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Reusing sample atomizers - Page 4

post #181 of 210
8/29/12 at 6:59am
It's a real pain in ass trying to get rid of the smell of the previous fragrance within a used atomizer that it saves a lot of hassle just buying new ones.
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post #182 of 210
8/29/12 at 8:13am
I don't agree.

I, as said, fill it with water (with soap added if you want), let it stay for a day or two and 'spray' it out (or a part of it), then fill again with some clean water, wash out the soap and you are good to go for next frag.
Works for me....
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post #183 of 210
8/29/12 at 9:30am
To eliminate any previous smell just leave the glass part of the atomizer in boiling water. Let the water cool down to ambient temperature and take out the atomizer.
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post #184 of 210
8/29/12 at 2:14pm
buy new ones there really cheap
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post #185 of 210
8/29/12 at 3:53pm
Travalo's aren't...........
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post #186 of 210
8/31/12 at 6:28pm
After washing as thoroughly as possible, set them in direct sunlight for a day or two (or more?).
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post #187 of 210
11/7/12 at 4:53pm
Hey guys, just a quick question. Is it a bad idea to re-use a decant once it is finished with a different scent then what was originally in it ?

I'm assuming trying to clean it will take a while.
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post #188 of 210
11/7/12 at 5:34pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by inc0gnito View Post

Hey guys, just a quick question. Is it a bad idea to re-use a decant once it is finished with a different scent then what was originally in it ?

I'm assuming trying to clean it will take a while.

I think it depends. I heard from a SA once that using saline solution (which you can get for like $1.99 at any drug store) can help flush out stuck on smells in atomizers.
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post #189 of 210
11/7/12 at 5:54pm
I'd say don't do it. You can buy decant bottles quite cheaply. (If you're wondering "where?", I get mine at Accessories for Fragrances.)
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post #190 of 210
11/7/12 at 6:27pm
Witch Hazel you can find at the drugstore is not caustic like alcohol and wouldn't affect a new scent would probably clear them out IMO and it only cost less than $1.50 at Walmart. make sure to let them dry out completely and before pouring out the witch Hazel, turn the atomizer upside down and keep pumping the trigger until it stops squirting to dry out the tube.
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post #191 of 210
11/7/12 at 6:31pm
My hunch is that it could cause an issue by possibly affecting the new scent. Now, if it's glass, I think it's probably much easier to clean well enough that the scent isn't lingering anymore. If it's plastic, however, fragrances tend to "stick" to it much more. I'm not sure if the molecules "bond" with the plastic in some way or not, but there's definitely a difference between glass and plastic.
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post #192 of 210
11/7/12 at 6:37pm
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I have found through repeated experience that I do not have to get obsessive about cleaning my glass decants (plastic I don't reuse). Hot, soapy water wash several times in decant glass and also worked through the spray mechanism 4-5 times followed by a thorough distilled water rinse, then a thorough alcohol wash/spritz and blow dry glass/spritz till dry and I am ready to go. The mini-micro-minute amount of original fragrance that might be left is simply overwhelmed by the relatively infinite amount of the new refill.
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post #193 of 210
11/7/12 at 9:40pm
I do it with glass atomizers and cheaper fragrances.

Here's what I do. Get your sink-water to boiling/hot. Add some baking soda into the atomizer, then fill it with hot water (about 4/5 of the way up). Shake for a few seconds, spray it a few times, and dump the excess. Do this 2-3 times. Finally, rinse with hot water ONLY, until the scent is gone.
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post #194 of 210
11/8/12 at 4:04am
Try to refill it with a scent as much as 'similar' to the previous one after cleaning (eg. citrus with citrus or aromatic fougere with aromatic fougere etc!)
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post #195 of 210
11/8/12 at 4:56am
I reuse my atomizers, but I probably wouldn't do it if I was going to be filling it up with an expensive or rare fragrance. For that, I would spring for a new one. I also try to "align" (citrus in an empty citrus decant sprayer, sweet gourmand in an empty gourmand sprayer, etc..) the fragrances so that if there should their be any temporary cross contamination, it will have negligible impact.

