At a time like this, we need to focus on what we have going for us. Be grateful for every last bit of goodness, supportive friends, family or communities. Count the blessings of decent health and spirits. Not to mention, appreciating how important it is to make the most of our supplies of food and toiletries.
Getting a couple more days’ toothpaste out of the tube might not seem like a big deal, yet if it means we can put off going to the shops until the day after tomorrow, we’ll be helping to protect our neighbours and ease pressure on the whole system.
Help to protect your neighbours and ease pressure on the whole system.
Here are our most useful tips on scraping, shaking, squeezing and scooping out the last bits of product from packets, bottles, jars and tubes…
The last bit in the kitchen
Mayonnaise, mustard, tomato sauce and brown sauce bottles and jars
Dribble a little vinegar in the bottle or jar. Shake well and pour out an extra serving of sauce.
Peanut butter jars
To dislodge those awkward last bits of peanut butter from around the sides and base, add a tablespoon of soy sauce, a tablespoon of sesame oil and a teaspoon of lime juice to the jar. Put the lid on tightly and shake for a peanutty Asian-style dressing for salads or fishcakes. Alternatively, try making a warm (not hot!) cup of cocoa in the peanut jar, for a Reese’s Pieces inspired bedtime drink.
Marmite jar
Swoosh some warm water around inside the jar to dissolve the yeast extract. This highly flavoured liquid can be used to add extra umami to stocks, soups or pie fillings.
In the bathroom
Soap bar scraps
If you have the last bit of soap left from all the handwashing, don’t throw these away. Keep them until you have a decent pile of soap scraps, then make a batch of liquid hand soap from them.
Liquid detergent bottle
Thick liquid detergent tends to coat the sides of its bottle, which can lead us to think we’ve run out when we’ve still got enough for another wash. Storing the last bit and almost empty bottle upside-down for a few hours will give the liquid time to run down and collect in the cap. Once you’ve poured out the last load’s worth, add a little water to the bottle and shake. You can use this sudsy water for handwashing or pre-soaking.
Solid deodorant sticks
Remove and save the leftover stubs from your deodorant sticks. When you have three or four of these and your current deodorant gets low, put these saved sticks into a dish in the microwave, heating on medium for ten seconds at a time until they melt. Turn your current deodorant container’s dial until the stub is down as far as possible, then pour the melted deodorant over the top. (As the old deodorant has been left in this container, the melted deodorant doesn’t leak out.) Leave to cool and presto! A brand new stick to use!
Body lotion pump dispensers
Ever had the pump stop dispensing lotion, but you can feel that there’s still some left due to the weight? Unscrewing the pump, turning the bottle upside down over a dish and waiting a few hours is one way to retrieve the leftover lotion. If you can’t wait for hours, then heating up the bottle in a bowl of warm water for ten minutes can loosen the lotion enough to allow you to pour it out.
Shower gel, shampoos and conditioners
Simply add a little water from the shower into the bottle, shake and pour. Alternatively, if you’re running a bath, you can rinse the bottle out to mix the last dregs of product with the bath water.
Toothpaste tube
Got a pair of chopsticks and a couple of strong plastic bands to hand? Then you can make a very clever ‘squeezer’ for a stubborn toothpaste tube:
Do you know any more cunning ways to get those last bits out of packets, bottles, jars and tubes? Let us know on Facebook or Twitter!
