Check Out How This Reader Doesn’t Waste a Single Drop of Sunscreen, Toothpaste & More!
One reader saves money by refusing to waste a drop of the product.
We interrupt sharing your weekly hauls for a money-saving tip from reader SS White!
Have you ever gotten to the end of a bottle of lotion, sunscreen, or makeup only to find the last bit of product was stuck in the container? Throwing out a perfectly good product seems like such a waste of hard-earned money. Fortunately, SS has a tip for getting those last few drops out of the tube! 🙌
Here’s how it’s done!
“We use lots of tubes of various products around our house, like lotions, toothpaste, sunscreen, even some kitchen products, etc. It always irked me when I squeezed down to near the end of the tube but couldn’t get out that last little bit of product.”
“Several years ago, I solved that problem by using scissors to cut the near-empty, plastic tube into two pieces, across the short direction.”
“I dig out (with a table knife or with my finger) whatever product remains in the end of the tube without the lid, and scrape it into the other end of the tube. The one end that is now pretty much empty becomes a slide-on lid for the other end of the tube that still may have a fair amount of product left in it.”
“Sometimes I have an ‘extra’ two weeks’ worth of toothpaste or sunscreen left in the shortened tube! It makes me happy both to save money and to have several more days’ worth of the existing product, before I need to move on with a replacement. I’m always happy to learn of so many great ways to live frugally with H2S tips, and hope this hack might be useful for others….!”
That is so clever, SS! 🙌 Thank you SO MUCH for this tutorial on how to get the last drop of product out of a tube.
Some products cost a pretty penny and I hate to waste even a drop! This tip is sure to help me and the rest of the Hip Community get the most out of our purchases! 🎉
Want to learn a few more hacks?
We love learning new hacks and tricks to make the most out of the products we buy.
If you love hacks too, here are a few posts you won’t want to miss:
- 16 Makeup Hacks To Help You Get The Most Out Of Your Products
- 11 Best Drugstore Skincare Hacks: The Good, The Bad, & The Weird
- Genius TikTok Makeup Hacks That Actually Work (+ Some That Don’t)
- Check out our tips section for more clever advice!
Thanks again, SS! ❤️
We loved learning how you take apart and reassemble a container so you are able to use every last drop of a product. Your creative tip is sure to come in handy for many of us! Thanks, again, for writing in and sharing your advice with us!
HAPPY FRIDAY!
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I do this with the overpriced Bath and Body works tubes of lotion. So much left in there that I can’t squeeze out.
SO smart to do this with their lotion also, heather! π π
Me too! I get a lot more out!
Any tips how to use up the residual lotion on the bottom of a pump bottle?
After i cut open the bottle, i scrape out the remainder with a small spatula or butter knife and put it in the top of my next bottle (when it’s the same kind). Some pump lotions have as much as 15% left at the bottom that won’t pump out!
If my next lotion is not the same variety, i cut off the top of the old one and dip in with my fingers into the bottom of the container for the next couple of days to use it up.
Thanks so much for the helpful comment, rebecca! π€β€οΈ
Thank you for the tips.
Keep the bottle inverted for a day. Open the top, scoop out with your little finger.
Some of my foundation or glass bottles are so hard to get the rest out.
I get the top off however I can and use a Q-tip to get the make up or lotion at the bottom. If you canβt reach tape two a-tips together and you can still get a lot.
Lol
Great tip!! Thanks
You bet! π Glad you enjoyed this post!
Too funny. I have been doing this for years too. I would think you cut the lotion bottle open to get remaining out.
I’ve been doing this for years as well. With some of my hair/facial products, I’ll put the excess into my plastic travel containers to use either for traveling or at home. Works great for bottles that you can’t “put back together” once you cut them in half. π
Such a great idea to add the excess product to travel containers, Tracey! Thanks for sharing! π₯°
I do this as well! I recently cut a tube of concealer and have been using it for at least a month now with probably another month left.
That’s awesome, Marcia! π Thanks for commenting!β£οΈ
this is Fabulous SS & Kara, I’ve used this a few times over the years after stumbling upon a similar post, oh h2s add in links for the tube squeezers and bottle scrapers, probably amazon, but we get the squeezers from our medical benefits like flex spending acct program with the allotment for free delivered, and dollar tree has had the squeezers too—the scrapers are on like qvc/hsn too back a few years ago, I always wanted some—oh! or the caps that you add to bottles and always turn them upside down and you end up with sprout caps
So happy you enjoyed this post, Justina! Glad you’ve used these tips over the years too! Thanks for mentioning those helpful tools that can be used to make it even easier to get the product out! I’ll pass this along to the team! π€π
I use this trick for bath and body works body lotion. For shampoos and conditioner, I add a little bit of water, rinse the inside by shaking it a bit, let it sit for a day and itβs good for a couple more uses.
I thought I was the only one doing this!!
I always add water to the shampoo and conditioner bottles when they are almost empty. Then I shake the bottle, use the product and add a bit more water until it runs clear. Another benefit from this is that the bottles are nice and clean when I put them out for recycle
Iβd like a trick for pump bottles of lotion other than putting them upside down. π€
Any tricks on using the last bit of deodorants? I use an expensive one and can never totally finish it.
I do the same with tubes of lotion and place the cut up open one in a zip lock so no drying out.
Yes!! I do this too!! Never thought to share, but so glad you did so others can benefit too!