But the empty bottle is much more annoying
March 23, 2020 9:38 AM Subscribe
Why Is an Empty Shampoo Bottle So Easy to Knock Over? (The Physics Teacher): Then, finally, using the empty shampoo bottle, Licini explains (Youtube): “But the empty bottle is much more annoying than all that. Because the mass is so light, that means it’s going to have a large response to impact. And, because the center of mass is so high [above the base], it’s going to topple over easily. So, in this case, it only takes an angle of about three degrees in order to knock that bottle over. So, much less stable than any of the other configurations.”
Amazing - I was JUST thinking about this general topic when doing this morning's dishes: when I put the breakfast utensils in a coffee cup to soak in the sink, what amount of water in the cup will make the whole assembly least likely to tip over. And now I know!
posted by PhineasGage at 10:18 AM on March 23, 2020 [3 favorites]
posted by PhineasGage at 10:18 AM on March 23, 2020 [3 favorites]
If he's anything like me, he is reluctant to throw away soap/shampoo bottles with %10 or less of the contents still usable.
Admittedly, I would have liked to see some sort of workaround to help this but the data presented at least illustrates just why I seem to spend so much of my life furtively feeling around the shower floor for that bottle I knocked over when I have a head full of shampoo.
posted by Sphinx at 10:43 AM on March 23, 2020 [4 favorites]
Admittedly, I would have liked to see some sort of workaround to help this but the data presented at least illustrates just why I seem to spend so much of my life furtively feeling around the shower floor for that bottle I knocked over when I have a head full of shampoo.
posted by Sphinx at 10:43 AM on March 23, 2020 [4 favorites]
Yeah, I think the wording is a little confusing. Presumably people wouldn't have to deal much with empty shampoo bottles. Nearly empty bottles, however, are a shower time scourge that must be reckoned with.
posted by Atom Eyes at 10:57 AM on March 23, 2020 [2 favorites]
posted by Atom Eyes at 10:57 AM on March 23, 2020 [2 favorites]
nearly empty shampoo bottles, you keep upside down so that you don't have to wait all day for the shampoo to come out.
posted by aubilenon at 10:59 AM on March 23, 2020 [17 favorites]
posted by aubilenon at 10:59 AM on March 23, 2020 [17 favorites]
I solve this by only using bar shampoo. Plastic bottles are wretched.
posted by sonascope at 11:19 AM on March 23, 2020 [6 favorites]
posted by sonascope at 11:19 AM on March 23, 2020 [6 favorites]
aubilenon speaks truth.
posted by ivanthenotsoterrible at 11:28 AM on March 23, 2020 [2 favorites]
posted by ivanthenotsoterrible at 11:28 AM on March 23, 2020 [2 favorites]
Most shampoo makers have watered their products down so much in the last few years that it's no longer necessary to keep the bottles upside down to get the shampoo out in a timely fashion.
posted by jamjam at 11:51 AM on March 23, 2020
posted by jamjam at 11:51 AM on March 23, 2020
Who has a 7 degree ramp in their shower on which to place an empty shampoo bottle? What I do is what aubilenon described, turn it upside down so that all the remain 'poo can be extracted and the heavy cap lowers the center of gravity.
posted by AugustWest at 11:54 AM on March 23, 2020
posted by AugustWest at 11:54 AM on March 23, 2020
Wire basket in shower caddy under spout.
Just big enough basket* for your products which all go in upside down in a row to keep contents at bottoms and easy to come out.
Take them out of their "slot" to use one at a time and put back. Their neighbors keep them upright and no crap with tilting and knocking over.
Can use products down to zero in bottles with no hassle.
(*If wire basket not perfect size for your number products use empty bottles as "spacers". Even though you should at least partially fill them with water for weight to keep everything upright)
posted by aleph at 12:47 PM on March 23, 2020 [2 favorites]
Just big enough basket* for your products which all go in upside down in a row to keep contents at bottoms and easy to come out.
Take them out of their "slot" to use one at a time and put back. Their neighbors keep them upright and no crap with tilting and knocking over.
Can use products down to zero in bottles with no hassle.
(*If wire basket not perfect size for your number products use empty bottles as "spacers". Even though you should at least partially fill them with water for weight to keep everything upright)
posted by aleph at 12:47 PM on March 23, 2020 [2 favorites]
I just empty the whole bottle into my mouth at purchase time and keep it in one cheek, like a squirrel, and then squeeze a little out as I need it. At meal times I just spit the remainder into a cup and put it back in my mouth when I'm done. No bottle required!
posted by phooky at 1:11 PM on March 23, 2020 [30 favorites]
posted by phooky at 1:11 PM on March 23, 2020 [30 favorites]
When the shampoo bottle gets to 10% I add water to dilute and increase volume. In addition, it comes out easier.
posted by grumpybear69 at 1:28 PM on March 23, 2020 [5 favorites]
posted by grumpybear69 at 1:28 PM on March 23, 2020 [5 favorites]
I keep my bottle attached to my wrist at all times. Doesn’t fall over and I always have shampoo around!
posted by LizBoBiz at 2:14 PM on March 23, 2020 [3 favorites]
posted by LizBoBiz at 2:14 PM on March 23, 2020 [3 favorites]
It's a constant struggle to get other members of my household to store products like shampoo and ketchup cap-side-down. Come on people, it's science!
