At the cottage, in the cupboard in the family bathroom, I leave an assortment of toiletries abandoned by previous guests - shower gel, after sun, pantie liners (!), hair mousse - and have a note in the house book telling current guests to help themselves to anything useful. Thus, if they run out of whatever, they may not need to buy and possibly abandon a full bottle of whatever. Just me trying to be helpful.
However, I noticed today that the previous guest has left an almost new tube of toothpaste.
I'm torn between not being wasteful, and being hygienic.
Should I leave the tube there, or bin it on hygiene grounds? Trying to put myself into the position of being a newly arrived guest who forgot the toothpaste, I think I'd just squeeze a dollop into the bin, then use the rest - but is that what guests do these days? Or would they just go "eeeeew yuk!"
To leave or to throw away?
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PW in Polemi
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To leave or to throw away?
Dogs have masters. Cats have slaves!
Bin it in my view. I'm a bit squeamish about such things and, as a guest, I wouldn't be too impressed at opened toothpaste left in the cupboard.
Slight threadcreep but it reminds me of a recent train trip when I had a huge bottle of water for my journey. A fellow passenger asked if she could have some water for her two thirsty young kids. I had no option but to oblige and the kids just drank from the bottle I had been using (I couldn't believe she would encourage her kids to drink from a stranger's bottle) and then returned it to me. Needless to say I didn't touch it again.
Slight threadcreep but it reminds me of a recent train trip when I had a huge bottle of water for my journey. A fellow passenger asked if she could have some water for her two thirsty young kids. I had no option but to oblige and the kids just drank from the bottle I had been using (I couldn't believe she would encourage her kids to drink from a stranger's bottle) and then returned it to me. Needless to say I didn't touch it again.
Here we go again........
I bin any unused toiletries or personal items. As a freshly arrived guest you have no way of knowing how long these things have been kicking around. A guest earlier this year left a magnifying make up mirror on a stand and I have put that in the cupboards under the bathroom sinks but all cosmetic items get chucked.
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jenboyle1959
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French Cricket
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Absolutely. I'm not in the least ashamed to say that we never throw away anything left by guests. Why would we do something so wasteful when things can be used by us? I honestly don't understand why people are so fearful of anything touched by someone else!jenboyle1959 wrote:I take them home for my own family to use. I'm not squeamish in the least, and shampoo and shower gel are hardly likely to be carrying the plague. Toothpaste... I'd probably squeeze some in the bin then use it myself.
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French Cricket
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Very funnyFrench Cricket wrote:Well, no, I wouldn't take home toothpaste that had been used either.
But I don't know how they'd get it back into the tube afterwards.
yes I worded it wrong should have said the remàining un used toothpaste in the tube.Please deposit your used toothpaste in the jar for recycling .
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French Cricket
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I have had an odds and sods box for years where I put left over shampoo, sun lotion, razor blades etc as I hate to see waste. I do always check them for best before dates.
Guests have actually commented saying it saved them buying more stuff when they've run out but wouldn't need a full bottle to get them through to the end if their holiday.
In the case of your toothpaste I would chuck it in. If it wasn't used then so be it. People don't have to use them, but they're there if they do. They know they are all 2nd hand (or 'donated by previous guests' as I put it) so wouldn't look in it if they averse to that sort of thing.
At the end of the season those that are usable still will go to food charity as they've also requested any spare items like shampoo, lotions etc. I suppose when you can't afford to buy these things you're grateful for half empty supplies. There are a lot of families struggling here.
I see it as recycling
A compost heap of toiletries
Mousie
x
Guests have actually commented saying it saved them buying more stuff when they've run out but wouldn't need a full bottle to get them through to the end if their holiday.
In the case of your toothpaste I would chuck it in. If it wasn't used then so be it. People don't have to use them, but they're there if they do. They know they are all 2nd hand (or 'donated by previous guests' as I put it) so wouldn't look in it if they averse to that sort of thing.
At the end of the season those that are usable still will go to food charity as they've also requested any spare items like shampoo, lotions etc. I suppose when you can't afford to buy these things you're grateful for half empty supplies. There are a lot of families struggling here.
I see it as recycling
A compost heap of toiletries
Mousie
x
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