Sunday, February 21, 2010

Make it pretty

I prefer using liquid hand soap for several reasons. One, there's nothing to get soft and mushy with frequent use. Two, I can dispense just the right amount of soap I need so there's no waste. And three, I don't have to worry about the person before me not rinsing the bar of gunk and stuff that can get stuck on it.

reused soap dispenser decorated with flower and insect stickersThe only problem with liquid soap is the dispenser that they come in. It's such a waste to throw them away when they're empty. Aside from being still perfectly usable (unless it gets broken for some reason), they're usually made of plastic which isn't biodegradable. So I've taken to reusing them.

But first, I try to make them a little prettier. I remove the labels then use scrapbooking plastic and foil stickers to decorate the body all around. Unlike paper stickers, these won't rub off when they get wet, which makes them ideal for the project.

But now, I have a different kind of problem. Unless our stores begin selling liquid soap refills, I'm going to have more dispensers than I know what to do with.

16 comments:

Mirela said...

It looks great :). I prefer liquid soap too. Luckily, here liquid soap dispensers come in many different shapes, sizes and with decorations so I don't have to try my artistic abilities. I don't think I'd be able to get myself to decorate soap dispenser... I'd probably find at least 200 reasons to do something else :)

Cezar and Léia said...

Dear Hilda,
it's a fabulous idea.I will try it myself.I think here I saw some liquid soap ( those that we can buy at supermarket ) as refill, or a very simple plastic.So that we can try improve it. :)
My problem now is looking for those special stickers waterproof, I didn't know about it.
I loved that butterfly, so gorgeous!
Have a great week dear friend.
God bless you
Léia

lunarossa said...

Excellent idea, Hilda. Have you thought of making your own soap? For ideas on recycling, please visit Karen's blog http://therubbishdiet.blogspot.com
Ciao. A.

Neva said...

they do sell liquid soap refills here in the USA but I like the idea of making your own soap and personalizing the dispensers! And I SO agree with you about why I like/prefer liquid soap. Nothing is more disgusting than a slimy bar of soap with who knows what on it....yuck!

Bhavesh Chhatbar said...

Creative!

Love Is In The Air, Love Is In Nature

Lowell said...

I reuse the dispensers, too. But all of our stores sell refill soap in large bottles...can't imagine they don't do that in Manila...

valeria said...

What a lovely idea! I, too, have had a bottle for a while but, of course I buy the recharge (or to be more precise, I buy a shower liquid, not a proper recharge) to fill up the dispenser, so that's another bottle that goes in the bin anyway!

Lina Gustina said...

great idea, Hilda... so creative...

Anonymous said...

That is a great idea to decorate them. We have refill here so all I have to do is pour in the liquid..

nice A said...

Hello, Hilda! I like this idea of liquid soap dispenser reusing and enhancement. You're so creative. Thanks for visiting my blog. I've got a new environmentalist cyber friend who shares my cause. I'm also worried of too many plastic wastes. During my first few months in blogging, I dedicated over a month for environmental campaigns. And I'm so glad of how it turned out for researchers. At least we do our share of responsibility even in our simple ways to save the Earth.
Nice to know you:)

Reanaclaire said...

hi.. i used hand liquid too, frequently bec i play with my pet dog labbie all the time..and after that i washed with the soap...
btw, i m claire from www.reanaclaire.com
nice knowing u..

Hilda said...

Jacob:
No large refill bottles are available in our supermarkets. I know a company that supplies gallon jugs of liquid hand soap to institutions, but you have to buy a minimum of 5 gallons and I do not have the space to keep that much. Neither do they sell to retail outlets. I have an idea though that might just get me the gallon that I need…

Diane AZ said...

Creative idea for decorating. I also like the reflections in your image. I hope your stores start selling big soap refills. :)

Unknown said...

:) Make them pretty as give away as presents.

Robin said...

What a cute idea. Don't your stores sell refills? Ours do, giant bottles.

Unknown said...

Woow..
great idea, sizt ;)