Essential oil diffusers break down the essential oils so that the aroma can be dispersed throughout the whole room. It’s a great way to use essential oils since this brings a soothing and relaxing atmosphere that you can enjoy.
However, it’s troublesome when the diffuser starts functioning improperly or even breaks. At times, all it needs is a good clean-up, but it may also need some other tune-ups for it to get fixed if you experience some issues.
Below, I’ve outlined the most common reasons for problems, and how to easily fix your essential oil diffuser at home.
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If your essential oil diffuser is experiencing some hiccups, give these tips a try, and also don’t be shy to share your own experience in the comments.
Make Sure You Clean Your Essential Oil Diffuser
It is vitally important that you clean your diffuser properly on a regular basis. While it can be a challenge at first, you’ll slowly get used to the process of cleaning the diffuser and you’ll be maintaining it yourself instead of paying someone to do it for you, or waiting for the diffuser to break down and having to expense the replacement cost. It’s an incredible hassle to bring in or send back a diffuser just for cleaning, and it becomes of an even bigger problem if the diffuser gets broken because you didn’t clean it properly.
Essential oil diffusers come in many types and shapes. This one here is the Young Living Aria Diffuser. It’s beautiful, but also quite expensive.
Exact cleaning recommendations and steps will vary depending on which diffuser you use. PLEASE give your diffuser manual a quick read before you start its operation, just so that you know what you need to do to maintain it’s best functionality and most effective diffusing of aromatherapy.
To be used only as a general rule of thumb, here’s a list of steps you can follow to clean your essential oil diffuser:
8 Simple Steps To Clean Your Essential Oil Diffuser
*** ALWAYS MAKE SURE YOUR DIFFUSER IS UNPLUGGED FROM ITS POWER OUTLET BEFORE ATTEMPTING TO CLEAN IT ***
- Fill your diffuser about half way with clean water. Make sure you stop well below the max line.
- Add up to 10 drops of pure white vinegar. This will help in removing the oils that are stuck inside the diffuser and on the glass or plastic pieces.
- Let the diffuser run for about 3-5 minutes to allow the water-vinegar mixture to disperse throughout the unit and clean it.
- Drain the diffuser completely.
- Using a cotton swab dipped in vinegar, clean the tight spots and corners of the diffuser to make sure that no spots are left dirty.
- Rinse with clean water.
- Empty again and you’re good to go.
- Use a dry cloth, or more cotton swabs or cotton balls to wipe the diffuser and dry it thoroughly.
Please note, some people have told me that cleaning your diffuser with vinegar voided their diffuser warranty – specifically on Young Living diffusers. If your unit is still under warranty, it would be best to call customer service of your diffuser brand or product seller first before you attempt any home remedies to clean your unit.
Some diffusers also give you specific cleaning instructions in their diffuser manuals. Please always consult these avenues first before proceeding with my general cleaning tips.
After Each Use
Most manufacturer instructions will tell you to clean out your diffuser after each use, which at first may seem a bit excessive. While I owned my first diffuser unit, I didn’t do it properly each time. I’d leave water plus essential oil mixture in the diffuser, thinking “oh I’ll just run this again tomorrow”.
Please DO NOT MAKE THE SAME MISTAKE. The oils used in your essential oil diffuser can be very corrosive and you really do have to clean it out after each use for best longevity and performance of the unit. Further, the smells and leftovers of one oil can severely effect the experience you have when you put another scent or oil in your diffuser.
So, after each use, please fully empty your essential oil diffuser of all water and oils, and give it at least a quick wipe with a damp cloth, Kleenex, or Q-tip.
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Troubleshooting Your Diffuser
If you’re using your essential oil diffuser on a regular basis, it can from time to time come up with some troubles or hiccups. But do not panic! Most common problems can easily be solved with the following few simple tricks.
