apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I wish Method would start making soaps with removable labels instead of printing them on the bottles themselves. That would be perfect since they make some of the best containers.

Ahh well.

I'd be a bit hesitant to store shampoo and conditioner in glass containers because they could slip and shatter while in shower. I love the idea of label-less containers and probably would go with plastic or even the stainless steel. I think I've seen some stainless steel ones at the Container Store which could work great.

While I respect the pursuit of aesthetic perfection, I think this is a little over the top. The idea of having to transfer shampoo, conditioner, and bath gel into separate bottles or containers on a semi-regular basis seems like a waste of time and energy to me.

Additionally, guests would require instruction in order to use our encoded bathroom products (since, I do actually live in a small apartment, there's no guest bath).

So, what is so wrong with labels? As long as your products are well organized and not scattered about the shower/bath, I think it can look rather nice. In the photo from yesterday's entry the product was arranged by color in a very pleasing set. So what's the big deal?

i'm with misshoneychurch...i hardly have enough time to go to the store and PURCHASE the toiletries, much less transfer containers and organize them...

I'm afraid I disagree with the most recent comments...we have a new clean, open, off-white shower and three of us use it.
When I loaded it up with our respective shampoos, conditioners, and body washes it was just too much. Too many distracting labels, too many odd shaped bright bottles. I went the way of plain white squeeze bottles and used a china marker (on the bottom of each) to label them. Call me OCD - but it's much more tranquil.
- And I try to purchase the supplies in bulk to cut down on recycles....

All my shower stuff is behind the shower curtain, so I don't worry about labels there. And I don't keep labeled stuff out around the sink.

i agree with misshoneychurch too. life is too short to spend time squeezing products into other containers. i get so many soap-y things as gifts, i wish people would just give me the money they spent instead of the soap. all the different smells i have would make it annoying to re-label every month - easier to just keep them in original packaging. i try to regift most of them, but it doesn't make sense to spend money on soaps when you get them as gifts.

Meh, it's a lovely idea in theory, but it's at the absolute bottom of my to-do list. We just have an ok looking caddy and keep the (really nice) shower curtain pulled.

Wow- I have so much else to distract me that shampoo labels wouldn't even make the cut as far as disturbing my peace of mind. I'm glad that I manage to have products - I'm with plannb there!

And maybe if you stop buying the cheap stuff from walmart, the labels won't seem so garish ; >

I refill my bottle's from Rainbow's bulk section. This way I can save on container waste and have attractive bottles at the same time!

eschewing practicality for aesthetics, with the cost of additional effort? meh.

i'm not in favor of having a bunch of old plastic bottles cluttering up the shower, but it is possible to keep one labeled container each of shampoo, conditioner, and body wash, and still appear organized. the stuff i use is all white, anyway, so those of us who get irked by color mismatch schemes in the bathtub (and this would be a small minority) can still be somewhat at ease.

Wow, I made a simple, friendly comment about not understanding why someone could have so many things in his/her shower, and apparently I opened the floor for unsolicited advice (read: criticism).

I just thought it was be more environmentally friendly/green if I bought fewer bottles. That is to say, some stores (not Wal*Mart, thank you) allow you to take your own bottles in and fill them up. (Please note, I *never* said that I refilled from *other* bottles.)

It actually works out really nicely, as aesthetics (even in the shower) are important to me as is being green.

(Plus, it doesn't really take higher education to figure out what is shampoo and what is conditioner.)

(If I sound snarky, I apologize profusely. It's been a long day and I didn't expect to find a photo of mine on the front page of AT with a string of criticism attached to it.)