If I ever succeed, I'll teach them the proper way to use offset-spout containers like engine oil.
posted by sjswitzer at 2:15 PM on March 23, 2020 [3 favorites]
If I ever succeed, I'll teach them the proper way to use offset-spout containers like engine oil.
posted by sjswitzer at 2:15 PM on March 23, 2020 [3 favorites]
It's a constant struggle to get other members of my household to store products like shampoo and ketchup cap-side-down. Come on people, it's science!
Never, especially with ketchup! It's makes the lid all nasty and crusty with congealed ketchup. I've got the few minutes it takes to get it out, and shaking is my exercise.
posted by The_Vegetables at 2:57 PM on March 23, 2020 [1 favorite]
Never, especially with ketchup! It's makes the lid all nasty and crusty with congealed ketchup. I've got the few minutes it takes to get it out, and shaking is my exercise.
posted by The_Vegetables at 2:57 PM on March 23, 2020 [1 favorite]
When the shampoo bottle gets to 10% I add water to dilute and increase volume. In addition, it comes out easier.
Yep, I just assumed everyone does this until weeks later you realize that you're washing your hair with 100% shower water.
posted by jeremias at 3:11 PM on March 23, 2020 [5 favorites]
Yep, I just assumed everyone does this until weeks later you realize that you're washing your hair with 100% shower water.
posted by jeremias at 3:11 PM on March 23, 2020 [5 favorites]
"Shampoo, because we couldn't find any real poo..."
posted by Windopaene at 3:30 PM on March 23, 2020 [3 favorites]
posted by Windopaene at 3:30 PM on March 23, 2020 [3 favorites]
Now can they explain why the labels for shampoo and conditioner are so similar that I inevitably buy a bottle of conditioner by accident when I really need shampoo?
posted by AzraelBrown at 5:07 PM on March 23, 2020 [8 favorites]
posted by AzraelBrown at 5:07 PM on March 23, 2020 [8 favorites]
Can't they make it like a ketchup squeeze bottle, with the cap on the bottom? Don't some brands already do this?
posted by condour75 at 6:11 PM on March 23, 2020
posted by condour75 at 6:11 PM on March 23, 2020
"Shampoo, because we couldn't find any real poo..."
posted by Windopaene at 6:30 PM on March 23 [1 favorite −] Favorite added! [!]
As the toast goes, "Shampoo for my real friends, and real poo for my sham friends!"
Just this morning I was trying to get my 10% full bottle of shampoo to stand on its head, but the corner of the tub it lives on is apparently not level enough. Why yes, my showers have become more leisurely since a certain pandemic commenced.
posted by ejs at 6:27 PM on March 23, 2020
posted by Windopaene at 6:30 PM on March 23 [1 favorite −] Favorite added! [!]
As the toast goes, "Shampoo for my real friends, and real poo for my sham friends!"
Just this morning I was trying to get my 10% full bottle of shampoo to stand on its head, but the corner of the tub it lives on is apparently not level enough. Why yes, my showers have become more leisurely since a certain pandemic commenced.
posted by ejs at 6:27 PM on March 23, 2020
When you watch a guy explain why a shampoo bottle fell over for 5 minutes, it's time to go to bed
posted by Reyturner at 11:18 PM on March 23, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by Reyturner at 11:18 PM on March 23, 2020 [1 favorite]
Shampoo for my real friends
Real poo for my sham friends
posted by adrianhon at 2:31 AM on March 24, 2020 [4 favorites]
Real poo for my sham friends
posted by adrianhon at 2:31 AM on March 24, 2020 [4 favorites]
I have an older version of this. It has rings on the bottom of the shelves to hold bottles upside down. (But I also like decanting stuff into pump bottles.)
posted by rebeccabeagle at 8:33 AM on March 24, 2020
posted by rebeccabeagle at 8:33 AM on March 24, 2020
Metafilter: all the remain 'poo can be extracted
posted by Huffy Puffy at 10:57 AM on March 24, 2020
posted by Huffy Puffy at 10:57 AM on March 24, 2020
Don't some brands already do this?
Yup. It's actually part of how I decide what shampoo to buy, although I've also mostly switched to bar shampoo myself because we're trying to get away from plastic.
posted by aspersioncast at 3:59 PM on March 24, 2020
Yup. It's actually part of how I decide what shampoo to buy, although I've also mostly switched to bar shampoo myself because we're trying to get away from plastic.
posted by aspersioncast at 3:59 PM on March 24, 2020
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