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Plastic-free bathroom

If you are switching over from bottles of things to cakes of soap of things in your bathroom, or by your sinks generally, you will be in need of a good draining soap dish.

I had switched in my shower to Lush shampoo bars and a cake of Dove soap as a body wash, but storing them was problematic; no matter where I perched them, they went mushy and gross. The travel tins from Lush you can buy are damned cute but they simply fill up with water or the bar gets stuck like glue to the bottom and you cannot get it out. Lush shampoo bars are not cheap, so it was a little galling to see how quickly they were turning into soup and dribbling down the drain.

So I bought a box of these three “Ropto” draining soap dishes, which are really good at keeping any cakes of soap dry and mush-free.

Other draining soap dishes are available – something about these just really appealed to me.

In other news, I find myself weirdly addicted to adverts on Instagram at the moment. I fell down a bit of a black Instagram advert hole last week and it turns out the more you watch the more they chuck at you and I’ve got myself into such an awful, twitchy place with the whole thing that I’ve had to delete my Instagram off my phone for a few days! I have never had to do that before.

How about you? How is your relationship with social media these days.

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Comments

  1. Karen says

    October 3, 2019 at 12:09 pm

    The link? THE LINK? Looking for suchlike now…

    Reply
  2. esthermcoren says

    October 3, 2019 at 12:17 pm

    GAH hang on sorry

    Reply
    • esthermcoren says

      October 3, 2019 at 12:18 pm

      okay the link is there now

      Reply
      • Karen says

        October 3, 2019 at 12:25 pm

        Got it 😊

        Reply
  3. mariaadj says

    October 3, 2019 at 12:42 pm

    Esther are you still on insta? I can’t find you xx

    Reply
    • esthermcoren says

      October 3, 2019 at 12:57 pm

      I am but I am under @onthespike x

      Reply
  4. Fran says

    October 3, 2019 at 12:48 pm

    Still loving instagram, I’ve got a really small, heavily curated group of people that I follow. I try to keep it light and entertaining. I find Facebook drowning in ads and sponsored posts and content from about three people who i’d probably cross the street from if I saw them in person – what’s that all about!!!!! X

    Reply
  5. sheila birch says

    October 3, 2019 at 12:49 pm

    Your my Instagram black hole … I love my tree runners and may now get the drainers… I only watch you and Giles and Melanie and Johnathan Yeo do not too much of my life is wasted

    Reply
  6. Cat says

    October 3, 2019 at 1:04 pm

    Hmmm, I think these are actually made of plastic??

    “Made from natural wheat straw and PP, strong and durable, safe and non- toxic, never get mouldy”

    From wiki…

    “Polypropylene (PP), also known as polypropene, is a thermoplastic polymer used in a wide variety of applications…Polypropylene is the second-most widely produced commodity plastic (after polyethylene) and it is often used in packaging and labeling.”

    Reply
    • esthermcoren says

      October 3, 2019 at 1:47 pm

      thanks Cat I’ll amend this

      Reply
  7. elfinkate says

    October 3, 2019 at 1:22 pm

    A guy I had a fling with won’t return my messages but immediately watches every single one of my instagram stories. So that’s dementing.

    Reply
    • esthermcoren says

      October 3, 2019 at 1:47 pm

      WHAT? that is so fucking weird

      Reply
    • Lesley Somerville says

      October 3, 2019 at 2:15 pm

      Block him. I hate the idea of people I don’t know/like watching my stories. I know, if you put it out there then you want people to see it. But not every single person. That’s my take on it anyway

      Reply
  8. Cindy says

    October 3, 2019 at 1:35 pm

    My downfall is books and Kindle deals. Anything anyone suggests (or let’s face it, no one suggests, everyone raves now) click click, click click CLICK. I’ve read so much utter crap this year because of it, and sometimes several books in a row which appear to be about the same people in the same place, with the same problems, yet all innovative and original and changing the face of literature!!!!! In an effort to stop this I started reserving things from the library, except when I collect them the impulse has gone, and then it feels like homework to read them by the deadline. I end up with nothing interesting to read and ricocheting round social media instead. Where I see more recommendations. I am now only reading books by dead people or those who began their careers in the last century as a corrective. I don’t spend much time total on the internet and don’t buy much online now, but I do go on briefly and check it far too often, especially because of the news, like a child reaching for a pacifier. I think the advertising is getting a bit much for everyone really, and people vent their frustrations at being sold to constantly at the influencers who have become the approachable face of the advertising, rather than at the forces behind it. I HAVE ordered those soap dishes and it is not your responsibility, I need somewhere to put my soap and you’re very nice and I’m sure only want the best for me and the planet and the soap.

    Reply
  9. Emily says

    October 3, 2019 at 2:12 pm

    I just found out that the sticker on Imperial Lather soap is designed to be rested on, so that the soap self-drains. Shame it honks, otherwise I’d buy it.