Ways to troubleshoot these problems
Diffuser Doesn’t Have Power
- Check if the power plug is securely plugged to the electrical outlet
- Make sure that the bowl contains water and the levels are correct
- Check if you’re using the right power adapter
- Check if the power supply socket is plugged into the diffuser
- Empty the diffuser, wait for a few days to dry it out and try plugging it in again
Very Little Diffusion
- Check if the water levels are correct/high enough
- Make sure that the fan inlet is not blocked by dried up oil essential oil > give your diffuser a clean-up if you can see left over dirt
- Re-check the mist settings of the diffuser and ensure you didn’t turn it down
Water in the diffuser is hot, level is high
- This means that the diffuser has been overfilled with water
- Turn off and unplug the diffuser from the power supply
- Empty the diffuser and let it cool down a bit
- Refill the diffuser at the right water level and restart
- If the diffuser doesn’t start up, that means it has been damaged by overfilling and will need proper repair
Water in the diffuser is hot, level is normal
- The fan intake may be obstructed
- Remove any towel or cloth that may have been placed below the diffuser
- Check to see if there are hairs or fur pieces stuck in the fan blades and remove
- Turn off and unplug the diffuser, letting it cool down for a while
- Refill the diffuser at the right level and restart
- If the diffuser doesn’t start up, that means it has been damaged and will need proper repair
Light indicators flash but diffuser doesn’t start
- The diffuser may have malfunctioned or there has been a detected fault
- Turn off the diffuser and unplug from the power source
- Empty the diffuser and allow to cool down for a bit
- Refill the diffuser at the correct water level
- Reconnect and restart the diffuser
- If the diffuser doesn’t start up, it may need to be checked by a professional for assessment or repair
Using a diffuser to use essential oils is very convenient. However, you also need to remember that you need to clean and maintain it regularly to ensure that it doesn’t get damaged. Read your particular diffuser’s manual to learn how to effectively clean your unit yourself and also know the proper way how to use it to prevent damage from occurring in the first place.
Please, my diffuser lighting is not working, what do I do? I left it on all night till it went off itself but I woke up this morning to use the diffuser but the lightning is not coming on. However, it still diffuses well but I love the beauty the lightning gives my room. Kindly advise on how to fix this, thank you!
Hi Jummy, does your diffuser have separate buttons for lighting and misting? Check that the correct buttons are used. If you only have one button that operates everything, try pressing the button repeatedly, or pressing and holding the button. On some diffuser models, repetitive pushing of the same button switches you from light-on to light-off mode. Last but not least, please find your diffuser’s user manual and check for a solution or manufacturer’s support line there.
Hi.. my diffuser is overheating after 10 mins of working.. and I can’t turn it off anymore, only if I plugg it out.. is it already damaged? The water lever is not the issue..
I have unfortunately already made the mistake you said not to! I left bergamot oil in there for too long, now everytime I run it, after ten or so minutes it smells like bergamot :( How can I get rid of the lingering smell?
My Dawn diffuser’s air duct plug came out with a spring. Which way does it go in?
Hi Sarah, I don’t have experience with the Dawn diffuser as I don’t own that unit. But my friends over at http://www.diffuserdoc.com do! They fix and deal with doTerra and YL diffusers on a daily basis. Please try asking their question to them!
I have a doterra aroma light diffuser that is no longer working. It leaks water from underneath. I have let it air dry & turned it upside down under our bathroom fan. I just tried to put vinegar & water in it to clean & it still leaks/drips from underneath. I have cleaned it periodically running it with vinegar & water & wiping inside with Qtip. I have left water & oil in it for days though, without emptying it. From your webstie, Now I know I should empty it & clean it after each use.
I don’t have a manual that came with my box. Can you please let me know what the peeping sound is coming of my diffuser?
Hi Mari, that is hard to tell not knowing your make or diffuser model. Some diffusers beep when they’re low (or filled too high) on water. Try emptying your diffuser and filling it only until under the MAX line. Otherwise, please look up the manufacturer’s name and try to find their customer service so you can get a digital manual or some other help with your specific unit.
I tried the vinegar cleaning as suggested above and after refilling it, the Dew Drop appears to still function but it no longer pushes the mist out at the top. After a few seconds, it shut down by itself.
I think it’s broken now.
Hi I recently bought a humidifier and essential oil combination type diffuser on Amazon, the brand is Homasy. I leave the diffuser on the floor and I’ve noticed that when I use essential oil’s with it that there is a sticky residue on the floor. I’m not sure if the issue is with the diffuser/humidifier or with the essential oil’s I bought. Do you have any advice?
