A Reed Diffuser is a small device that pumps out scents by dissipation without using heat, vibration, or fire. It’s an easy way to make your home smell great without having to light candles or open up the windows.
The only problem?
However, Reed Diffusers can get pretty messy.
First, there is the likelihood of spillages. Then if you don’t clean them regularly, they’ll start smelling like old perfume mixed with cooking oil and will leave an oily residue on everything it touches.
What should you do? Read the tips below on how to clean Reed Diffuser oil.
Contents
Why Spillages Are A Likelihood With Reed Diffusers?
The reason for this is self-evident: the bottle is always open.
The functionality of Reed Diffusers is dependent on the openness of the bottle. This allows the reeds to hang freely, dispersing the fragrant molecules into the air. As a result, if you knock over a Reed Diffuser bottle, some, most, or all of the oil concentrate will spill on the surface.
Then there’s the clincher:
When you take a small amount of diffuser oil concentrate, it smells divine, but imagine the entire concentrate on your carpet, couch, or table. Can you imagine the aroma that fills the room? It is undeniably intense. In some cases, it may cause a nauseating feeling that causes your head to spin. The cleaning part of this ordeal is the worst!
Why?
The reason is that the normal wiping of water will not suffice. Sure, it may get that excess oil out of the surface, but it will not do a good job. Then the other evident concern is the staining of the surface or fabric.
So what can you do to get that smell and stain off?
Keep reading to find out.
How to Clean An Oil Spill From A Reed Diffuser?
Oils happen to be stubborn when you are using water to clean them. And just from the elementary science that water and oil do not mix, forces you to look for alternatives. Luckily, thanks to advanced science, the trick is in finding a cleanser that emulsifies the oil.
An emulsion is a mixture of two substances that do not mix well. When the particles are so small, they will remain as an emulsion for up to a few days at least. The most common example would be oil and water, which separate when mixed but turn into one fluid called an “emulsified” solution in this instance.
And so, when you use such a cleanser, you can get most if not all of the diffuser oil out.
On that note, here are the steps you follow to get all of the spilled diffuser oil out:
First Step
You’ll need cat litter or cornflour for this first step. Cover the spilled oil evenly with either product and set it aside for thirty minutes. During this time, the corn starch or kitty litter you use will absorb any oily residue on the surface.
Second Step
Using dry paper towels, direct the oil-saturated litter or cornflour onto a shovel or rigid cardboard box. Then, in a dumpster and dispose of the soiled litter or corn starch.
Third Step
By now, most of the visible oil spillage should be gone; however, you will still have a strong scent lingering. For this step, use liquid dishwashing detergent on the surface of the spillage. Then proceed to wet a sponge with warm water and scrub the spill.
You should do this step if the spillage is on a carpet or a solid surface like a floor or tabletop.
Fourth Step
You will need to get some hot water to wash the sponge to expel all the oil it has already soaked up. You will repeat the scrubbing as many times as possible to remove all of the oil.
Fifth Step
After it is evident that you have wiped off all of the oil, dry the area with a dry towel. You may use your fingers to test if all the oil is off. If you feel some stickiness, you should repeat the scrubbing until the surface is clean. Use a new batch of hot water.
How to Get Reed Diffusers Oil Out of Clothes?
Whenever you spill Reed Diffusers oil on any of your clothing, including bedding, use the following steps to clean it off.
First Step
The very instant the reed oil spills on the piece of clothing, grab a paper towel and blot the excess off. You should repeat this step until the paper towel cannot collect any more oil from the piece of clothing.
Second Step
Soak the piece of clothing into cool water for about half an hour.
Third Step
After 30 minutes, wring out all the water and place a drop or two of shampoo on the stain. You may also use dishwashing detergent on the same spot if you do not have shampoo. Both products will emulsify the oil right off the cloth because they have a unique formula that allows them to do so.
Fourth Step
On the place you have put the drop of soap, scrub with a gentle brush like a toothbrush. Then let it set in for about 30 minutes before washing it off. Alternatively, if you have a fabric stain remover that works on oily stains, use it.
Fifth Step
Wash the piece of clothing as you would normally do when doing laundry. After that, air dry the cloth and check if the stain is entirely off. If it is still there, sponge the stain using a commercial grease solvent and air dry the solvent.
It might have a strong smell that needs to dissipate completely, and that is why your air dry it first. After that, wash the cloth yet again. After these steps, you ought to have removed the stain.
How to Remove Reed Diffusers Oil From Walls?
Under this section, you will find specific remedies if the Reed Diffuser fell from a higher surface and part of the oil spill on the walls. These ingredients are the ones you use in general for all kinds of lipids: cooking, topical, and Reed Diffuser oil.
All in all, here are some of the items you can use to clean the Reed Diffusers off the walls. Plus, how you use it to get the oil off the wall.
Dish Soap
This is the first item that you use immediately after the Reed Diffusers oil spills on your wall. It works fine if the oil has not yet soaked into the wall to leave a stain.
The first thing you do is wipe off the oil with a rug that you have wrung from hot water. Then after the first wipe, apply a drop or two of the dish soap and scrub off the remaining oil, if any.
White Vinegar
When using white vinegar, you simply place a few MLS of white vinegar on a sponge and rub the stain off. White vinegar works well on oils spill a few hours after it has occurred.
It works well because it has an acidic element, acetic acid, that breaks down oil.
Corn Starch
You use corn starch or flour when the stain has set in over a day. Make a paste by mixing these powders with water. Then proceed to spread the mixture onto the stain and let it sit for about ten minutes.
If the stain was there longer, leave the paste there overnight. To remove the past, use a damp cloth to wipe it off. If the first time is not enough, repeat this step as many times as you need.
Baking Soda
The last ingredient you can use to clean off Reed Diffuser oil from a wall is baking soda. Mix the powder with water and scrub the stain off. You need to be gentle and use a soft brush that will not damage the paint. And wipe it off after you are satisfied with the stain removal.
How to Clean Reed Diffusers Oil From Other Surfaces
Here are other extra surfaces that Reed Diffusers oil may spill as well and how to remove the stain:
Wallpaper
When the Reed Diffuser oil soaks into the wallpaper for too long, you may have to change the wallpaper since the damage is far along. But if you catch it early enough, you can heat the stain using an iron. The heat will try to absorb the oil.
However, if it does not work, you have to replace the wallpaper.
Wood Panels
If the Reed Diffuser oil gets on any wood panel, timing is everything. And this is because the oils stain the wooden surface pretty fast. You may use any of the cleansers we have mentioned above. But if they are not helpful, try using mineral spirits or lacquer thinners.
If this is not successful, proceed to coal the entire paneling using penetrating or oil vanishing to take up the stain’s hue. This way, no one will know there was a stain there. Plus, it is a future problem-solver in case of the Reed Diffuser oil spills again.
Take Away
We all understand that an oil spill is a pesky mess that no one wants to deal with, but now you have the remedies. It might not save your fragrant Reed Diffuser oil, but it will help you maintain the surface.
Afterward, get a new Reed Diffuser bottle and ensure you place it in a secure place that no one or anything will knock it down.
I currently work as a medical receptionist, but my ultimate goal is to work as an occupational therapy assistant. Helping others achieve a better quality of life is something I’m after. That’s one of the main reasons I started this blog. Learn more about me.