Reusing Aftershave Bottles

[dangerousdon]

I have some empty aftershave bottles that I want to reuse. They are the flask like bottles that Fine Accoutrements used to use and that many other aftershave brands still use. They did, in fact have Fine aftershave in them (American Blend and Santal Absolute). I have pulled the stopper out, rinsed them in hot water, soaked them in heavily saturated oxyclean water, and ran them through the dishwater. They still smell like a full bottle of aftershave...not that it is a bad thing.

I was wondering if any of you fine gents have a tried and true method for taking aftershave odors out of glass bottles? If not, no biggie. I am putting other aftershaves in them (Bootlegger's Bay Rum and other Bootlegger aftershaves, Avon aftershaves, and other blends). So if the scent doesn't come out of the bottle, I will just match scents as best I can and hope for the best. Not that I wouldn't mind a Santal Absolute scented Bootlegger's Bay Rum...hmmmm....that gives me an idea!

 

[Graybeard57]

Have you tried rubbing alcohol? I add about 1/4 - 1/3 full of rubbing alcohol, putting the cap back on, shaking vigorously, then emptying it out works very well.

 

[G.W.]

+1 on the alcohol, that's what I use too.

 

[TheVez2]

No smells should stick to glass. Just about any cleaning method should get those residual smells out. Plastic can be trickier. What I have always done for vintage bottles, is to first clean them out with dish soap, then clean them out using scrubbing bubbles. That always takes care of everything.

 

[Jaidmaster]

Plastic can be trickier.

Yes - this is very true! Are you smelling the plastic stopper?
I usually use alcohol and shake and dump a couple times.
Soak that stopped and the cap as that could be where the smell is coming from.
Also be sure that little plastic ring is taken off from around the neck of the bottle as it could be retaining some scent also.
In the end, once you put the new AS in, I doubt the old scent will last too long.
Good luck!

 

[Try em all]

Alcohol. Shake well & let it sit for a few days.

 

[dangerousdon]

Thanks guys! I'll try the alcohol bit first and then KJ'S method if thst doesn't work. Cap, stopper, and plastic ring have all been taken off. I do expect a little residual smell from those items. But I am telling you, the AS scent is very strong coming out of the bottle itself.

 

[Mr. Bonney]

Wash with dish soap and water, rinse well, then rinse again with a pinch of Everclear and let air dry. Hasn't failed me yet on glass bottles.

 

[dangerousdon]

Thanks guys! Looks like the the alcohol did the trick! Well at least mostly...I still pick up a faint AS scent, but it's not nearly as noticeable. Chock another win up to Team B&B!

 

[Graybeard57]

So, can we say that alcohol solves all of our problems? Perhaps this thread belongs in Speakeasy?

 

[dangerousdon]

 

[ninjastyle]

Bleach?

 

[rockviper]

I just rinse with tap-hot water and let the bottle air dry before refilling with a different aftershave.

 

[Mr. Bonney]

Reusing A/S bottles is one of the perks for me with fragrance. Especially the old Avon glass cars.

Take Clubman A/S - you want to decant it out of it's plastic bottle and get it into glass. Pulled some clean Avon cars out, and did the switch, paying attention to fragrance vs. bottle color. Plus, many of the Avon decanters used common-sized caps of different styles and colors. Mix and match and you get bottles that stand out on the shelf and you know exactly what's in their (Little labels taped to the bottle help failing memories).

I gotta say that my clear Cadillac bottle with a transplanted red trunk cap displays my Clubman Musk beautifully. And my Clubman SR is in a black glass car bottle - dark and mysterious as SR is!

 

[Ad Astra]

Was going to say, a baking soda solution.

The flask-type bottles do store efficiently in a shave den cabinet.


AA

 

[Useless shaver]

So, can we say that alcohol solves all of our problems? Perhaps this thread belongs in Speakeasy?

He he he....