About a week before DD was born I read a news article in the Daily Local about the top 5 ways manufacturers are ripping off consumers. I can't remember four of the ways because they seemed trivial and unavoidable. However, #5 had an easy fix! I spent $7 on hand soap two months ago and won't need to spend another $7 for at least two more months.
Do you love using those foamy bubbling hand soaps? If you're like me, you have one in each bathroom and the kitchen. Now that I'm diapering a two-month-old, I'm washing my hands an additional 20 times per day. Since I would have been spending a lot on soap, I'm so glad the newspaper explained that the foamy soaps are simply a 1:5 concentration of regular soap and water. At first it didn't even make sense to me since the foamy versions usually cost more than the regular soaps! However, I decided to try it out so I purchased a bulk-sized refill and am slowly inching my way through it.
On top of the savings, I've realized several other benefits.
1. Less plastic waste from all the bottles that would have been used.
2. My hands are not getting dried out from the highly concentrated regular soaps.
3. I never run out of soap!
You'll notice when you shake up your mixture that it expands in the bottle, so be sure to leave about an inch of space below the cap. I will concede that it seems like I go through the soap quicker than I used to, but I attribute most of that to the additional washing I'm doing at home. There also aren't any decorative options for foamy soap dispensers at the typical home improvement shops. However, a quick Google search turned up two great options from Gojo. I'd recommend using the touch free version in the kitchen and the pump version in your bathroom if it matches the faucet.
Kids enjoy the extra bubbly wash, too. It's so important to instill good habits for handwashing when they are young. Try teaching them to sing "Happy Birthday" while using the suds to ensure they wash for long enough. If you're inspired, you could make up your own words for a "Happy Soap Time to you!" song. I bet you could even use a safe dye to turn the soap a different color each time you refill so that it will pop out and get their attention!
BIO: Jeannette is a budget-conscious mama with a degree in Design and Merchandising from Drexel University. If she could just perfect the art of washing her hands while holding the baby, she would be all set.
2 comments:
I love foaming soaps!! I'm so thankful you posted this! I've been thinking of getting rid of them just because they are a little more expensive but now I don't have to!
I'm assuming you can used the scented soaps - if that's your thing - has anyone tried it? We usually just use the scent free, but I love the bath and body works foam soaps that smell good, especially if that's the bottle I'm re-using!
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