Basenotes › Basenotes Forums › Fragrance Discussion › Just Starting Out › Re-Using Sample Vials
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

Re-Using Sample Vials

post #1 of 16
3/29/09 at 11:16am
Thread Starter 
Hey everyone!

I have a glass sample vial that i got from Saks Fifth Avenue which i emptied the juice into a 5mL atomizer. Now i have this empty bottle that i'd love to re-use, since i am trying to send out a sample of an oil fragrance to a friend. Now while hot water and scentless soap took the smell out of the glass, the plastic stopper still maintains some of that Tabarome Millesim scent to it. Is there any way you guys know to remove the scent from plastic? Thanks!
Reply
Reply

Features on Basenotes

Basenotes Reader Awards 2013 - Finalists Announced.
Greatest Hits: Annick Menardo
Petals Falling From The Sky - A Report From The Cote d'Azur's Bataille De Fleurs
post #2 of 16
3/29/09 at 11:35am
I never did succeed with that. That is why I now buy vials from Accessories for Fragrances.com.
Reply
Reply
post #3 of 16
3/29/09 at 12:27pm
Thread Starter 
Hmm, i found the site you were talking about, but you have to buy like 25-100 of the things to order from them. While i can appreciate why (since its about $6 for 25 of them), i really just don't know what i'd do with the other 24...

Did i miss a link for ordering smaller units, or does someone else have another option? If not, this may be my route, just wanted to get more opinions. Thanks!
Reply
Reply
post #4 of 16
3/29/09 at 1:02pm
yes, i've read that re-using anything plastic is not really an option
Reply
Reply
post #5 of 16
3/29/09 at 1:03pm
I found that hot water bath, alcohol bath, then another hot water bath does the trick. I soak the plastic stoppers in alcohol, then cold water, then alcohol again. I always let them air dry for a couple of weeks or more, and so far haven't had any problems (when I smell them up close after this process, I don't detect a scent).
Reply
Reply
post #6 of 16
3/29/09 at 1:05pm
Probably your best bet is to bite the bullet and buy 25 sample vials. If you are active around here, you WILL eventually find a use for the other 24, I can almost guarantee.

Six bucks ain't much. Pull the trigger.

Actually, shell out a bit more and get the 2.5 ml snap-shut plastic atomizers. Spray is always better than spill, and those little 1ml vials are almost too little to really evaluate seriously.
Reply
Reply
post #7 of 16
3/29/09 at 1:13pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr. Feel Good View Post

Hmm, i found the site you were talking about, but you have to buy like 25-100 of the things to order from them. While i can appreciate why (since its about $6 for 25 of them), i really just don't know what i'd do with the other 24...

Did i miss a link for ordering smaller units, or does someone else have another option? If not, this may be my route, just wanted to get more opinions. Thanks!

Ummm, get an order of 25. Once you are well and truly bitten by the perfume bug you'll want/need them. I ordered 25 from those folks and wish I'd ordered more. Any sample that I'm wanting to try gets put into one of the glass vials with a spray top. You'll get better coverage from the spray and your sample will go a bit farther.
Reply
Reply
post #8 of 16
3/29/09 at 1:23pm
I do not have the time or patience to wash, swab with alcohol, let dry...etc. I just buy new ones.
Reply
Reply
post #9 of 16
3/29/09 at 2:20pm
I've tried it just for laughs - bathing them in rubbing alcohol, detergents, hot water, etc.. and there is always a trace of the fragrance left in some part of the apparatus.

I'd have to concur with the folks who advised buying new ones and avoid reusing.
Reply
Reply
post #10 of 16
3/29/09 at 2:41pm
Thread Starter 
Hmm, well, from consensus, looks like i'll just go ahead and grab alot at once and just stash them away somewhere. I'll probably order both the sample vials AND spray bottles, since i'm also dabbling in oil fragrances. A spray top really doesn't matter then and probably would just cost more, as well as get some oil get stuck in the tube and lose it. When you only have 3mL, ya just don't wanna lose ANY of the stuff.

Thank you all for your advice!
Reply
Reply
post #11 of 16
3/29/09 at 2:46pm
when you can´t get the vials fragrance-free how do you manage it with funnels then? i wanted to order a set of vials for my frags but will i have to get some extra funnels (1 for each frag)? because when i order 12 vials from accessories for fragrances i will only get one funnel. or don´t you use a funnel for decanting at all?
Reply
Reply
post #12 of 16
3/29/09 at 2:52pm
You can probably get by without funnels, however, if you need a funnel, don't worry: The funnel isn't in contact with the juice long enough for serious contamination. Just wash it with soap and hot water after using, and it'll be fine.

I never use a funnel myself.
Reply
Reply
post #13 of 16
3/29/09 at 3:37pm
I've also bought from eBay seller "pilotvials":

http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZpil...QQfsooZ1QQrdZ0
Reply
Reply
post #14 of 16
3/29/09 at 3:48pm
You can use those little margarine containers. You hold them on an angle and spray into the bottom, and then you can use a pipette to suck up the juice and insert it into the vial. Pipettes are cheap enough so that you can discard them after each use. The seller who has them cheaply on ebay is galleryofscentz. He's got them at 12 for a dollar or 100 for $8. And he also sells vials. I bought a bunch of Escada Collection vials because that was the only way to get the juice without paying huge prices, so I had a lot of spare vials and experimented until I came up with a process that worked.
Reply
Reply
post #15 of 16
3/29/09 at 4:58pm
Honestly you guys don't need funnels or pipettes to decant. Just line up the holes, stabilize the vial against your pump finger above, and squirt. You'll find the whole shebang moves as a unit with minimal spillage. It takes just seconds to pocket a vial of the SOTD for top ups later. I don't bother labeling or anything, for the day.

I have plenty of new vials, but I reuse them all the time, too. Use hot water and Dawn dish liquid and let them dry someplace warm-- I put them in their little basket on top of my cable box. I grant you sometimes I leave them up there for a week or so but they eventually get put back on my dresser. I've never been able to smell any residual scent after this.

It seems a shame to waste the little dears.
Reply
Reply
post #16 of 16
3/30/09 at 12:07am
http://theperfumedcourt.com/Categori...-Supplies.aspx
Reply
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: Just Starting Out

Features on Basenotes

Basenotes Reader Awards 2013 - Finalists Announced.
Greatest Hits: Annick Menardo
Petals Falling From The Sky - A Report From The Cote d'Azur's Bataille De Fleurs
Basenotes › Basenotes Forums › Fragrance Discussion › Just Starting Out › Re-Using Sample Vials