StentStix – Reed diffusers on steroids
My two new favorite products are both from the folks at Stonewick. I’ve written recently about the Platinum Wick for fragrance lamps, and today I’m excited to discuss ScentStix – Stonewick’s answer to reed diffusers.
I’m kind of weird about reed diffusers. We see them in advertisements in beautifully decorated, immaculately clean homes. I’m here to tell you that my home is not like that. We actually live in it and dirt and dust and dog hair (especially) abound. When using a standard reed diffuser, I never add more than a couple ounces of oil to the diffuser vase because I can’t stand the thought of dust settling in the oil. And it does! We live in the country and the dust that settles inside the house amazes me… I can write my name in it every couple days. So you know that a fair share of dust has to land inside the reed diffuser vase. I flip the reeds periodically (well, once in a while). I have always wished they throw scent a little stronger and stay a little cleaner.
The scent that is used in reed diffusers is blended with various ingredients depending on the manufacturer, but must be blended in order for the reeds to be able to wick up the scent and to allow the scent to evaporate without just sitting in the reeds. Enter ScentStix, made from a unique absorbent stone material that sucks up fragrance like you wouldn’t believe. Only with ScentStix, you use pure fragrance and add tap or distilled water (I use distilled… I like the idea of keeping everything pure). The directions recommend that you add approximately 1/4 oz. of the oil included (Linen is my favorite – powerfully clean smelling) to the reed diffuser vase, add 4-6 oz. water, and insert the reeds. The fragrance is evident within about 15 minutes and is strong and long lasting. As the water evaporates, you can add more water, more fragrance, or both.
In talking with my friend from Stonewick, I’ve learned that they can now recommend another method for using the ScentStix that seems to give even better results. Instead of adding water to the pure fragrance, you let the ScentStix absorb the fragrance first and then add the water. This method really appeals to me because the fragrance oil is absorbed in the ScentStix and less likely to float around in the water. The water is also absorbed into the ScentStix and as it evaporates, the scent is dispersed, in a much more efficient manner than with standard reed diffusers. The best thing about ScentStix? You can wash them and change fragrances. To do this, you just lay them in a shallow pan (an 8′x8′ glass baking dish would work great) and soak them in rubbing alcohol. They’ll last forever as long as you don’t let your rather large dog bump into the table and send them falling onto your stained concrete floor (thank you, Girlie Dog). I have my ScentStix in some of our engraved reed diffuser bottles and they look (and smell) great. ScentStix are currently available in six scents: Linen, Orange Spice, Stargazer Lily, Apple Cinnamon, Ocean, and Slices. We’re now offering some of our own fragrances for use with ScentStix as well.
