Oil Spray Bottles



Oil spray bottles have lots of uses around the home. Most uses involve either culinary purposes or cleaning. In the kitchen, a spray bottle is a useful way to coat a pan with a non-stick oil. Combining 1 part lecithin with 4 parts vegetable oil (2 tablespoons lecithin and ½ cup of oil) will yield a non-stick oil that can be sprayed onto a pan with marvelous results. Good oils to use include olive oil, canola, soybean, peanut, corn, and almond oil.



Other edible oils that can be used are annatto, avocado, coconut, grape seed, hazel nut, safflower, sunflower, and walnut oil. Certain oils are packaged with a nitrogen atmosphere, and will begin oxidizing with the oxygen in the air once the bottle is opened. The oxidation process will produce rancid smelling and tasting qualities to the oil. Nut oils oxidize and spoil faster than other kitchen oils. But any oil that is mixed with lecithin should be refrigerated in order to preserve the life, as should any bottle of nut oil, once it has been opened.

There are still other uses for spray bottles. Used at the table, a spray bottle is useful for spraying a mix of vinegar and oil onto a salad, rather than just pouring the mixture onto the salad and letting it run to the bottom. The spray misters can also be used for aroma therapy. However, not all aromatic oils are compatible with all plastics, as will be discussed later.

Plastic spray bottles are sold as several different kinds, including standard, heavy duty, chemical resistant, and foaming. Standard bottles work well for every day chores such as window cleaning. Heavy duty bottles would be used in a commercial setting where frequent use is encountered. Of course heavy duty bottles work well in the home, too, potentially outlasting standard bottles. Foaming bottles will create a foam at the tip of the nozzle. The foam is especially good for applying a liquid soap or emollient to the hands, or for applying a concentrated cleaning solution to clothing, in preparation of washing or to get stains out.

Chemically resistant bottles are made to withstand solutions of chemicals that might attack other bottles. There is a saying; like dissolves like. So a petroleum based bottle is generally not compatible with a petroleum based plastic.