How to use a reed diffuser

A reed diffuser is the easy way to keep a room smelling good. There is no flame to watch and nothing to switch on. This guide shows you how to set one up, where to put it, how to make it last, and which scent suits which room.

How a reed diffuser works

A reed diffuser works slowly and on its own. You put the reeds in the bottle, they draw the scented oil up, and the air in the room carries it from there.

Because it asks so little of you, it suits the rooms you live in every day: the living room, a desk, a bookshelf.

How to set up a reed diffuser

1. Open the bottle and put the reeds in. Within 30 minutes to an hour they soak up the oil and start to scent the room.
2. For a faster start, pull the reeds out, turn them upside down and put them back.
3. More reeds give a stronger scent, fewer reeds a softer one. Adjust the number to the size of the room and to your taste.
4. Keep the bottle somewhere airy, away from the air-conditioner vent and out of direct sun.
5. When the reeds darken and the scent fades, it is time for fresh reeds.
6. If you stop using it for a while, take the reeds out and close the bottle tightly.

Stop using it if you feel dizzy or unwell. Keep the bottle out of reach of children and pets, and keep the oil away from your eyes and skin.

Tips to make it last

Use the right number of reeds

A small room needs just a few. In a larger room, add reeds a few at a time until you can smell the scent from where you usually sit. More reeds than the room needs simply use up the oil sooner.

Expect a warm spot to use the oil faster

A warm, airy spot with every reed in uses the oil faster than a cool corner with a few.

Flip the reeds when the scent feels faint

When the scent starts to feel faint, turn the reeds upside down to wake it up again.

Which scent for which room

Pick the room first, then the scent. NOTE makes eighteen reed diffuser scents, each in a 45 ml glass bottle with reeds, all made in Vietnam. Here are four places to start:

• The desk and the bookshelf. Dry woods stay in the background while you read or work. Try Blackwood (iris, sandalwood, tobacco leaf) or Tale Of Hinoki (hinoki cypress, sandalwood, cedarwood).
• The living room in the evening. With the lamps on and the windows closed, warm, sweet scents sit well. Try Spice Of Love (cinnamon, vanilla, honey) or Reply 1988 (apricot, peach, musk).
• The bedroom. Soft herbs or white flowers, nothing that fills the room. Try Green Field (lavender, Roman chamomile, German chamomile) or Velvet (white florals, cedarwood).
• Next to the plants. Keep the scent light and green. Try Sen (lotus, green tea, honey) or Light As Air (green apple, mint, green leaves, patchouli).

You can see all eighteen scents on the NOTE reed diffusers page.

Reed diffuser or room spray?

A reed diffuser gives a steady, continuous scent. A room spray works at once but fades sooner, which suits a quick change of air. NOTE also makes room sprays in 100 ml bottles, and essential oils in 10 ml bottles to use with the oil diffuser or aroma stone you already own.

Where to buy NOTE reed diffusers

Reed diffusers are sold at two stores in Ho Chi Minh City: 2nd Floor, 42 Nguyen Hue (inside The Cafe Apartment), District 1; and 34 Nguyen Duy Hieu, Thao Dien. Before you come, message NOTE on WhatsApp or Messenger to find out which store has the scent you are after.

NOTE delivers within Vietnam. If you are visiting Ho Chi Minh City, you can buy at either store and take it home with you.

If your office or shop needs a scent of its own, NOTE also designs scents for business spaces. See scent design for business.

Stop by 42 Nguyen Hue or 34 Nguyen Duy Hieu, smell a few scents, and take one home for the room you spend your evenings in.