Imagine stepping into your house after a tiring day at work and being greeted by the instantly-relaxing scent of lavender. Or maybe you’ve just returned from a trip and are welcomed home with notes of grapefruit, orange zest, and warm amber, magical and cheery fragrances that extend the pleasant feeling of being on vacation. You can create these kinds of moments, all with the help of a low-cost, elegantly designed reed diffuser.

Rattan reed diffusers produce ambiance in your home by filling your room with intoxicating fragrances, leading to a powerful and sometimes even emotional effect whenever you enter your room. Their simple look can contribute to a wellness-forward aesthetic in your home. 

You may be wondering, how long do reed diffusers last? The answer is, our diffusers are designed to be used for months at a time. That said, there are steps that you can take to make sure your product lasts longer and works optimally. Keep reading for our guide to extending the life of your diffuser.

Why Use a Reed Diffuser?

The job of a reed diffuser is to help support the creation of a calming environment within your home by dispersing scents into the air. Natural reed diffusers include three essential parts:

• The glass bottle that holds the oil
• The fragrance-containing oil
• The porous, natural reeds, made of rattan, wood, or bamboo

Reed diffusers are one of the most practical ways to create a relaxing, scent-filled space within your home. The controversy of a diffuser vs candle, depends on personal preference. Sometimes, it just doesn’t make sense to keep open flames around, particularly when there are small children or pets in the house. In addition, reed diffusers don’t need to be dismantled when you leave for the day—they’re perfectly safe to continue scenting your room while you’re gone, creating a calming ambience upon your return. 

So, how do reed diffusers work? Well, a good reed diffuser will create a pleasing effect by evenly dispersing the fragrance release into the room. However, the amount of time that the diffuser lasts can vary widely, depending on the climate of your room, where the diffuser is placed, and how well it is maintained. 

How Long Will My Reed Diffuser Last?

Our 7.85 fluid ounce diffuser sets will last for several months. 

Exactly how long it lasts, however, can depend in large part upon the conditions within the room where you choose to set up your diffuser. Proper care, too, can lead to additional hours of enjoyment. 

The key to extending the lifetime of your diffuser lies in knowing 

1. How to place it in an environment within your home for maximum enjoyment
2. Taking the correct steps to maintain its optimal working condition at all times. 

What Do We Mean By Room Conditions?

Depending on where in the country you reside, several factors may work with or against you when it comes to optimally maintaining it to enjoy the diffuser benefits. These include:

• The wind – While the look of a diffuser mounted on a windowsill is lovely, opening that window may allow a draft to circulate within the room, which will speed the evaporation of the oil.
  
  
• The temperature of the room – Warmer temperatures generally lead to faster burning diffusers. Never position your diffuser near an open flame or source of heat, such as a stove or lamp. Direct sunlight is also not recommended. Instead, try to place your diffuser in a cool, shaded area of the house.

• Humidity – Air that contains more moisture holds scents longer. In addition, dry air will make the essential oil in your diffuser evaporate more quickly. You will likely get better results from your diffuser by  placing it in areas of the house that are less dry, like the bathroom, or in locations that are closer to the ceiling, where there is often a little more moisture in the air.

While these environmental factors are important, there are other concerns that should be taken into account when thinking about how to attain wonderful results. Below, we’ll go over other points for making your diffuser last longer.

Our Tips for Improving the Longevity of Your Diffuser

Diffusers work best when matched to your room and your mood, and with proper care, you can enjoy months of fragrance in your favorite spaces. 

Here are our tips for getting more from your reed diffuser:

• Don’t dilute the oil – While it’s fine to mix and match essential oils to create bold new fragrances of your own, you should never dilute the oil with water. Water molecules won’t stick to oil molecules, which means that you may end up with a less-than-ideal two-part concoction in your diffuser. Additionally, water can also affect the quality of the reeds.

