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Many readers have written me the past few months about spray bottles. What are the best spray bottles for homemade solutions?
Since so many want to know more, we have an entire post today dedicated to helping you pick the best spray bottles!
If you own our book, Chemistry Hacks for Home and Outdoors, you can really use almost any type of bottle. All of our solutions are safe and mild, so it works for plastics, glass, and even leftover bottles you may have.
For our solutions, it is important to think about what type of spray nozzle you need. Depending on how thick something is or what it contains, you need to go with an effective bottle. This goes for any homemade solution you want to make.
You can reference this post forever. I will always keep it updated with the most affordable and available bottles.
The BEST Spray Bottles for Homemade Solutions
For Basic Cleaning Solutions
This goes for alcohol based solutions, vinegar solutions, or anything with a thinner consistency. Look for sturdy spray nozzles and chemical grade plastic or glass (FYI almost all spray bottles made for cleaning or beauty solutions will be chemical grade, even those from leftover bottles). If a bottle mentions it is safe for chemicals, fertilizers, or cleaners, then it is chemical grade.
The glass spray bottles I use are these clear ones and the amber ones. This one is one of my favorites. It will also work for thicker solutions, like fertilizers.
For Gardening Solutions
When making your own weed killer, Epsom salt spray, or something else that may be more thick, you definitely want something with a wide tube and spray nozzle.
The biggest problem readers encounter is trying to spray a salt solution from an expensive spray bottle with a filter….it doesn’t work. Instead of high quality, you really just need something with a wide tube. And if all else fails, you can use squirt bottles made for saline solutions or even condiments. Those work great!
Did you know climate will play a big factor in spray bottles getting clogged? Many readers come to us with issues of salt clogging the spray bottle when they use our weed killer or ant killer recipe. I have never had an issue with this, but your climate can make this a challenge. Try storing salt based solutions with the nozzle removed. Also, rinse the nozzle in warm water after each use.
For Anything Using Essential Oils
There are only a few solutions from our eBook that need essential oils. One being the DIY Pine-Sol (which smells AMAZING). I typically make this Pine-Sol in a big bucket and wash floors with it. If you want to make a spray, you will need to make sure it’s a good spray bottle. This goes with any essential oil based cleaner.
It is very unlikely your solutions will be potent enough or stored long enough to eat through plastic, but it is better to be safe. Using glass is the safest bet for essential oil cleaners.
My personal favorite is the amber glass bottles. Not only will these work for essential oils, but also any cleaner with peroxide.
I make all my extracts in amber bottles to eliminate light decomposing the substance. This is good for essential oils too!
Chemist Tip for Spray Bottle Use
In addition to using the right spray bottle, keep in mind that storage is important for homemade solutions. If you keep a bottle of homemade solution in a warm area, like by the oven or on the oven, it can decompose quicker.
Always store your homemade spray bottles and solutions in a cool, dark place. I keep all of mine in the cabinet below the sink to make sure they stay fresh.
Another quick chemist tip is to always give your spray bottle a nice hard shake before spraying. This is especially true for any salt based cleaner 🙂
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Pinning! Thanks for the expert tips.
Thanks Lisa! Hope it comes in handy 🙂
Hi Alexis… This is such great info. I, too, had been wondering about what type of spray bottles to use for the DIY solutions, like if the vinegar would corrode the nozzle parts, “compatibility” with the bottle materials, etc. You’re the go to gal! Thank you!
Thanks Laurie!!! There are so many different options out there, so it is great to know what works best 🙂
I have an aluminum spray bottle that I bought because it was pretty but I’m afraid to put any of my homemade cleaners in it because I don’t know how it will hold up.. I heard that it’s not good for some essential oils but would vinegarv have any effect on it?
Aluminum is reactive to vinegar, so it is best not to store vinegar in it. Essential oils work best stored in glass. You can store simple dish soap/alcohol cleaners in the aluminum bottle
This is definitely good to know! I always buy the cheapie ones and the nozzles always end up breaking. It’s so annoying! <3, Pamela Sequins & Sea Breezes
That’s always the worst! I love ones that work well, but are too complicated lol
Total game changer! Pinning <3
Green Fashionista
It is so helpful using the right ones 🙂
What a helpful post, Alexis! Thanks for sharing! xo – Brenda // ChattingOverChocolate.com
Thanks Brenda!!! 🙂
What about the nozzle? One company said not to use essential oils with their spray nozzles. If the bottle needs to be glass, is there a certain type of plastic the nozzle needs to be made of?
