We want to save and conserve as much as possible, so isn't it really annoying when you can't reach that last little bit? It just feels like we're throwing away money when we know there's something left inside the container, however small it may be. So, from toothpaste to tomato paste, here are a few tips and tricks for getting every last drop...
These come courtesy of the May 2009 issue of ShopSmart (publisher of Consumer Reports):
• Soaps and detergents: Add a small amount of water or poke a small hole in the bottom corner of the container and allow the contents to drain into a cup or bowl.
• Toothpaste: A $3 toothpaste squeezer works well or just cut the tube in half and squeeze!
• Moisturizers: You can also use the cut-the-tube-in-half trick with moisturizers in a tube. To scoop up the remains in a pump container, tip it on its side, remove the pump, and use a cotton swab.
• Mayonnaise and Peanut butter: Stock up on a set of spatulas in assorted sizes, and use a skinny bowl scraper to get the remnants out of products in wide-mouth containers.
• Tomato paste (or other thick, canned products): Remove both ends of the can and push one end through to the other side. Cut the paste into individual servings and wrap for use when needed.
• Honey or molasses: Put the jar into a hot-water bath to make the inside more liquidy, and it will flow out very nicely.
• Olive oil: Create a salad dressing right in the bottle by adding ingredients like vinegar and herbs and shaking well.
• Shampoo and conditioner: Simply add some water and shake.
• Lipstick: Use a chopstick to scoop out the remaining product. Then transfer it into a jar and apply the color with a lip brush.
• Paint: Use a can opener to cut off the bottom of the can so you can scrape out more of the paint with a spatula.
What are your tips? Tell us below!
Image via Geek Friendly
© 2009 Apartment Therapy
There is no need to transfer lipstick a jar. Just use a lip brush to get and apply the product after it can no longer be applied directly from the tube.
view Annieo's profile
No tips, but I want to know how to use that last bit of deodorant that is always left over!
view als1's profile
wait, how does cutting the tube in half help? I find that when your tube is all rolled up and almost empty like in the picture, if you then fold the rolled-up bunch in half vertically, with the corners toward you, the fold propels what is left out of the tube opening. It's so satisfying!
view crepesuzette's profile
tomato sauce: like shampoo, just add a little water, put the lid back on, shake, and pour out. any extra water will boil off.
view foodefafa's profile
als1 - that always bugged me too, but then I switched to the crystal. Toward the end of its life, it generally breaks, but it lasts so much longer than normal deoderant, I don't care.
I wring toothpaste tubes with the back of a comb. I draw the line at cutting it in half, though. It encourages dipping. Eww.
view whytephoenix's profile
yeah the deodorant thing always bugs me I always end up with a small rock of it at the end of its life.
view witchbaby's profile
If you store jars upside down, like mayo or shampoo, it allows the contents to fall to the top- just unscrew (or pop open) and enjoy.
view ValariaMc's profile
never tried this, but what about using a cloth to apply the remaining deodorant?
view Enamorada's profile
For tubes I just roll a rolling pin or metal pipe to roll/squeeze the substance to the top.
view jems's profile