Bath & Body Works is one of those stores I was never really into. I think the main reason was that I found the hand creams too strongly scented and everybody seemed to have a tube in her purse.

However, sometime last year I was turned onto their Wallflowers Home Fragrance Plugs (thanks, Stashy) and well, let’s just say that now there’s one in every room. Except for the storage closet…although it does have an outlet…

Of course, from then on, I started picking up other products like candles, body lotions, body washes, and hand sanitizers—and my transformation into a B&BW fan was complete. (I still don’t have any hand creams, though!)

Anyway, today’s post is a little tutorial on how to use Wallflowers. Why? you ask! It’s not too hard to figure out, right?

But…it turns out that a couple of people I’ve given these to (not naming names!) had trouble with these fragrance plugs and ended up installing them upside down and/or with the wick removed. I tried to find an online guide to show them the appropriate way to use them, but couldn’t find one, not even on B&BW’s own website.

Truth be told, I myself never looked at all the instructions and warnings that come with a Wallflower Plug or Refill. I’m not a “read the instructions” kind of person if it looks like something I should be able to figure out myself. I mean, I’ve been assembling flat-packed furniture by myself since I was a tween. Step 1: Toss the manual! Hahahaha. But, I get that not everyone is inclined that way—and I know for sure that I’ve messed up pretty simple things in the past, too! (Sometimes, one really should read the instructions.)

Now, while I was taking photos of my Wallflowers for this post, I saw that there were actually quite a lot of instructions and warnings on the packaging—they’re just written really small. The people who had difficulty with them haven’t got the best eyesight, so there’s an excuse for not having read the instructions. Another was actually just using my already unpackaged plugs, so she didn’t have the benefit of any instructions at all. So those are two reasonable explanations for misuse of a Wallflower. Ideally, I think B&BW could put up a copy of their instructions online, but I don’t think they have, so here’s my tutorial, with plenty of pics…

Basically, Wallflowers consist of a Plug that goes into an electrical outlet, and a Refill containing fragrance which is inserted into the plug. The Plug then heats up the fragrance and releases it into the air, scenting the general area.

The Wallflowers Plugs come in a variety of different styles (some are downright adorable, though I also find a fair number of them kind of gaudy or overly kitschy), and B&BW constantly bring out new limited edition styles. The Refills come in pretty much all the scents that B&BW are offering at any one time. There’s a lot of variety!

[Storytime! A while ago, I was picking up a bunch of Refills and one of the B&BW SAs approached me. She asked if I needed help (not really) and wanted to see which fragrances I’d already chosen. They were scents like Caribbean Escape, Pineapple Mango, and Sunny Coconut. She looked at me and exclaimed, “Ooh! I didn’t expect that!” Ooooook. I guess I don’t look very tropical. Maybe I look more like a Fresh Linen or Twilight Woods kind of person? I don’t know quite what she meant…but I kind of want to!]

Anyway, some Wallflowers are just Fragrance Plugs; others are also Nightlights. Both work the same way with the Refills.

The Plug I’m using in my tutorial is the Silver-Tipped Pumpkin (Nightlight). I just picked it up last month, so it’s fall-themed. (I do want to go back soon and get one or two Halloween-themed Plugs!)

Here it is, still in its original packaging:

I just installed this Plug tonight. My little peanut is going to be ecstatic when he sees it in the morning. He’s been very keen to point out all the pumpkins he sees now that it’s fall, and he even has a couple of toy pumpkins at home (a stuffed one and a Halloween bucket). Best part? He pronounces it: “PUNKIN! PUNKIN! Mommy, white punkin!” He saw white pumpkins at the grocery. They look like ghosts of pumpkins. No likey!

So, there are instructions on the side of the packaging, written in quite small print:

Warnings on the packaging:

Remove the clear plastic packaging using the tab:

Slide off the plastic cover protecting the plug pins:

Extended instructions and warnings are printed on a folded piece of paper inside the plastic packaging:

Warnings. Honestly, the type is pretty small. I mean, I have good eyesight with my glasses on, and even then it’s not the most comfortable thing to read the small, condensed print. Easier when zoomed in, though:

Installation, Operating, and Cleaning Instructions:

That’s it! Just kidding. Here are more pics…

Now that the Wallflower Plug is unpackaged, here is the view from the back:

Here it is from the bottom. Note the circular part, which is where the Refill will be inserted up into the Plug.