Muji has some great plastic pump bottles for the shower.

http://www.muji.com/index.html

Oh Gretchen--last thing we wanted was to make you feel uncomfortable! We thought you had a really good point that we had a lot of bottles (and were a little embarrassed to realize it publicly) and were impressed with your organization. Take it as a compliment!

misshoneychurch! with you on this. this is the most ridiculous thing i have ever saw...whoa... wait a minute, i think it was having a dishsoap olive oil dispenser because the storebought one was too ugly.

this is not even going to make it on my to-do list. i agree, lets be more "green" and stop purchasing so many bath items, but... let's finish them all out before we go and puchase another item to put them in!

also, i don't know if you are aware of this, but some people have to rotate their shampoos/conditioners because they have colored/processed hair, and the hair gets used of a brand and it wont work anymore...like deodorant.

ughh...now back to my to do list.

The ultimate solution is to have 2 or 3 Vola dispensers in the shower (they come in either chrome, brushed chrome or stainless) hanging at just to right height. Elegant.

http://aquiles.stores.yahoo.net/noname782.html

In our very minimalist shower (tiny white Brazilian mosaic tiles, honed neverfading green slate, wall-mount Starck toilet, etc.) the bottles look terrible.

You've got to be kidding me... people actually care about labels in there shower?! My poor little shower isn't high end enough to matter. MissHoneyChurch, I totally agree, my to-do-list is way to long to even think about labels in my shower... even on the cheap-o- Sauve lotion I use. Couldn't care less. Plus I like all the different bottles in my shower, it gives me variety. Sometimes I feel like a little coconut vanilla shower gel, and sometimes it's cucumber watermelon.

Wow, tough crowd...maybe I shouldn't say that I would do this if my wife didn't object.

So let me get this straight - now we shouldn't have labels on the products in our shower? I think I'll stick to looking at the pictures and skipping the comment section here.

Has anybody considered how potentially dangerous *glass* bottles are in the shower? I can't think of a worse place to use them: you're half-asleep in your morning shower, your hands are wet, possibly soapy, & you're standing on a hard surface in your bare feet! As lovely as they'd look, it just sounds like an emergency room visit waiting to happen.

I think some sort of stainless or aluminum water bottles would be better for your shampoo, etc. They're label-free, clean-looking & safe if you drop them.

Fortunately, showers are supposed to be "private" spaces, so whether you prefer a variety of bargain brand products, or pricey - designer type or no product labels at all its all good!! Do what pleases you - dont concern yourself with what someone else's preferences are!!

Now - to the original topic;

A few years ago I purchased a 3 Avon shower gels - not particularily because I liked the products, but mainly because I liked that they had a "hook - shaped" bottom so I could hang them from the shower rod and even when nearly empty, the product is near the cap. Since then I've filled them with Bath and Body Works products - which are my preference -and each morning I can choose between 3 different scents, based on what my mood is for the day.

It makes me happy! ;-)

(For a positive comment on the here-to-for commentaries; It's good to know we all are taking showers or baths!!) LOL!!!

space nk while not cheap, has BEAUTIFUL packaging.... buy and refill... not all product labels/bottles are ugly.

whoops, perhaps an example/link would help ;)
http://www.spacenk.com/ProductDetails.aspx?pid=0001%2f7273%2f15565%2f&cid=PBATHBATH&language=en-US

This has to be AT's weirdest string of comments ever.

Here here, Carol123.

really, why are they stranger than normal? Just curious :)

I have to admit, when I read that labels in the shower were distracting, I kind of rolled my eyes. But, hey, whatever floats your boat. I decant my dishsoap and water it down. It's certainly not for everyone, though, as has been made clear by the comments!

anyone who is wasting $500 on those vola dispensers needs to find a nice charity or non-profit to support.

Having worked in the marketing field (years ago) where I was bombarded with personal care product packaging and advertisement 40 hrs/wk, I have to say that I can relate to the wish for a label-free shower. I haven't achieved this, nor do I try, but I do make the effort to choose shower product brands whose product is clear and comes in a clear bottle... mainly hand soap and shower gels. Might sound too OCD to some, but it's liberating to minimize the visual cues - even if it's only for the 15/20 minute daily shower routine.

