Now, you might think I’m just cheap, but it drives me crazy that you can never get all of the product out of a container if it is a thick cream like shampoo or styling gel. You can turn the container upside down and shake it as hard as you want, but it just clings to the sides and bottom. Storing the item upside helps, but this doesn’t work well if the container has a narrow opening or uses a pump. If you consider how expensive some of these items are, like salon hair products, there are real cost savings if you can get an extra week or two before having to buy a new one.
I get my hair cut at a small, independent salon (DHR) in Harvard Square run by the owners, Dale and Rob. As small business owners living in a business that is significantly affected by the economic downturn, they keep a close eye on the bottom line, and they taught me a rather obvious solution – just cut the bottles open. I’m not sure why it never occurred to me. Somehow it seems like it would be messy, but it’s clean and takes two seconds.
For smaller bottles, just snipping it with a pair of scissors will do:
Once the top is off, you will see that there is a lot product still left inside. Easily enough for another week or two of use (at least for me, as a guy with short hair). Rather than squeezing it out with your hand, you just scoop some out with your finger:
The plastic is generally flexible enough that you can take the top half and slip it over the bottom to create a cover:
The trick works just as well with the harder plastic of a shampoo bottle, but you will need to use a box cutter or razor blade to slice through, so be careful:
When I was a kid, it used to drive me crazy when my Mom would insist we completely get all of the toothpaste out of the container before opening a new one. Now look at me.
My mom’s revenge is complete.
Jeremy Rothman-Shore Blog 