Be careful not to spill the oil when pouring the new refill oil into the bottle. You can again enjoy a fragrant life in a sustainable way.
In this issue of FRAGRANCE LAB.BLOG, we have brought you “The wrong way to use reed diffusers.” Was there any information that was new to you? We hope this was resourceful for using reed diffusers correctly and enjoying “A life with fragrance.”
See you again in the next issue of FRAGRANCE LAB.BLOG.
