I almost called this post 'Just a Squirt' and then stopped myself at the last moment ... I don't want any unsavoury characters dropping by!! 😆
I took these photos the week before Christmas when I was refilling the dispenser bottle and they have sat waiting to be used. I started using these pump dispensers when I moved into the Lodge and they have worked out brilliantly well for making the contents last far longer than they ever have before.
I fill them up from whatever washing up liquid I have in stock, last time the Fairy liquid was on special offer so I bought two of the larger ones, but I'm never averse to using Aldi's or a supermarkets own if they are cheaper. I think it was either the end of October or right at the start of November when I bought the bottles and this is still the first of them, so as you can see it's lasting well. Just two or three squirts into a bowlful of hot water gets all my pots nice and clean twice a day, and I always leave the water there for soaking any pots that I've used in-between washing up sessions. Doing my pots just twice a day means less washing up liquid used and less hot water wasted, thus keeping the bills down too.
It's a similar story in the bathroom with any shampoo I have decanted into a dispenser bottle, just two presses and I have the perfect amount of shampoo for my short hair. The little dispenser actually holds over half of this seemingly large bottle of shampoo.
So once I've filled the dispenser the bottle goes upside down into the shower caddy for use in there, and this of course also makes sure that every last drop of the shampoo gets used from the bottle.
Waste not want not, and I have two more bottles of this shampoo also bought while it was on offer before Christmas, it will be interesting to see how long I can make it last. 😀
Sue xx
I too have been doing the same with washing up liquid, shower gel and other liquids and it shows me how much others in the house use if left in the original bottles
ReplyDeleteIt's a game changer isn't it. I'm usually careful with my usage of most things but even so, doing this has made my liquids last twice as long.
DeleteI have also become much more aware of how much I'm using when it comes to these sorts of things and always endeavour to get that last drop! I also wait to stock up on these items until they are on sale. It's just me so even four small shampoos will last me for nearly a year with my short hair. My water and heat are included in my rent (which is usual here) but I am trying not to be wasteful with these resources so have also cut back on my water use, especially in the kitchen.
ReplyDeleteIt'll be interesting to see how long these three bottles of shampoo, plus the little bit of Head and Shoulders that I have in it's own pump dispenser last me. I think this year is going to teach me a lot about how often I actually need to buy things
DeleteI recently bought Method foaming hand wash in the sale, intending to refill with cheaper products as the foaming action makes it last longer too. Didn't think about shampoo though, I'm off to have a mooch!!
ReplyDeleteThe Method products are really good aren't they. 😃
DeleteAnother fantastic tip Sue. I really do find Fairy lasts twice as long anyway.
ReplyDeleteIt does, but I still dilute all washing up liquid so I don't get masses of bubbles. 😃
DeleteThat's a jolly good idea 🤔 I often find I've used too much washing up liquid for the few things I hand-wash now we have a dishwasher. Perhaps I should buy some pumps next month. G has been bought 3 enormous 700ml bottles of his favourite shower gel for his birthday. They are really heavy to handle so pumps would be much easier for him. Thanks, Sue, for yet another brilliant tip! BTW I did manage to buy a single lemon so he has lemon drizzle cake to come home to 🍋😂 x
ReplyDeleteBefore you buy any pumps have a look round the house to see if you already have some with almost used up products in them. I tend to peel off the labels and reuse pump dispensers that I already have.
DeleteYou can see in the shower next to my leftover shampoo that I have a lovely shower gel that was bought when it was on special offer, partly with the intention of reusing the dispenser once it's all used up. 😃
I'm glad you got that lemon. 🍋
I've just this minute taken delivery of a 5L bottle of Ecover washing up liquid which I'll decant into an old bottle. I use shampoo bars - I only wash my hair once a week and Jon hasn't got any so they last at least a year! xxx
ReplyDeleteI wash mine every day, so there would be a lot of shampoo used up if I wasn't careful with the amount I use.
DeletePoor Jon, less shampoo but twice as much Mr Sheen 😉
I use pump dispensers just like you do. When I have a frying pan to clean, I boil water in my kettle, add one pump of dish soap and pour the hot water into the pan. The boiling hot water dissolves anything baked on and makes the stainless steel pan glisten.
ReplyDeleteYes, this really works well doesn't it. 🙂
DeleteUsually for me though there is very little residue oil left in my frying pan as obviously I never cook meat, so it just gets wiped out with a piece of 'second-hand' kitchen paper and then hung back up. This makes the pan super non-stick. I remember being horrified to find my frying pan soaking in the sink when Alan first moved in with me ... many moons ago. 😃🤣
It's very smart to stock up when an item is on sale. I try to only buy regularly used items when on sale and I think it saves quite a bit. I also keep a shaker bottle of baking soda at the sink to help in cleaning up. It's inexpensive, works well safely, and helps the dish soap to last longer. I love your pump dispenser bottles!
ReplyDeleteBaking soda is SO useful in the kitchen and bathroom isn't it, a real unsung hero. 😃
DeleteYears ago I bought shampoo in a pump dispenser and now I just keep adding shampoo when the bottle seems to be empty. I love that one squirt is enough to wash my short hair.
ReplyDeleteNever tried a pump dispenser for the dish soap. I will have to see if I can find one here.
God bless.
Yes, I've had my Head & Shoulders dispenser for about 12 years now. I definitely can't call it a 'single use plastic'. 😃🤣
DeleteMy dish soap dispenser originally had body wash in it, bought when it was offer. Luckily I have just enough and in different places for all the identical dispenser bottles to be identifiable. 😃🤣
Only ever buy Fairy wash up liquid. Like you , wash up twice a day and I boil a kettle full of water rather than put the electric tank on.Then rinse in cold water and drain. Don't need lots of hot water anyway cos my shower is electric too.I use shampoo bars too.
ReplyDeleteI'm not loyal to Fairy but I do get it when it's on offer and I always dilute it more than others as it seems to be super-concentrated.
DeleteNope I don't used masses of hot water any more, I even wash my hands in cold water after checking years ago that it really is as effective at killing germs. The hot water just takes so long to get through to the taps, it's a massive waste running all that water until it gets there
I decant as well but just to add, I top up the pump with water rinced product from the original cotainer. I am sure that I then get to use all of the soap that has been bought. However, this may save a very small amount of money and I know that I have some very bad habits that must, or should, be tackled first!
ReplyDeleteAfter decanting the 'last' of the washing up liquid into my dispenser I do a couple of pot washes with water from the rinsed out container, and then one final one with the bottle cap bobbing about as the bowl fills up. So three washes for 'free' 😃
DeleteSometimes it's good to start with the small things as they are more achievable and then move on to the bigger more dramatic ones.
Every step forward is exactly that ... and a step in the right direction. 💚❤️
It's so easy just to give bottles a big squirt, but thankfully I have always been careful, I have short hair and I find just the tiniest amount of shampoo does the job, if people just reduced the amount used of things this would mean help the plastic situation.
ReplyDelete