Time for a fun thread, okay? I've got this drawer where I put the little bars of soap, shampoo, conditioner and hand lotion from various hotels. (Thank God I was able to give up shower caps and sewing kits!) I don't know why I collect the stuff, although I DO have use some of it from time to time. Once, I had an opportunity to donate my cache to a school project for some kind of health kits in third-world countries and I sent a couple of gallon-sized zip-lock bags. Despite that, the drawer just keeps filling up. So my question is, do others notice this happening to them too? What do you do about it (other than the obvious answer, which would be to just LEAVE THE STUFF THERE!)? How much stuff do you have? Is it just me? Spill your guts!

Well, Mr. Clean...I, too, take them from the hotels I visit. I travel extensively with my job and have collected hundreds of soaps, shampoos, lotions, etc... I had so many that I donated bags and bags of them to several homeless shelters and women's shelters. I felt a little strange giving them amenities from the Four Seasons and Ritz Carlton hotels but the shelters appreciated them. Now, when I travel, I always collect them daily and feel that they are being used.

I don't use it and don't bring it home. But, my husband never leaves any of it behind. He stores it somewhere in "his" bathroom, so I don't mind that. He must use the stuff, because I've never seen him bring a bottle of shampoo home. What drives me nuts is the stuff he saves in the kitchen junk drawer. I can barely open it, and everything flies out. One day, I saw a huge collection of something I could not quite identify but looked familiar. It was those fat foldover covered wires that come with a bag of Starbucks Coffee. I said, "Honey, when's the last time you ever needed ONE of these?" Then there's all those little containers of Chinese mustard and duck sauce that tip over in the fridge. I cannot figure out why he saves stuff he didn't want in the first place.

I remember a similar thread a couple of years ago on this board. A ton of people said that they donate their extra soap and shampoo to women's shelters, etc. Thought it was a great idea since I had been selfishly hoarding it and our drawers and cupboards had reached the saturation point. My nine-year old daughter loves the little bottles of lotion, though, so we save some for her. Also,funny as it sounds,a lot of elementary schools will gladly accept the little bottles of lotions. The teachers put them in the class 'grab bags' and use them as reading rewards or other incentives. Hey, whatever works!

Too funny, Donna. My husband also doesn't like to waste the extra packets of soy sauce, and they pile up in the kitchen drawers. My new strategy is I told him that henceforth, he must squeeze each extra packet of soy sauce into the jar of soy sauce in the refrigerator. I think it's gonna work!

Unless you are taking the soap, shampoo, etc., to donate, don't take it. Yes, I know, you paid for the room, etc., but just try and do this small thing for the environment.

I like the donating idea, but I usually take only the things that I will actually use--the little bottles of lotion for my purse, sometimes the shower gel if it's nice. The soap, shampoo, shower caps, and all the stuff I'd never use at home, I don't take. So I don't have a collection.

I keep the good stuff (especially from Wyndham) and use it in my travel kit. The rest goes to women's shelters and to Girl Scout camp (for when the girls forget to bring their own!).

I used to take all the "freebies" but am now so concerned about the trashing of our planet that I just use what I need at the hotel. However, I did take one 4.2 oz. bottle of Crabtree and Evelyn from The Little Nell in Aspen [believe me, you pay for it]!

A group I belong too collects all the toiletries people bring home from the hotels and we make baskets and donate them to a shelter for abused women and children.

We get so many samples from the community - it's good to see them go to a good cause.

i collect so much shampoo that i have not bought a bottle in a store for nearly 3 years!!!! i am so addicted i even swipe as much as i can from the maid's cart in the hallway. believe me, it adds up nicely.

Pat,
that adds up for all guests in their room rate. lay off the shampoo. its 99cents at the store.

I had to laugh at some of the posts. My Husband is a toiletry hoarder. We lived in Atlanta for a while. We used to store his massive collection in our basement, then it flooded and I (repeat I) had a huge soapy mess on my hands. I tried to stop him be telling him that he must transfer the shampoo to the dispenser in the shower if he wants to bring them home. That worked for about 1 month. I then discovered children's and women's shelters and churches that provide basics to families in need. I loaded up (no lie) about 4 large kitchen garbage bags full of goodies. I continue to make runs of goods when the stores of shampoos grow to large to contain here in the house. My town is full of shampooed, conditioned, powdered, lotioned, mended and polished-shoed folks! I rarely give away the truffles or mints. Heaven forbid one of those should mistakenly get tossed into the donation hopper!!!!

My wife used to think that the shower caps were useless, until she learned that they can be used to cover dishes of food (to keep them fresh) and that products that look suspiciously like shower caps are now sold for that purpose in stores; now, she takes them gleefully from hotel rooms. Also, the shoeshine mitts are great for cleaning glasses.