The Best Essential Oil Diffusers For Your Office

By Mark Piatt

Updated on June 26, 2022

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This article is about how to choose the best essential oil diffusers for your office.  

The best essential oil diffusers for your office will vary depend on a variety of factors including:

We will briefly look at each one of these situations and provide a few examples of what would be a good essential oil diffuser for each of these settings.

A brief description of what essential oil diffusers are

An essential oil diffuser distributes essential oils throughout a space.  Diffusers distribute the aroma using three different processes. 

• Ultrasonic diffusers use sound waves to distribute the essential oil mixed with water.  The ultrasonic sounds create a mist that then gets blown out of the diffuser using a small fan.  These types of diffusers are the most popular because of their versatility.   
• A nebulizer diffuser uses an atomizer to create fine airborne particles directly from the essential oil.  Since the diffuser distributes pure essential oil, this process will provide the most powerful fragrance.
• A fan diffuser uses a pad where you place a few drops of essential oil.  Air gets blown through the pad using a tiny fan and distributes the aroma.  This type of diffuser usually has the most subtle aroma of the three types.  Could be a good choice for a very small space or where you do not want to be overwhelmed by the aroma.

For a more in-depth discussion about diffusers, check out our article “What Are Essential Oil Diffusers?“.

A Brief description of what essential oils are

Essential oils are the volatile compounds that provide the fragrance of plants.  Since there are hundreds of essential oils to choose from, these essential oils can provide you with an almost limitless cacophony of aromas without the use of harsh chemicals.

Plus, many essential oils also have a variety of potential health benefits.  For this article, we are only interested in the aromatic properties of essential oils.

Essential oils have the potential of creating a positive atmosphere and can improve productivity for some people.

For a more in-depth discussion of what are essential oils, check out our article “What Are Essential Oils?“.

Let us now look at what diffusers are better to use in specific offices.

The best diffusers for your office if your office is located in your home

If your office is located in your home, then the choice of which diffusers to use is easy.  Choose the diffuser that you like, especially, if you have no clientele.

If you have clientele, you need to be cognizant that your clients may not like your essential oils or may not be able to tolerate them because of health reasons.

The best diffusers for your office if your office is located in an open location shared by others

When you are in an office with other people, there are other considerations you need to take when choosing a diffuser.

One of the most important factors you must consider is whether your essential oils will disturb other co-workers.

Just because you think a certain essential oil smells good, does not mean everyone else thinks your essential oil smells good.

That essential oil may even be harmful to others.

I am an asthmatic.  Before I started using essential oils, I would use bathroom sprays in cans and even plugins.  The problem is many of those products would trigger my asthma.

Once I stopped using those aromatic sprays in a can and switched to essential oils, my asthma would not get triggered as much. 

But, certain essential oils do trigger my asthma.  I like the smell of lavender, but I have to be careful because lavender sometimes triggers an asthma attack.  In fact, for me, all essential oils can occasionally trigger my asthma.  But most of the time essential oils do not trigger my asthma.

I like the smell of citrus-based essential oils.  Unfortunately, many people are allergic to citrus.  A citrus-based essential oil could be dangerous to use around someone who is allergic to citrus.

Some people who suffer from eczema can have their eczema triggered by essential oils; even when being diffused in a diffuser.  

Other reactions someone can have when exposed to essential oils can range from mild itching, sneezing, and headaches.  Some people may also have difficulty in breathing when exposed to essential oils.

If you are planning on using a diffuser at work, be considerate and first check with your co-workers to make sure they are ok with you using a diffuser and a specific type of essential oil.

Is your office in an enclosed space?

The average American office size is between 150 to 175 square feet.  That is a small space for a diffuser. 

If you have an average size office space, then you want to make sure you use a diffuser for small to medium size rooms.

If your diffuser has settings for adjusting the amount of mist it creates or if it has a setting to cycle the diffuser off and on, you may want to consider using these options.  Select the lowest settings. 

If you do use a diffuser for a medium to large size room, you may want to consider using less essential oil than what is recommended.  Otherwise, you may overwhelm the area with your oil.  

Also, when choosing a diffuser for a small space, choose a diffuser that releases a small amount of mist per hour. 

Here is an example of such a diffuser.

Onyx ultrasonic diffuser

• 200 ml capacity
• lasts for 16 hours
• Great for small spaces

This leads us to the next section.

How much essential oil does the diffuser dispense?

Essential oils are very powerful.  If you are using a good-quality essential oil, very little is needed to fill a space with its aroma.

As an example, the diffuser in the above picture can dispense 3.3 ounces of water per hour.  That is far too much for the average office space.  

A misconception is the bigger the diffuser, the bigger the room the diffuser can be used in.  The size of the diffuser does not determine what size of the room the diffuser should be used in.  The amount of water vapor the diffuser produces per hour determines the size of the room the diffuser can be used in.

If you are using an ultrasonic diffuser at work, the most important factor to consider is how much essential oil the diffuser dispenses per hour.  In a small space, you want a diffuser that dispenses 3/4 of an ounce or less per hour, otherwise, the space will be overwhelmed with the aroma.

To calculate this figure, divide the size of the water tank by the number of hours the diffuser will last.  For example, if you have a 200 ml (6.73 fl. oz.) tank in your diffuser that lasts for 6 hours, the diffuser dispenses 33.3 ml (1.2 fl. oz.) per hour.  

Many diffusers have a setting that turns the diffuser off and on during its cycle.  Be sure to use this setting in a small space.

What type of office do you have?

Are you in a cookie-cutter office or are you in the executive office?

Maybe you want a diffuser that is small and inconspicuous.  Somewhere no one will notice.  Maybe a plain plastic diffuser will work or maybe you want a glass diffuser with nice patterns that match your décor.  

Or if you have an up-scale office, you want a diffuser that matches your up-scale environment.  Perhaps a wood diffuser or even a glass diffuser would be more appropriate compared to an inexpensive plastic diffuser.  

Diffusers with a glass outer covering could work well in executive-type offices, such as these glass diffusers we sell.

Any of these glass essential oil diffusers sold by Amazon would make a fine addition to any office.

Other Considerations

Many people work in dry office environments because of air conditioning being used in summer or heaters being used in winter.

Since ultrasonic diffusers use water to disperse the essential oil, they can add a small amount of much-needed moisture to the air, reducing many of the problems associated with dry air such as:

Determining the amount of moisture in your office is easy to do by using a product such as this Thermometer/hydrometer.  This product can even send data to your smartphone, allowing you to graph temperature and moisture data over one day, one month, or over one year.  If you are curious about knowing if your diffuser can add moisture to your space, I highly recommend this product.

If you do not want to be bothered replacing the water once or twice a day in an ultrasonic diffuser, then it would be best if you use a waterless fan-based diffuser or a nebulizer in which you attach the essential oil bottle.  

You need to be careful though when choosing a nebulizer diffuser.  Some of them will dispense way too much essential oil for a small space.  You could find yourself going through a bottle of essential oil every day or two.

Get a nebulizer that disperses a small amount of essential oil.  There are some that will last several weeks to months between refills.  This nebulizer from Amazon is a perfect example.

SHUKRA Nebulizer

• Programmable from your smartphone
• A 30 ml bottle of essential oil will last weeks to months
• Use in rooms up to 600 feet

Final Thoughts

Using a diffuser in the office can add a touch of elegance to your workspace and the essential oils could be beneficial for you and those around you if used wisely.

Did you find the strategies listed in the article helpful?

I would love to hear your thoughts and maybe I can incorporate some useful tips into the article that you may have.  Please leave a comment below.