Automatic soap dispensers leave drips of soap on the bench. I've come across this many times when I'm cleaning client's homes. I've accidently set them off when my hand gets too close. They are expensive to buy in the first place and the refills are costly too.
Liquid hand soap dispensers are what my family has been using for years. I don't mind them but it's hard to find a cheap refill. I've tried making my own liquid hand soap with varying degrees of success. Mostly it ends up goopy and clogs the dispenser.
The latest trend is foaming hand wash. I'd heard you could get empty foaming soap pumps in the $2 stores but I couldn't find one. Then I saw foaming hand wash on sale at a local chemist for $1.99 . I thought I'd give it a go and I must say I love it. Those of you who know me know that I don't usually rave about any new product or trend simply because I don't buy them. But this is a great product.
The bottle has a sturdy base making it easy for little kids to use. It doesn't drip and you only need to use a little. It feels luxurious on the hands and smells divine. When the bottle was half empty I refilled it with water to see if it still worked and it did. Then I got some shower gel out of the cupboard and thought I'd make my own. After all, foaming hand wash looks just like ruuny shower gel.
Here's what I did -
Use 1 part clear shower gel to 4 or 5 parts water. Shake well and refill the pump. How easy is that ?
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| Hand wash pump, diluted shower gel and full strength shower gel |
If your foaming hand wash pump is empty them make it up in that. If you have a bigger bottle of any type with a removable lid then use that. Then you can continue to refill the pump when it gets low. The shower gel can be colored as long as you can see through it. I've used creamy shower gels and they do work. Just not as well and the clear ones.
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Foaming hand wash refills are available in the stores but cost almost $6. This will refill the pump bottle about three times. I buy 500 ml shower gels on sale for $2.50 and can get 8 refills for the pump. This costs 31 cents per refill. A bit of a bargain if I do say so.
Why don't you have a go of making foaming hand soap yourself. I'd love to hear how you go.
Hi Wendy, I'm so pleased you have started a blog and I will be a keen reader! I watched your story on ACA and was very impressed with your family, values and thrifty lifestyle.
ReplyDeleteI have taken your advice from this post and purchased one of these foaming hand washes (on special) this morning.
All the best, Kim
I make my own liquid soap with shavings and crumbly bits from my own soap making with the addition of water and a good shake. I put it into a soap dispenser given to me. Before I made soap I used the small bits of left over soap from the shower and basin. It's always worked well for me although it doesn't have quite the visual appeal of your foam.
ReplyDeleteI'm gonna try this next week.. It looks awesome.. Reason for bring next week is because now I'm on a weekly budget ever since I heard about u... Thanks Wendy...
ReplyDeleteThs is great for using up shower gel that you don't like.
DeleteH
ReplyDeleteWe like the foaming cleaner too, not as much mess. I only buy it on special and dilute the second half of the bottle. Hubby doesn't even notice!
ReplyDeleteYes you can't tell it's diluted. Making your own saves so much money and works just as good as the store bought.
DeleteForgot to mention my name... 'Joy' (Good Morning Mary Sunshine)
ReplyDeleteHi my name is Vanessa, I've tried this method and the top of the foaming handwash doesn't pop back out after pushing down to dispense soap, have you had this happen before? What am I doing wrong? I'm using a dettol foaming handwash dispenser & diluted Aldi handwash
ReplyDeleteI've only had this happen at other people's homes.
DeleteDid you dilute it 1:4 ? Is the handwash a creamy one ? If so it doesn't work as well.
I have found that sometimes you need to really wash out the pump thingy at the top and press plunger a few times to clear it with plain hot water :)
DeleteHi Wendy. I am considering giving this a try. I just wanted to know, which brands have clear shower gel? First time at this.
ReplyDeleteAmanda
Cussons is a great brand to use and comes on sale quite often. The creamy shower gels work but seems to separate a bit in the dispenser. With all shower gels, just make sure it doesn't have the little plastic busting bits in it. They would clog up the pump,
DeleteYou could also use cheap shampoo and dilute it.
Foaming hand wash is the best and even so when you make it for yourself for cents. I just use a Woolies children's Bubble Bath with Camomile in it. Cheap and good for sensitive skin. We also decant the bubble bath into out Aldi body wash pump pack. Again cheap and great for my sensitive skin.
ReplyDeleteAlexa-asimplelife
I bought my pump bottle from Aldi and instead of buying the refill, I water down the Aldi antibacterial liquid soap with cooled water from the kettle
ReplyDeleteI'm rather late commenting but am reading through old posts - I purchase a 2lt bottle of cheap wool wash and use in my hand wash bottles.... both foaming and plain bottles. Lasts forever.
ReplyDeleteGreat idea Chars.
DeleteI do this with shampoo or dish soap with great results. If you have a Bath and Bodyworks shop, their dispensers work great to refill.
ReplyDeleteBlessings from Harvest Lane Cottage,
Missouri, USA
Laura
Hi Wendy, I do this also.
ReplyDeleteI love foaming handwash, but when my local mitre 10 put out a table full of 500ml bottles of handwash for .99 cents each, usual cost $6, I started grabbing 5 each time I went past. Up to 20 bottles now.
ReplyDeleteAs I do Airbnb's i find the best and most cost effective solution is to buy kids bubble bath. Bulk 1kg bottles are around $2-3. Super bubbly and super cheap but effective
ReplyDeleteWhat wonderful ideas. We own a bush camp in Queensland and like to supply hand wash for our campers. I have gained so many ideas that will allow us to do this and keep the campers happy whilst smelling nice. Thank you. Lynette
ReplyDelete