I have noticed that depending on the oils I use, I will get a residue on my glass table. However I’ve never had a sticky residue, it’s just been a light misting of oil which usually comes off with a gentle wipe down. If you are not liking this little residue that’s left over you could place the diffuser on a place mat. I have several diffusers around my house and one of them is on a very good wood table. I have put a clear plastic place mat underneath and it keeps the residue off the wood. Hope my experience was helpful for you.
I have a Nature’s truth ultrasonic bluetooth diffuser and it started playing a piano melody in the middle of the night while it was off. The next night my other diffuser did the same thing. I checked my phone and the bluetooth wasn’t even on. It was very creepy. Any explanation as to why this may have happened?
Thanks for the advice about how using pure white vinegar to clean our essential oils diffuser can do a big difference. My brother will be coming home with our new niece, and he wants the house as neat as possible. I will apply all your tips and check if our diffuser will be able to sustain the new oils that we’re going to refill it with.
I brought a diffuser from Bealls Outlet and after three uses, it stopped working. I have followed the directions on the pamphlet that came with it and nothing happened. After months of not using it, I tried again and it still did not work. So, today I chose to Google how to fix it and I landed on this article. Well after following the directions on here and cleaning it again, it is now working. Thank you ?
I recently started using an ultrasonic diffuser as I was told peppermint essential oils are a good gnat repellant and they’ve been all over my bunny cages. However as I keep reusing it with peppermint oils I start to notice that while the direct mist still smells distinctly like peppermint, the room itself has started to smell like something is burning. I don’t actually know if it is the diffuser, but wanted to check if this has been an issue for others and what could be wrong. Am I running it too much?
So my diffuser stopped working and it won’t turn on and I tried multiple outlets to see if it would start working and it won’t turn on anymore. I also really don’t want to replace it because it was super expensive. How do I fix it?
I have cleaned my diffuser with vinegar but it still has that musky unpleasant odor. How do I get rid of it?
I have done everything possible apart from throwing my diffuser out.. I just cant smell it working! I have put extra drops in but still not effective. Yet I go to my sisters’ place and hers smells thru the whole house… I am confused.
Thanks so much for your informative post! I own seven diffusers and all started to malfunction. Warm soapy water and a cotton swab did the trick for all. Although I had the vinegar ready if needed. Now my home smells amazing again. The toughest part will be getting used to cleaning them after each use! Thanks again!
So glad to hear Angela! Thanks for the feedback! :)
Do NOT use vinegar in YL diffusers. It will break down the metal ring that holds the ultrasonic plate in place. I contacted customer support and the ONLY thing they recommended was water and rubbing alcohol. You will ruin your diffuser with acidic products like vinegar.
Thanks for this post !!!! probably just saved me from having to replace my brand new diffuser. Mother decided to make the table it was sitting on prettier by putting a thick cloth on top of it which was not good for the machine at all …. didnt even know it had fan holes !!!! noticed this morning it wasnt producing nearly the vapor it normally does . looked online found this post . moved cloth. everythings flowing again!!!! thank you thank you!
I didn’t even know there was an air intake on my diffuser, thanks! One of mine was directly on varnished wood and it developed a horrible smell! Nothing to do with the oils, but I think some of the varnish somehow got in over time and reacted with the plastic! The other one, which is on a metal surface is perfectly fine. I’m going to arrange the one on wood to be standing on a plate or something. Yuck! I ended up having to use a hair dryer on low and just literally air it out, no other cleaning was working.
I put coasters from the dollar tree under all of mine.
Wondering if it’s normal for the Aria to have quite a bit of water left in it after it’s done misting? Mine runs about 3-4 hrs but I hate that there is a little less than half the amount of water remaining under the max fill line. It just seems so wasteful to dump it out to change the scent. It’s barely a week old and I’ve cleaned it once already with rubbing alcohol.
Btw Does anyone know where you can get the replacement pads and washer for the car diffuser mine isn’t working I think the washer fell out .
Diffuserdoc.com has replacement parts for various types of diffusers including Young Living.