Seven Ways to Use Shampoo

I have to fight an avalanche of shampoo bottles every time I open the linen closet. It has nothing to do with extreme couponing. It has everything to do with saving travel size toiletries for trips where we end up getting more travel size toiletries.

I’m almost out of shampoo. If I schlep to the store for more, I will come home with more than shampoo. This is the time of year I have to fight the urge of ooooooooh I’ll buy that too it smells so pretty and springy in cold, gray Ohio. I better use what I have on hand.

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Washing my hair every morning with the shampoo from fancier hotels is the lazy budget wau to get a spa treatment in my luxurious home spa (that means I put fresh towels in the bathroom.)

All I need to do is ask the Borrowers who live under my bed if any of them are a masseuse and I am set for life!

 

Because opening a shampoo bottle is so. much .work., I pour shampoo, conditioner, and body wash  into a shampoo dispenser like this one. Two pumps are more than enough to wash and makes a bottle  a little longer than on its own. 

That leaves the cheapo travel shampoo that makes my fussy hair freak out. I don’t want to use it on my hair. The bottles are open so I can’t donate them to a shelter. Pouring it down the sink is a waste. Dead relatives will haunt me and tell me they didn’t do all that they did so I could waste things while living the sweet life

What to do? I researched, experimented and found seven ways to reuse old shampoo.

• To wash delicates. I always used shampoo to hand wash nylons and lingerie that’s too delicate for the washing machine. 

•  For cleaning. Use it to scrub the tub, shower, or toilet. Add some baking soda to it if you need a little more oomph to tackle a bathtub ring. 

•  As a laundry stain fighter. Shampoos are designed to remove the oil and dirt from your hair and are the perfect stain fighter, especially perspiration or ring around the collar stains. Pour a little on the stain and scrub with an old toothbrush before popping it in the wash. 

• To wash makeup brushes. Especially if they are brushes made with natural bristles. 

• To wash wool. Shampoo works just as well or better than Woolite when hand washing wool sweaters. 

•  To wash combs and brushes. Soaking combs and brushes in a mixture of water and shampoo removes built up product. Be sure to rinse the items thoroughly when finished. 

•  To make daily shower cleaner spray. I mix equal parts vinegar and water with a sploosh of shampoo in a spray bottle, spray it on the walls, and shower door after every we use. It keeps mold, mildew and soap scum from building up until it is time to clean the bathroom. It makes deep cleaning the bathtub much easier too. Get the recipe details here. 

 Warming: Do NOT use people shampoo on dogs or cats. The ph of pet skin and fur is different from humans. Human shampoo strips their fur of their essential oils and can dry out pet skin. If you have any questions please check with your vet. 

Do you have any ways to use leftover shampoo?

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