It is not uncommon for essential oil users to have essential oil bottles scattered all over the house, grouped in clusters on countertops, or piled in drawers or cabinets. Some of these bottles may even be empty or unlabeled; and you probably have a variety of sizes from tiny 1/4 dram sample bottles to larger spray bottles. Does this scenario sound like your home? If so, it may be a worthy goal this year to organize your oils so that you know where to find the oils you need when a small emergency happens.

We’ve compiled a simple 8-step organization project that can help you gain control of your oil bottle chaos. This project will help you establish an organized “main stash” where you may want to keep some of all your various oils and then smaller stashes where you can store smaller quantities of your most frequently used oils in cases or racks throughout your home.

Step 1: Round up all of your oil bottles.

Walk around your house, and gather all of your essential oil bottles. You may even need to look in the car, your purse, junk drawers, etc.

Step 2: Get an up-cycle bin.

Find a bin that you can store your empty oil bottles in. Many of these bottles can be cleaned and repurposed. Sort through your essential oil bottles, and pull out all of the empty bottles. Place them in this bin for future use.

Step 3: Make sure all the bottles are labeled.

Chances are you have bottles that don’t have labels or bottles that have labels that are worn off or handwritten and smeared by oily hands. You will want to make sure your bottles are labeled correctly so you aren’t guessing when the time comes to use them. Click here to find some blank labels or pre-printed labels.

Step 4: Find a place to keep your main stash.

If you haven’t already done this, determine where you want to keep the majority of your oils. Keep in mind that it is best to store oils out of direct sunlight and in a relatively cool place. One of our employees suggests keeping at least one bottle of all your oils here so if you need something, you always know the best place to look. This can also be the refill station if your other bottles around the house get empty.

Step 5: Get a large rack or case to store your main stash.

With all the oil bottles that will likely be placed here, you will want to find an organized way to store them so you can find the oils you need in a hurry. Abundant Health™ has a variety of large racks or cases for this purpose.

Some case options allow easy viewing of the labels on the sides of bottles. Other options may need labels for the bottle caps for easy identification.

Step 6: Get smaller cases or racks for storing oils in various locations throughout your home.

Small sample bottle cases, such as this keychain case, work well for storing oils in your purse. These small racks are great for displaying your cooking oils. One of our employees also suggests keeping dropper caps on your cooking oil bottles so that you can easily get a single drop out or be able to dip a toothpick in the oil while cooking. Depending on your style, these cases are also great for traveling or for keeping oils in the bathroom, by diffusers, or on nightstands.

Step 7: Prepare essential oil bottles for use in various places.

For example, you may want lemon essential oil to be with your cooking essential oils in the kitchen, and you may also want it by your diffuser in the living room. And if you need to use lemon oil for injuries and such, you will want to have some handy in your main oil stash. If you have lemon oil bottles in your up-cycle bin, just transfer smaller amounts of your oil into these bottles to keep in the other locations. If you don’t have any empty bottles, you can always find some here. Abundant Health™ also carries sample size bottles that are convenient to have when you only need a small amount of oil. Using disposable plastic pipettes is an easy way to transfer oils without making a mess.

Step 8: Place the newly organized essential oil cases & racks in their designated locations, and enjoy the feeling of a job well done!

We are planning a post on ways to up-cycle your essential oil bottles. Would you like to share some of the ways or ideas you have for reusing your essential oil bottles?