    Reply
    • Emily says

      October 3, 2019 at 2:12 pm

      or do I mean Leather?

      Reply
    • Sophie says

      October 4, 2019 at 9:02 am

      I NEVER KNEW THAT.

      Something new every single day. P.s. Yes, Leather.

      Reply
      • Cindy says

        October 4, 2019 at 9:11 am

        Now Coal Tar soap, I used to love the scent of that as a child, and being the one to open a new packet. I might have to go and find some to sniff. Proustian.

        Reply
    • Katy W says

      October 7, 2019 at 8:40 am

      It always used to be magnetic too – my grandad had a magnet that stuck out of the wall to attach the soap to (I feel like it might have hung down rather than sat on top of the magnet so self draining!). That’s quite a commitment to buying one brand of soap forevermore though.

      Reply
  10. Lucy Mitchell says

    October 3, 2019 at 2:22 pm

    These trays are interesting and look fairly pleasing too! My brother, sister in-law and I designed a solution to the soggy soap problem last year – called Baggy Soap. It’s Soap hanging in a cotton mesh bags. Really good for showers/baths so could work alongside having these dishes at your sinks (although some people also use Baggy Soap at the sink). It overcomes some other soap related issues too, eg making it less slippery so easier to handle. Find out more here: http://www.baggysoap.co.uk

    Reply
    • Kathleen Rear says

      October 3, 2019 at 3:26 pm

      This is such a great idea!

      Reply
    • Sophie says

      October 4, 2019 at 9:16 am

      Your ‘about’ blurb is super too!

      Reply
  11. Nathalie says

    October 3, 2019 at 3:53 pm

    I find the price of Lush shampoo bars infuriatingly expensive. I love the idea of plastic free shampoos and I have bought and used the Lush bars and find them perfectly fine for my hair (but I’m not particularly fussy when it comes to shampoo). I’d like to buy them more regularly or in bulk but the price stops me.They are a big company and don’t need to charge so much for a shampoo bar which is essentially a bar of soap. If they care for the plant as they claim they must make them more competitive with to a bottle of shampoo. In my opinion.

    Reply
    • Nathalie says

      October 3, 2019 at 3:54 pm

      *planet

      Reply
      • esthermcoren says

        October 3, 2019 at 6:34 pm

        I’m sure they care about the plant as well as the planet

        Reply
    • esthermcoren says

      October 3, 2019 at 6:34 pm

      yes you make a good point

      Reply
  12. Catherine says

    October 3, 2019 at 5:24 pm

    https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B079M27SQZ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

    This soap holder is awesome, although it means my current bar of soap has lasted forever and I’m heartily sick of it. I’ve got one in shower, and one on the bath.
    x

    Reply
  13. Sophie says

    October 4, 2019 at 9:12 am

    I have never found a soap dish the right size for the edge of the bathroom basin, where I need it (my basin is pretty small), so I have been trialling one of these in my kitchen, a classic French municipal soap holder, with the most delish-smelling lemon soap https://www.manufactum.co.uk/rotating-soap-a58055/?c=199016
    The soap certainly stays dry, but there are permanently soapy spatters down the tiles behind it, so not sure if it will make it to the basin after all. The spare soaps are amazing as drawer-scenters though.

    Reply
  14. Clare says

    October 4, 2019 at 10:47 am

    Esther, or anyone else, have you found any good conditioner bars? There seem to be loads of shampoo ones but not conditioner and my poor dry hair needs it. If anyone’s got any suggestions, I would be truly grateful.

    Reply
  15. Anonymous says

    October 5, 2019 at 3:53 pm

    My daughter is always telling me to come off Instagram like she has but I enjoy a bit of downtime – I’m a ceramicist so all my feed is pottery!! No harm there surely. I really love your stories Esther – they make me smile 😊😊. But I do understand why you need a break from it. After all you have the sweetest kittens to cuddle! Xx

    Reply
  16. Lotte says

    October 8, 2019 at 10:12 am

    Perhaps it is just me being a cheapskate, but I slice off a section of the soap to use leaving the rest in a cupboard and then when I need more, take another slice. I use a Clinique face soap at about £15 and by using this method it can last me a good couple of years as the main part of the bar isn’t constantly melting away.

    Reply
    • esthermcoren says

      October 9, 2019 at 9:48 am

      This is a really good idea x

      Reply
  17. Ann says

    October 14, 2019 at 2:48 pm

    I have absolutely zero self discipline so I have to delete my Instagram account regularly. I now only let myself reload it on a Sunday and I delete it again after a quick fix on Monday morning before work. How sad is that? I’m 42 years old and I can’t handle my IG!

    Reply
    • esthermcoren says

      October 16, 2019 at 9:59 am

      Listen, no-one can really handle IG. At least you *know* you can’t

      Reply

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