Comments on: Ten Ways To Save Money In Your Bathroom

By: Mary

Mary — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 19:30:56 +0000

Heck yeah I wash my towels only once a week. I spread mine out over the towel rack, seems to keep the mildew smell away. Will definitely try the hot water wash method another person mentioned above.

I’m not picky about the type of TP, but I will use as much as I need to get the job done. :P

Shower: I need to shower once a day – I work in manufacturing, it is very hot. Even when I’m not working, I feel grungy at the end of the day. I used to be able to get away with showering every other day, but somewhere between high school and now my sweat production levels in my body changed. Now I have to every day. I am also a fan of showers at night. Help me unwind before bed, and keep the bed sheets clean. Something about climbing into bed with fresh sheets…lovely.

So much said about personal hygiene from everyone. What might work for one person, may not for the next. Just depends on your priorities, preferences, and if you’re willing to be flexible with them or not.

By: Jennifer-massage therapist

Jennifer-massage therapist — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 05:20:04 +0000

I dont know if this has already been said about the towels or not yet:
While it may save even MORE water to only wash your towels once a week (or even longer) you really DO need to clean your towels more often than that. Same goes for sheets, but thats another story.
A couple days is fine, but hygiene-wise, your towels pick up a lot more things than just “clean water” when you rub yourself after a shower. It picks up things that stick to your skin even after a shower, things in your hair, things floating around your bathroom/bedroom/anywhere in the house really, or even parasites you may have contracted elsewhere that take serious house cleaning to rid yourself of.
I have done a lot of research on cleaning, being in a business where it matters, especially deep cleaning your house to avoid such things; whats neccessary and whats not. So be forwarned when you think not cleaning your towel for two weeks is a good idea =/

By: DEMASTER

DEMASTER — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 17:57:55 +0000

On toilets, since 1994 all toilets, by law, use 1.6 gal per flush. If your toilet is older than this the brick or bottle is a good idea. If it is already a low volume flush model you, you may have problems with partial flushing.

Besides being expensive & environmentally unfriendly, toilet tank drop-ins cause the working components in your toilet tank to deteriorate, leading to repairs.

A little bleach brushed around the bowl and rim will eliminate odor causing bacteria and your brush won’t get smelly either.

When you buy bar soap in bulk, unwrap all of the bars. When the bars are unwrapped, they will dry out and last substantially longer. You will have to rub the bar abit more with your wash cloth, but the bar won’t be as prone to getting mushy.

By: BKS

BKS — Sat, 13 Oct 2007 20:57:08 +0000

A Dishwasher is great for cleaning your toothbrush!!
Washing Flip Flops in the dishwasher is great also..
Of course different cycles than dishes

By: mvp

mvp — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 21:33:46 +0000

I read all the suggestions and comments. We have a house of 4 adults and 2 children. Neccesary bulk items are toilet paper (which does come out cheaper than 4 and 6 packs, depending on the brand you pick-up), toothpaste,bath soap bars (for myself I have to use something milder for my skiin-so I pick-up a multi-pack or a large liquid bottle of Aveeno or Johnsons which is cheaper in bulk),shampoo/conditioner in large bottle packs and Dawn in large bottle or combo packs. These lasts our household 2-4 months. The liquid soaps and shampoos are so concentrated a little goes a long way. Dawn is great for dishes, hand soap, general cleaning and combing your pets for fleas and ticks–I love to watch them sink then drown. True you don’t want to go crazy on bulk shopping, but it comes out way cheaper on the neccesary items that you constantly use. You save on purchase amount, and gas.
My husbands’ a Plumber, and sticking anything in a toilet other than what should go in there is a big NO-NO. Majority of toilets have the flow control on them, that’s why for heavy loads it takes 2-3 flushes.
We have 2 constuction workers here. A bath-a-day keeps the stench away! A quick cool “wake-up shower” in the morning does little harm and more good for the person who has a long commute to work. It makes them wide awake and alert for the long drive, even without coffee.
Washing regular clothes in warm and cold water is great, but work clothes and towels need the hot water to disinfect and remove harsh grime and bacteria-dry in warm temp or hang dry (which is the best). We hang our towels open on a towel rod and I wash them once a week.
Brushing teeth, turn water on when you need it and off when you don’t. Filling the sink-no way, unless your guy is shaving!
Toothbrushes change them when they’re brush is spread open. Rinse your toothbrush in hot water then pat dry on a hand towel, cover with a small paper/plastic cup that you use to rinse your mouth and dry. Do the same with whatever razor works good for you. Rinse it in warm water, shake dry and leave at an angle that the excess water goes out the side or pat on a towel. our razors lasts a lot longer than we expected.
This is an opinion with 40+ years of cleaning, commuting, working price shopping and “tried and true” experimenting.
Hope this helps some of you, both married and single or dormers. The neccesity items you need to stock up and make room for, but the trick is to know what to buy for multiple purpose and make your life environtally and physically safe.
Just one last note: NO PAPER TOWELS, KLEENEX OR MOIST WIPES ARE GOOD TO FLUSH DOWN THE TOILET-THEY DO NOT BREAK UP AS FAST AS TOILET PAPER AND WILL PLUG YOUR SEWER LINE WHICH RESULTS IN BIG $$$ EXPENSE. Aloha!