The ones under the essential oil section, like the glass bottles, have nozzles that are specialized for essential oils. The only thing that can hinder the spray nozzles is if you are using very strong solutions. I just use any nozzle it comes with, and it isn’t an issue. All of our recipes are dilute enough to be safe through any type 🙂
I make an essential oil body spray for my hubby, and i suppose it does have a fair amount of EO’s in it, he likes it strong. But the oils are breaking down my spray tops fast, and they stop working. Should I be adding anytigng in besides the oils and water, that may help? I do add a pinch of salt too. Any suggestions would be helpful, as I am at a loss.
These glass spray bottles have pretty good and sturdy nozzles. I haven’t had them break down. There isn’t anything you can add to the solutions to make it better, but definitely get strong and thick nozzles. Many times, the bottles will say it’s good for essential oils too 🙂
I bought a round up pump sprayer and after mixing the homemade weed killer it stopped spraying within 30 seconds.
What is the fix for this? Can I still use a pump sprayer or must I buy another sprayer. A pump sprayer is easier because I have a large area that needs to be sprayed.
This doesn’t do good in a pump sprayer since they are usually so small. You can soak the nozzle in hot soapy water, or hot vinegar and soap to declog it. Also try shaking vigorously before spraying each time. A few of my readers use a pump spray, but have to shake it often to keep the salt spread evenly.
Do you have a recommendation for applying this weed killer to an entire yard? We live in new construction and need to clear out a forest of weeds to prep for our yard. If not a pump sprayer, what next? Thanks!!
I’ve never done that before, but many of our readers have used a pump sprayer for this! You can make a gallon or however much the sprayer holds. Some readers have reported the sprayer gets clogged after a little bit, but running some warm water through it will help
Best one for bleachy water to spot spray clothing? It seems to rust out conventional spray heads. Perhaps, I just need to clen out and flush after each use, but what a pain.
Plastic will be the best bet since anything with metal will rust quickly. Cleaning it after each use is probably best as well since bleach eats away things
I like to keep a spray not with a dilute bleach solution in my kitchen but the bleach eats through the lids and sprayers. Do you have a recommendation of a one that will withstand bleach?
Most bottles labeled chemical grade or chemical resistant should work for bleach that is diluted. Bleach is very caustic, so it eats away many things. Some brands also specifically label their product safe for bleach
“For anything with essential oils…”
Immediately done reading at that point.
No REAL chemist would ever promote the use of essential oils.
Lol okay… We use essential oils for scent. Also, when I was getting my chemistry degree, we literally made essential oils in lab. Thank you! You won’t get this reply since your email isn’t real. But in case you come back in read it, thought I would reply.
I make my own mozzies spray with eucalyptus oil, detol, and water equal parts i am looking for a spray bottle that will handle the mixture as the cheap ones stop working after awhile I think due to the eucalyptus oil any ideas
I use the glass spray bottles for all essential oil based cleaners and they last for years for me. I also make my solutions in smaller batches so they won’t be stored for too long
We have been looking for a spray bottle for our part vinegar solutions for some time now but they all malfunction after spraying just a day or 2. The bottles you suggested look like some of the ones we have used but they were no good. The one you suggested you liked the most, can it stand up to part vinegar solutions? I don’t want to buy any more that are just going to stop working.
Hi Susan! What else are you mixing up in these vinegar solutions? Vinegar by itself shouldn’t have any bearing on the mechanism of a sprayer unless it is also mixed with something else. Also, climate does play a role in homemade solutions and how they spray.
I use vinegar, some soap and water. That’s it. I might try and get your fav one and see how it holds up. I live in MD near DC. Our climate is hot and humid in summer and wet and cool fall/spring mosty.
I’ll let you know how your fav bottle holds up.
Okay, more than likely it is the soap that is causing issues. And that will be due to climate more than anything! You might try running spray nozzle under hot water every couple of uses to prevent build up of soap inside and see if that can help too. Feel free to reach back out after you get a new bottle and we can see what to do!
Look out for even bottles that CLAIM to be for a “wide range of chemicals” – which is the EXACT quote on the HDX sprayers from Home Depot. Have used THREE now, with diluted vinegar (50/50 or less vinegar) and EACH has a cheap rubber seal/grommet inside that disintegrates rapidly. Waste of money and materials they make them with. ABSOLUTELY not the chemical grade.
Thanks for sharing! Yes, many of the plastics in these bottles will break down with acid storage and just fall apart.
I been dying to figure out a diy house cleaning disinfectant spray that will leave my house smelling delicious for longer than the actual time you sprayed and cleaned ? I want one where it’ll leave a strong good smelling clean scent
The best DIY disinfectant is infused rubbing alcohol. Recipe is in this blog post.
hank you for this insightful article on the best spray bottles. It’s crucial to have reliable tools for various tasks, and I’m glad to know that Plastic Bottles and Buckets packnet offers high-quality options. This information is valuable for making informed choices and ensuring that our spray bottles are both efficient and long-lasting.