Individual bathroom amenities useful?

Many thanks for all your replies, it seems that the individual stuffs would be more appropriate for B&B and hotel. I will keep the big bottles for the appartments.

I bought pretty refillable bottles at Bed, Bath and Beyond and labeled them shampoo, conditioner and body wash. They look nice and avoid adding to the plastic environmental problems. By the way, I also forbid my guests to bring in disposable water bottles. I pick up packages of sealed toothbrushes and toothpaste at thrift stores for guests who forget theirs.

You forbid disposable water bottles? How do you do that, and what happens if a guest brings one back?

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I offer single use shampoo, conditioner, & lotion that I’ve picked up at hotels while traveling for work. There is a sign saying “Did you forget something, please take what you need”. Rarely is anything used/taken. Also in the unit are large hand soap & bath soap pump bottles.

After experimenting with a variety of products I finally decided on standard size Pantene bottles and I refill them from the larger size Pantene bottles I get at Costco. So I suppose I’m keeping a little plastic out of the environment but I’ve yet to find any shampoo that wasn’t packaged in plastic. Buying these products by the gallon is appealing but the idea of glass bottles in a slippery wet bath area just doesn’t seem like a good idea. Do you buy your bath products locally or online?

I bought re-fillable water bottles to avoid using plastic and one walked out with a guest. Then I bought a case of Tazo tea and started re-using those bottles. One of those has also walked away and it’s been less than 6 months.

Like daniellaalberta I’m fascinated by this concept of forbidding guests to bring plastic in. Do they simply have to sneak them in and back out? Are there pat downs and body scans? Are only water bottles forbidden or are all drinks in plastic forbidden? And if you discover the taboo bottle how do you deal with it? Or do you just have only guests who share your feelings about plastic? I don’t want to come across as too snarky since I share your desire to minimize plastic use but I also value personal freedom. I am really curious about how you manage this.

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I choose the pat down over the body scan…(please!) :upside_down_face:

In my rules I let guests know that they can’t bring disposable water bottles onto my property. If I see any, I remind them and I explain what an environmental disaster (and waste of money) they are. I also provide reusable water bottles for anyone who wants them.

The bottles I put in the shower are not glass.Actually, the bottles are made of heavy plastic that looks like ceramic. The point is these bottles will last and they look good. I think that the containers for most bathroom amenities are ugly and I don’t want my guests to see ugly things. As to water bottles, ulike water bottles, no one is tossing one or more of these a day into a land fill or into recycling for which there is little or no market. We have good quality water where I live. There is no need to use petroleum to create water bottles to hold water that is otherwise free and then to use petroleum to transport the water across the country. Finally, I think it’s an incredible scam that the soft drink companies have persuaded us to pay for something that is free. Of course, if your water is not safe, that is another matter. I am not rude to my guests who bring in disposable water bottles but I think that by gently raising awareness of this issue, I am doing a tiny service for the environment.

Like daniellaalberta I’m fascinated by this concept of forbidding guests to bring plastic in. Do they simply have to sneak them in and back out? Are there pat downs and body scans? Are only water bottles forbidden or are all drinks in plastic forbidden? And if you discover the taboo bottle how do you deal with it? Or do you just have only guests who share your feelings about plastic? I don’t want to come across as too snarky since I share your desire to minimize plastic use but I also value personal freedom. I am really curious about how you manage this.

I try to have a bit of a sense of humor about this. I point out that I am 72 and at that age I am entitled to some idiosyncrasies and this is what I’ve chosen.

That’s good to know.

I admire your efforts to help raise awareness.

I have big bottles o’ stuff in the bath and supply individual sized as well. Most guests don’t bother with the little duplicates. My “procurers” (peripatetic dad and stepmom) just visited and gave me another stash of hotel items, so I am very well stocked at the moment. I provide additionally, travel toothbrush and toothpaste kits and disposable razors. The razors are quite popular.

I believe you have mis-directed your response to me rather than your intended poster because…I do not forbid “guests to bring plastic in,” nor are water bottles or any other drinks in plastic “forbidden,” nor are there “pat downs and body scans” at my rental…nor do I have a “desire to minimize plastic use”.

You’ve got the wrong party.

I ordered this dispenser from Amazon two years ago, and I’ve been very happy with it. Several guests have asked where they could get it. Better Living Products Three Chamber Dispenser

Did you attach it with the adhesive or with screws? Is it hard to keep clean and polished looking? I put a hook in my shower and for some reason it always looks spotted compared to the other fixtures.

Both our apartment in Tallinn and our cabin in Finland had zero bathroom soaps or shampoos. Not a big deal to me. We just bought our own at the little store a short walk away in Tallinn. Along with some fantastic Estonian beer. Yummm!

I’m thinking about buying a soap dispenser, but most are so ugly :sweat:.

@crowntown With the model in your picture I always wonder how guests are supposed to distinguish between the products, because on the amazon pictures I never see anything that looks like a label. Is yours made for labelling, or did you just DIY stick it on yourself?

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I have I think that same one from Amazon. It came with little labels, and was easy to install with adhesive sticker things.

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We supply a big bottle of shampoo and conditioner, hand soap, toilet paper, and electric items like a hair dryer and iron for our bathrooms.

We had little soaps at first, but they were incredibly wasteful, and I make it a point to not supply those. I still have 2 year old bar soaps that people used once. I keep telling myself I will melt them down into a giant bar one day, but I know that I will never do that, lol!

I can’t bring myself to waste things, so it is hard for me to supply things like that. I don’t even care if it is wrong, I just don’t do it.

It came with an adhesive strip and silicone, and it hasn’t budged a bit. I do have it up fairly high to avoid frequent contact with water. It still looks good after a year and a half. It was cheap, so when it starts to get a bit yucky, I’ll just replace it.

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Yes, as @janeandcharley said, it came with a number of pre-printed English labels. I chose shampoo, conditioner, and shower gel, but there were other options like soap and lotion. I believe it included a few blank labels, too, but don’t quote me on that.

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