By: matt

matt — Tue, 04 Sep 2007 17:59:06 +0000

I just installed a completely new part in my toilet that does away with the floating ball thingy and valves. you can adjust how much water you need with a simple +/- twisty thing that adjusts the level of the water.

http://www.fluidmaster.com/

i now use a quarter of the water i used to with this simple device and no need for a brick etc etc.

works great

By: d

Tue, 04 Sep 2007 17:49:58 +0000

Wrap your bricks in a zip lock bag

By: Lisa

Lisa — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 22:09:42 +0000

In our area there are stores called “Sally Beauty Supply”-where cosmetologists buy supplies-who retail to the general public. You can buy a gallon of shampoo that you dilute like 7:1; so seven gallons of shampoo costs around $8 or $9. They sell conditioner that way also. I use the diluted shampoo for ‘body wash’ at a fraction of the cost. Soap is soap.

By: sherice

sherice — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 21:51:03 +0000

I don’t agree with replacing toothbrushes every few weeks. I normally just base it on how much its worn down.

However, I do agree with how germ infested they can become. In my house, its a rule to close down the toilet completely when flushing b/c during the flush, germs from the toilet are sprayed into the air and land on everything. I know its not always done, so in the morning, after I’ve gotten the hot water flowing (like after a shower) I run my toothbrush under hot piping water for a few seconds.

As far as the towel thing goes, I replace my towels every 1-2 weeks. The trick is making sure they get completely dry between uses. After each shower I hang up my towel to dry instead of bundling it up. Even after 2 weeks there is no smell.

A finally, filling the sink while you brush- yuck! I prefer turning the water off and on as needed.

By: Frinee

Frinee — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 13:49:22 +0000

I’m another one who only washes bath towels once a week. I also stick my towel in the dryer after I shower to keep my towel dry.

By: Nicole

Nicole — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 22:04:03 +0000

toothbrush replacing isn’t necessary. BUT cleaning it often and properly is REQUIRED!!

Mouthwash will not kill the germs. You must boil it in hot water.

I purchased a tub of quick n brite for $50 and a fair 8 years ago and still have plenty of the pink stuff to make many many many more bottles of cleaning solution. You can use it on ANYTHING and it is non-toxic. I am not even half done with the tub of paste.

By: joe twilla

joe twilla — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 14:39:37 +0000

save money on toilet by urinating outside, keeps wild animals away..use toilet at work, alot. and save money on toilet paper with all those napkins you took from fast food places at lunch.shower at the gym, get your moneies worth for your membership.

By: cheri weiner

cheri weiner — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 08:33:05 +0000

I have a small pile of fingertip towels beside my bathroom washbowl. I can continue to use a single fingertip towel for almost a week because when I simply wash my hands, using the fingertip towel, I drape the fingertip towel over the edge of the wash bowl and it dries, by the time I need to use it again. This is a saving method vs the full size hand towel each time a quick hand wash is necessary.

By: John

John — Mon, 16 Jul 2007 19:06:36 +0000

I guess the water savings depends on what part of the country you live in. I water my yard 3 to 4 times per week (Louisiana), take long showers, use the dishwasher more than I should, have a pool that requires leveling off occasionally, and no brick in the toilet bowl. With all of that my water bill is around $14 per month. I just don’t see any real savings to be made.

By: Wacky Lisa

Wacky Lisa — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 22:30:25 +0000

If you have a low-flow toilet, I wouldn’t advise doing anything to further limit the flow of water. In the winter you might end up with a large plumbing bill due to frozen sewer pipes. (I speak from experience.)

By: Michael

Michael — Fri, 22 Jun 2007 01:42:59 +0000

About soap, it’s actually far cheaper to make it yourself. You can make an 8 lb batch pretty cheap, it’s about $.25 a bar for unscented, regular soap. This doesn’t include the cost of equipment but you only have to buy that stuff once, it should last a life time.

Here’s the recipe I use.

Canola/Soybean Soap

Ingredients:

70 oz canola oil
14 oz soybean oil
30 oz water
11 oz lye

Preparation:

Dissolve lye into water, do this a few hours in advance, it will get HOT.

Pour oil into large pot, heat to 130 degrees.

Stir lye mixture into the oil.

Stir with a stick blender until you see signs of tracing.

Pour into molds.

It will take about 24-48 hours for the soap to harden, once that is done you can remove it from the molds for curing. If you let the bars cure for about a month they should be hard enough.

There’s several other recipes you can find online, it’s kind of a fun hobby.

By: rkt88edmo

rkt88edmo — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 22:53:36 +0000

Check your dental insurance policy (if you have one). The plan my company uses allows us 3 cleanings a year instead of the standard 2. We have found that the cleanings go quicker and are less painful when we are visiting the dentist every four months instead of six.

And we get more free toothbrushes, paste, and floss as well :)

By: Lorrie

Lorrie — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 17:10:50 +0000

I agree with Joe about the bacteria on toothbrushes…you could soak them in mouthwash to disinfect them.

By: cc

cc — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 15:08:52 +0000

My mother always took a calculator with her shopping for a quick way to see which items were cheaper.

By: paula

paula — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 22:11:07 +0000

The towel debate: It may depend on which area of the country you live in, and the season. Towels dry more slowly in a humid climate. If you have trouble with towels smelling mildewy, even after washing, try washing in hot and drying on high heat and see if that helps.