The Nioxin Shampoos and Conditioners (sometimes I switch up with Mane and Tail Shampoo) I use come in bottles that are huge and take up too much space, and putting them in a dispenser takes up very little time (though I admit it took some time to get around to taking care of this).

I have these: http://www.umbra.com/ustore/product/020163/c165/droplet_soap_pump.html

I think the bottles are made of polycarbonate.

For the sink area, Ikea's glass Limmaren set has a great look to them. I find these in Ikea's As-Is often enough (individual items usually marked down to a dollar) to have amassed enough tumblers to use as candle votives, and bottles to use for soap and they're great for reed diffusers, too.

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/90081389

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/60083653

But the glass stays out of the shower. ;-)

60-second-removal of Method product labels:

a) Get some Goo Off. It comes in a yellow bottle with a red cap. Found at Home Depot, Lowes, etc. Usually in the paint department, not the cleaning supplies. Recommend the spray.

b) Spray offending bottle. Don't get carried away. Goo Off is probably great at killing brain cells and dry-cleaning lungs.

c) Wait about 10 seconds.

d) Wait about 5 more.

e) Take paper towel and rub. Rub hard. Don't be afraid. Label should be comming off.

f) Rinse off bottle.

g) Ta-da!

h) Recommend old-fashion lable maker to mark your bottles. You know, the little stickers with the raised lettering. It actually looks pretty cool.

i) Go about your day.

OMG... another thing for me to become obsessed about. I like it, it is very aesthetically pleasing to me.

Show of hands -- how many of the people aiming for label-free bathrooms are graphic designers who'd be appalled and offended if the labels they design were deemed unaesthetic clutter?

"It feels a little bit OCD"

As someone with the disorder, which is real and painful, it drives me up a freaking wall to hear people casually mention it in this vein. What is wrong with using "obsessive" to describe the feeling, instead of co-opting a disorder for your descriptor?

PLEASE consider the feelings of people with this disorder and STOP using this construction. I see it at least once a day and it's completely unnecessary.

my boyfriend found the idea of putting all of our bath products in label free bottles odd at first. once he saw the final clean, uniform, uncluttered look, he was totally sold.

one word. MUJI

Yup, Wende; I'm a graphic designer who decants her shampoo and conditioner. I buy both by the gallon to avoid excess waste and put them in IKEA's LIMMAREN bottles. I got gallon pump dispensers to make the process simpler. My clumsy boyfriend and I have both dropped the bottles a few times; they must be pretty tough to break.

I also decant my dishsoap. To each her own.

I don't use products from just one line, so the labels and mix of shapes can look a little messy - like most matters of taste, some people will feel differently, but I decant most stuff into Muji clear bottles/pumps, and only have a few labels that I really like on display.

As cevec says, to each her own!

ladies and gents..i also live in a tiny aprt. 489 sq,, If and when company is coming i take out the junk and leave it with just enough to do what we have to do.. Altho my guests bring their own . And hey if you got $500 or a shampoo pump more power to you and if you have the time and it make you feel good have everything look just right for your eyes i say go for it.. i think the new labels and colorfull bottles some right side up some not are just fun......maj

We buy bulk shampoo and body wash and pour them into Muji pump bottles which are great. We save money, produce less garbage and keep the shower a clean tidy uncluttered look. No need to be polemical.

Hmm. I really like the labels of some of my products, and will admit to buying in coordinated colors and preferring pretty packaging. I *am* a huge label remover in general as I hate to live surrounded by brand names, but with my bath products at least the label is part of the fun (why on earth would I spend so much money at Sephora if it weren't?). Same goes for spices/tea in the kitchen... I'm a sucker for anything in a colorful metal tin.

I do actually make an effort to buy bath products in glass... I'd rather break something occasionally than live surrounded by plastic. RE: all the arguing... some of us are minimalists, some are NOT. Why get all moralistic about it either way?