TIPS // 10 ways to use old perfume

Most of you will probably have some forgotten, slightly off perfume lying around. Perhaps you don't like its over-the-top, in-your-face floral stench. Or it was an ill conceived gift from a distant relative you barely know. Or maybe you were caught up in the Spring sale tsunami of '05. Whatever the reason, there's no way you can bring yourself to commit the atrocity of throwing out perfume that maybe, just maybe, has a use.

Well, then, here are 10 ways you can get rid of that perfume. For good.

My personal collection of unwanted perfumes

1. Scent your notepaper. Paper holds perfume amazingly well, so every time you flip open your notebook to work on your next movie script, your nose will be caressed by the smell of 'semi-oriental fruity musk'.

2. Do the same with hand-written letters or cards. Use a scent the recipient will like and lightly spritz onto the card from an arm's length away to avoid knocking them out when they open it.

3. Spray onto your paper towels or toilet paper. You know, to mask other fragrances.

4. Use it as a car freshener. You can either spray it onto the seats or the big fluffy dice you hang on your rear-view mirror. 

5. Use it as an air freshener for your bathroom. They work better than matches.

6. Spray onto your winter clothes when you pack them away for summer. By the time you take them out again, the smell will have mellowed into a much softer fragrance (Note: avoid spraying on light coloured clothing).

7. Spritz into your shampoo, conditioner or body wash. Floral perfumes will be perfect for this.

8. Use it on your curtains. A breeze will help spread the scent throughout your home even better than the air fresheners you find in stores.

9. Mix your old perfumes with newer ones, or even with each other. Some mixtures work very well together. Give it a try and come up with your own concoctions.

10. Spray into your shoes to hide foot odour. This may save you some embarrassment when you take off your boots to try on those lovely heels, only to have people evacuate from the store.

So there you go, 10 ways of using up your old perfume so you will never have to look at (or smell) it again. How do you use up your old perfumes? Let me know in the comments below!