Now, we move onto the Refill. I picked up this Refill in Pumpkin French Toast at the same time as the Pumpkin Plug. Smells delicious, by the way! If a bit toothachingly sweet.

Warnings and instructions are on the tag, as well:

The Refill is sealed with a clear plastic wrap around its rim. Remove it.

Now, the top of the Refill is covered by a hard, opaque white twist-off cap.

This is where things get funny. The Refills are threaded the opposite way to how most product caps are. You know how if you open a jar of practically anything—pickles, body butter, Krazy Glue, whatever—you twist it counter-clockwise (viewing from the top), right? Well, you twist this particular cap the other way: clockwise. It feels very odd to do it. Sometimes the cap is on pretty tight, and I use a rubber band around it to provide more grip. So, remove this cap.

I recommend keeping the cap around in case you want to swap out fragrances. Then you can recap the Refill—otherwise it’ll spill and/or dry out.

I also like to keep the tags so I remember which fragrance is which. Sometimes, when I’m feeling extremely anal, I also write down which fragrances I have in which room (since the refills are unlabeled without the tag). In the end, I just devoted a small Sterilite box to all the Wallflowers and their paraphernalia. I also retain the receipts in this box: B&BW have a warranty on the Plugs, so hold onto your receipt!

Finally, here is the Refill, unpackaged, in all its glory:

The long stick that goes into the fragrance liquid is the wick, and it’s held in place by a plastic nub in the neck of the Refill bulb. Do not remove the wick and the nub! (Yes, somebody did this. Needless to say, the fragrance liquid spilled out.) You gotta leave them in there. The wick draws the fragrance up into the heated part of the Plug, which releases the fragrance into the air.

Now, the wick at the top of the Refill goes into the bottom of the Plug like this:

Push the wick in, and you should be able to start screwing the Refill bulb into the Plug. You have to twist it in counter-clockwise (viewing from the top). Et voilà!

Here is the view from the top once the Refill is inserted properly. You can see the wick poking up at the top, underneath the perforated top of the Plug.

You may now plug in your Wallflower Plug! Ensure that the Plug and Refill are installed upright, otherwise the Plug will not work and the leaked fragrance can damage surfaces. (As the warnings state, only use a wall outlet where the Plug is well-ventilated and is not in contact with anything flammable. Do not use an extension cord. Do not use in small, confined pet areas without ventilation.)

If you’re curious, this is what a Refill looks like once it’s empty. Actually, the wick in this one probably looks worse than normal, because I left it plugged in for a week or two after the fragrance liquid had already been used up:

To dispose, I pry out the wick and the plastic nub (they come out together, and fairly easily with pliers, though you can use your fingers, too) so I can recycle the glass bulb.

That’s it!

(Looking at the empty bulb, you’re probably wondering whether you can DIY your own Refill by reusing the bulb! There are tutorials online, but I’ve never tried any of them. It seems to me that you’d need a new wick and probably a new nub, as well, and then you’d have to mix up your own fragrance or at least find a source. Seems like a bit too much work to me, but if you’ve tried it with success, I’d love to hear about it!)

Meanwhile, I’m looking forward to hitting up B&BW again soon, to pick up some Halloween Plugs and some more Refills. Hope they have these cuties in stock!

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Bath & Body Works Wallflower Home Fragrance Plugs retail for between US$4.50–$12.50, depending on the model (some are occasionally pricier). Refills retail for US$6.50, and are usually also offered at 4 for $20 or 6 for $24.

Bath & Body Works was founded in New Albany, OH, USA in 1990. Columbus, OH, USA-based L Brands—who also own Victoria’s Secret, Henri Bendel, and La Senza—acquired the company in 2006.