Coronavirus Lockdown: Days 37-38: Aesthetically Pleasing, Refillable Soap Dispensers

Hello. Day 38 of Coronavirus lockdown. How is everyone? I didn’t post an update yesterday because I was working on a presentation, (some training for our weekly Zoom work meeting) and it took a lot longer than I anticipated. I did write publish a post though about the importance of protecting our eyes all year round and the benefits of wearing any type of glasses during this pandemic.

It was cold, drizzly and windy yesterday, so Ian and I just took a short, very brisk brisk walk around Skipton before having a simple supper and an alcohol free night!

We watched a 2011 film called Contagion. It’s an ensemble piece starring Kate Winslet, Gwyneth Paltrow, Matt Damon and Laurence Fishburne. It’s about the spread of a novel virus which originated from bats in China. It shows research scientists and public health officials to identify and contain the disease and to find a vaccine, and the chaos a pandemic creates. Had I watched it a year ago, I would have thought it ridiculously far-fetched. Last night, it was like watching a film ten years from now about Covid-19. The similarities to our current situation are uncanny, even down to Nightingale-type hospitals. We both enjoyed it but I wouldn’t have been interested in watching it if it hadn’t been for Covid-19, and I know it wouldn’t be everyone’s choice of film right now.

Refillable Soap Dispensers

I go to the supermarket twice a week and it feels like that’s too much, but we are going through so much fresh fruit and veg. I could do with a bigger fridge. Anyway, Morrisons today and back to wearing jeans and trainers. Still no baking ingredients or antibacterial products, but the rest of the shelves were well-stocked.

In a slightly tenuous link, I bought some aesthetically pleasing, refillable hand soap and dish soap dispensers from The Vintage Jar Co, (an Etsy shop) for the kitchen. They’re made of glass and I think they look fab. (You can get labels with shampoo, conditioner etc on too).

My intention is to order refills from Ethical Superstore to minimise the number of plastic bottles I use. This 15 litre washing-up liquid is equivalent in volume to 30 standard (500ml) bottles and it works out at £1.30 per 500ml. The surface area of the plastic in the 15l refill is a lot less than the combined surface area of 30 standard bottles. I’m going to do the same with hand soap. It’s an excellent website with a whole host of eco-friendly alternatives to day-to-day essentials. There are plenty of other refill options available on other websites too.

As I said, I’m back in jeans and my pom pom breton. I don’t think I’ll be wearing any more summer dresses any time soon, but it was good while it lasted. We’ll clap for the NHS at 8pm and then another game of poker is on the cards…

Stay safe x

Notes

Refillable soap dispensers: The Vintage Jar Co, Etsy, current.
Pom pom breton: Boden, 2018
Click here to see how I painted a kitchen splashback.