Here are some of my favorite money-savers for the bath:
Have a spray bottle with 50/50 water-vinegar for spraying on my freshly shampooed hair, before final rinse.
Another spray bottle has diluted "leave in" conditioner. I spray this on after towel-drying my hair.
A small spray bottle holds Listerine. Since I wear a night-time dental guard, I spray it with this antiseptic mouthwash before wearing it, and, in the morning, when I rinse and store it for the day.
Personally, I appreciate the cinnamon-flavored mouthwash, like Lavoris. I put some in another small spray bottle. I added a couple drops of cinnamon and clove oils, and, this makes a potent mouth spray, rather than a gargle.
If I want to use the rinse-out conditioner, I have some in a pump bottle. I pump a small amount of (at least) 50/50 diluted conditioner (about a half teaspoon for my medium length hair), into my hands, rub them together, and apply directly to my hair. No need to rinse out, since I use so little.
All body wash and shampoo is diluted by at least 50-50.
My favorite bath oil? Olive oil with a favorite essential oil added, if desired. Any vegetable oil will do, of course. I have a small squeeze bottle (hair-coloring bottles are great for any "squeezy" things!), for after-bath, after-shower, while my skin is still wet. A little goes a long way on wet skin without feeling too oily, after.
I have a shower rod and curtain in one bathroom. I hang an additional spring type shower rod inside the tub; here is where I hang my towels to dry, after a shower, as well as my bath mat. In one bath, where there was a ledge above the tile, I had three curtain rods, since I would also air-dry wet laundry there. I would hang the laundry on hangers, then, arrange them on the rods. Of course this didn't work well when the bath was steamy, so, I would do this in "dry" times.
About once a week, I toss my rubber bath mat into the washer with a load of laundry for a good scrubbing.
For my favorite hair-drying towels, I tear an old bath towel in half, lengthwise. This makes a great "turban" for wet hair, and, it is not nearly as bulky as a full bath towel, nor as skimpy as a hand towel. These can be hemmed if you don't want to deal with inevitable unraveling threads.
Working on breaking my shampoo-every-day habit, and, I'm handling every-other-day rather well. On my don't-shampoo days, I still like to thoroughly wet my hair (I'm a shower person, so it's easy), so, it has a freshly shampooed feeling.
Since I appreciate fresh washcloths, I buy lightweight inexpensive ones by the dozen. Each evening, I was my face with a clean one, and, I use it the next morning for my shower; then, it goes in the dirty laundry.
Personally, I prefer less heavy-bulky bath linens. They are also less costly and cheaper to launder and dry. I air-dry nearly everything, and, in FL, lightweight is better! At the end of summer, I'll buy a couple of clearance beach towels, since they make great bath sheets, and they are also lightweight and can be inexpensive, too.
Only in my guest bath do I have matching linens; personally, that is not important to me, though it feels more attractive in a bath that visitors use.
By VBartlett from Orlando, FL
Just love all of the tips you have so lovingly spelled out for us (your on line family). Thanks!
Great ideas, was wondering how much of vinegar, water & what 'this & that' is. Would like to try this in my bathroom.