• Replace the oil at the proper time – Our diffusers and reeds work together at their best when the oil in the bottle is at an optimal height. Add more oil when the reed diffuser bottle is half empty. If you don’t need a whole new diffuser set, you can find our collection of Diffuser Oil Refills on the Archipelago website.

• Flip the reeds every two weeks – Did you know that flipping the reeds every two weeks can help boost the intensity of the fragrance within the room? By doing this, you get the most out of your reeds. Additionally, you can add or subtract reeds from your diffuser to create a more powerful or more subtle scent.

Proper maintenance of the reeds should not be overlooked. Our best practices for caring for your diffuser reeds can be found in the next section.

How Often Should I Flip My Diffuser’s Reeds?

Reed diffusers can receive a boost by flipping their reeds every now and then. This improves the transfer of the essential oil into the room.

Our natural reeds spread fragrance by soaking up the oils in the reed diffuser bottle and suffusing it throughout your room. These reeds can become clogged, so we recommend flipping them about every two weeks to help the fragrance circulate in the room. Keep in mind that essential oils can stain some furniture, so it is best to do this over a sink or cloth.

The number of reeds used in a scented diffuser can also affect the speed at which the oil is used, as well as the strength of the fragrance in the room. It may be useful to use fewer reeds if:

• The room is smaller
• The oil isn’t lasting very long
• The scent is bolder (think lavender or tobacco flower)

We find that the number of reeds that our customers use ranges widely based on the unique characteristics of their homes as well as their personal preferences. We recommend experimenting for yourself with the number of reeds you use, in addition to seeking out fragrances that suit you and your room. Used reed diffuser sticks should be replaced every six months. Our replacement sets include ten new reeds and can be found online.

Finding the Right Scent for Your Diffuser

Choosing a fragrance is a very personal decision that may depend on things like how you want your mood to be affected, favorite or nostalgic fragrances from childhood or behavioral enhancements you wish to promote, like alertness or relaxation.

Fragrances can be harnessed for other purposes as well, and their exact effects can depend on the emotional and sensory experiences that they create in your home. Some of our most popular fragrances include:

• Floral – Rose, magnolia, peony, and jasmine are sweet and subtle floral scents and can stimulate a feeling of romance or freshness.

• Destination – Hoping to recreate the soothing feeling of your favorite beach town? Destination fragrances make use of transporting essences from around the world to achieve that “home away from home” feel.

• Gourmand – Sometimes Gourmand fragrances are known as foodie fragrances, these include edible essences familiar to the kitchen, including vanilla, fruit, and nutmeg.

• Wood – Fragrances like sandalwood, birch, and cedar can feel earthy and reassuring. Note that these wood fragrances can be more subtle and can be enhanced with multiple diffusers throughout the room.

• Citrus  – Some of our most pleasing fragrances, these crisp and fresh citrus scents can feel lively and are easily dispersed throughout airy rooms.

Start Your Reed Diffuser Collection with Archipelago Botanicals

A reed diffuser is one of the most low-effort products you can use to transform your room into a calming, soothing safe space. Uncomplicated to assemble and easy to incorporate into your aesthetic. With just one reed diffuser, you’ll have thousands of amazing and pleasing fragrances at your fingertips.

Sometimes, a simple change can lead to a big difference in making your house a home. At Archipelago, we believe in the power of complex fragrances and natural, botanical-based products to help enhance your life and stimulate relaxation, simplicity, and peace.

Head over to the Archipelago site to learn more about how our modest company grew out of a garage in Santa Monica to become a worldly brand with twenty years of experience in The Art of Living Well. Or check out our one-minute fragrance finder quiz to discover your personalized home fragrance recommendations.

Sources: 

Byrdie. Everything You've Ever Wanted to Know About Using an Oil Diffuser. https://www.byrdie.com/what-is-an-oil-diffuser-4766885 

ThoughtCo. Why Oil and Water Don't Mix. https://www.thoughtco.com/why-oil-and-water-dont-mix-609193