I rinse my atomizers out with soap and water, fill the bottle with water and then pump the spray pump it until the bottle is empty. Thoroughly dry the bottle and sprayer and you are good to go. The first few pumps may be a little off if there is water left in the atomizer/sprayer, but otherwise it should work fine and shouldn't impact the scent that lands on your skin.
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post #196 of 210
11/8/12 at 10:21am
Quote:
Originally Posted by ChickenFreak View Post

I'd say don't do it. You can buy decant bottles quite cheaply. (If you're wondering "where?", I get mine at Accessories for Fragrances.)

Sound advice.
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post #197 of 210
11/8/12 at 4:22pm
Is "Accessories for Fragrances" a store online or something ?
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post #198 of 210
11/8/12 at 5:46pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by inc0gnito View Post

Is "Accessories for Fragrances" a store online or something ?

Yep!
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post #199 of 210
11/12/12 at 8:16am
Not something I would lose sleep over. Just clean the glass atomiser as you would any glass bottle and dry it completely. 99% of the time your nose won't be able to smell the old fragrance over the new. It's your mind you should worry about.
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post #200 of 210
2/3/13 at 3:57am
is it possible to reuse a atomizer that had fragrance in it?
Like just pop open the cap, wash it out with water and soap, let it dry, then pour in a new sample from a vial??

sounds easy enough, anything to be aware of??


thanks
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post #201 of 210
2/3/13 at 4:08am
i do it all the time.once you are done and put a new scent in it usually takes about 5 sprays to get the old scent out of the sprayer, that's the only drawback.
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post #202 of 210
2/3/13 at 4:10am
i am worried about 'cross-contamination' between fragrances.
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post #203 of 210
2/3/13 at 4:23am
I have dozens of used atomizers from samples and decants and such and it seems like such a waste to just throw them out. And if we can clean and sterilize food containers and utensils, than certainly it can be done for a fragrance vial right!?

I found the best solution to be using Fizzy denture cleaning tablets. They are very much like alka-seltzer tablets and really really affordable too.
I will first clean the vials by hand with soap and water and after they are as clean as I think I can get it than I have a foam block I place the atomizers into to hold them and I break off a small piece of the tablet and put it into the vial or atomizer and use a syringe to fill them each up with hot water and let the fizzy action do it's thing.

Results have been 110% positive so far!
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post #204 of 210
2/3/13 at 4:26am
wouldn't vinegar or water and baking soda work to get any remaining smell from the previous frag?
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post #205 of 210
2/3/13 at 6:09am
I use 92% alcohol from Walgrens to flash the bottle and aprayer and works just fine
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post #206 of 210
2/3/13 at 6:57am
I don't use store bought atomizers but imagine there must be many ingenious ways to rid them of a previous smell.
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post #207 of 210
2/3/13 at 7:19am
Anything with plastic will have the risk of cross contamination, since plastic is pourus and can absorb liquid in small quantities.

To me it's not worth the risk, they're so cheap anyways.
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post #208 of 210
2/3/13 at 7:22am
I boil bottles, vials, pipettes, droppers, funnels, atomizers, etc., in a big pot of water & dishwashing detergent. After a thorough rinse and dry, I'll q-tip w/everclear anything that may carry trace scent. I only do this with materials involved in personal consumption only. It works for me.

HOWEVER, I do understand that we all have different sensitivity. If it involves something that will leave the house, I use supplier fresh materials. Little glass vials, plastic atomizers & pippettes aren't that expensive. Depends on level of involvement I guess.
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post #209 of 210
2/3/13 at 3:38pm
I make up a hot water/alcohol mixture. soak them in this, then dry them with a q tip. Afterwards I use a hairdryer to dry them out. It must be dried quick though the no residues from the alcohol stick to the atomizer.

I find this method to work excellently. In fact, Creed has done this, and this is where I learned of the method. Except they use something else that isn't rubbing alcohol to clean it.. I forgot the name of it. It may have been drinking alcohol actually, unscented, I know there's a specific name for it. If you notice some of the Creed samples have stickers over them covering an older name.. just peal the sticker and take a look. When I emailed the Creed boutique and asked for samples, I got some like these. I emailed them back and asked if there was ever the original fragrance behind the sticker, in their. The person said yes, but because of their "natural ingredients" their samples went bad on many, so they disposed of them, cleaned the decants, and reused them.
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post #210 of 210
3/26/13 at 11:11pm
I usually pickup 50 2ml atomizers for around 20$. Check sunburstbottle.com or other recommended on BN. I might not be worth the hassle unless you are in crunch and cant wait on shipping.
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