How do I tell my roommates that they are using too much soap?

If I were you, I’d just be happy that they’re actually doing dishes. That’s probably one of the most common things that roommates fight over (cleaning/doing chores).

Go to Costo or Sams and buy it in bulk.

Yea, I’m going to recommend buying cheaper dish soap. Around the corner for me it costs a dollar for a bottle of the no-name brand.

If it truly bothers you, maybe you should offer to do all the dishes yourself.

I don’t know, can you really use too much soap?

From an environmental perspective, yes, you can use too much soap.

One option that works is to dilute the detergent and place it in a sprayer bottle (the small kind you can spray water on plants with, that has a trigger). This way it takes effort to waste through repeated spraying, this usually solves the problem. Or just dilute the detergent in the bottle it’s in. They probably won’t notice any difference in its effectiveness as they are going so overboard in the amounts they’re using. Instantly you can halve their usage, or even more if you wish.

You can also buy phosphate free and low salt detergents if you are concerned about the environment.

I don’t know…this might be a time when you need to pick your battles and look past this one. Is it adding up…costing that much more? I know that college life is expensive and if you are supporting yourself…every penny counts, but this may be something not to turn into a huge issue.

Do you guys rotate who is buying things or go in all together?

I’d would do what Critter38 suggested, if it’s bugging you that much, dilute it. Most can stand to be diluted, anyway.

When living with other people an extremely large amount of problems may occur. It may be a blessing that your only complaint is the amount of dish soap being used.

My roommates are too clean!

I have too many shoes for my closet!

I don’t pay income tax but my refund check can’t get here fast enough!

—

‘Scuse me while I go off to find something else to complain about.

Actually, this is an issue my husband and I have had words over. He thinks I use too much soap as I use the same method as you describe your room mates use. Our solution is that who ever does the dishes gets to use what ever method they want.

< < seconds basp‘s suggestion.

Water down the soap, it’ll last longer.

fluther! why are you being so harsh? we’re here to make neuroses easier, not dismiss them.

instead of criticizing your roommates, why don’t you just make an observation—> “hmm. that’s an interesting way to wash dishes. i generally put the soap in the sponge because it makes the soap last longer – why do you do it your way?”

it’s kind of passive aggressive but i think it would work – don’t go into the confrontation as if she is wrong, but as if you’re curious about the optimum dishwashing method.

I wouldn’t take too kindly to someone telling me how to wash the dishes on my turn. I have to wash the pans in my house (it is supposed to be a turn taking deal – doesn’t happen) so I would be happy if someone else was to do it any way they found worked for them!

But maybe the solution IS to buy a huge thing of it at Costco and NOT put it in a smaller container. That way it would be harder to lift everytime they needed to squirt some. Or, being worried about it, maybe BEFORE the person’s turn, you could fill up the sink with the water and dish soap and just say “Hey, I got the dishes started for you.” :D

Just ask them nicely to conserve

“hey you, you are using too much soap!”
Usually, that helps a lot

Or use one of those scrubber gadgets with the hollow plastic tube.. You can fill in with partially diluted liquid soap.

Do you split the costs when someone shops for household and generally shared supplies? Do you have to pay only 1/6 of the cost?

(Examine your relationship with your mother.)

Or go out and buy a small soapy water bucket and show them that they can fill it with soap and water and then just dip the washcloth or sponge in every time.

Good luck though, like others said, just be happy they are wash the dishes and know that you won’t have to worry about soap in a year or two.

Lurve to autumn for using the word “thing” thus: “buy a huge thing of it at Costco”.

Well, sometimes it is hard to squirt the thing….

< < giggles like Beavis & Butthead.

autumn said squirt, heh heh

that’s why autumn rocks!

As someone who has a roommate who never does the dishes, I do find it hard to sympathize, like some others here have said as well. I’d love to have your problem. I’d buy a truckload of soap if I could just get the girl to squirt it on a damn dish and scrub! But I digress.

My one suggestion would be maybe to suggest to them that you guys get a more environmentally friendly soap (the environment shouldn’t have to suffer for their questionable washing style, should it?), and that soap is usually a bit more expensive. Actually, who’s buying the soap now? And is your concern that it’s expensive to keep buying soap, or that it’s bad for the environment? Well, if there’s six of you sharing a kitchen, maybe if you all make a pact to use the earth friendly soap and take turns buying it, either they will realize that it’s more expensive and try to make it last longer, or at least if that doesn’t work, you guys won’t be environmentally hazardous in your dish washing.

With my roommate problems, I find it’s best to just spit it out and say what’s bugging you.

I use a ton of soap too. Talk to them. Water down the soap to make it last longer….

You know, after reading the responses, I realize that the problem is quite petty. It is motivated by environmental concerns, though, to placate those who are amazed that I am whining about this. The soap we have now is environmentally friendly and following will be bottles of not so green soap. So, my concern is that even though they use the green soap now, it’s

(also, if you think my complaint is bad, please remember that these are adults who don’t know how to wash dishes)

@KatawaGrey – I really didn’t mean to come across as snotty. I just am working on teaching my teenager to pick and choose her battles! That’s the way I approached this question. Including the environmental concerns would have changed my approach.

Have you discussed your “green” concerns with them? Maybe they are adults, but I’ve seen some adults (my husband) go through a 1/3 of a bottle of soap until I showed him just how little it really took to wash the dishes.

Good luck!

I am totally on the Use Less Soap lobby, I get pissed when people let the water run the whole time too.

Run out of soap, maybe take your equal share and store it in your own bottle? a few (unnecessary) trips to the store for soap will get them in line.

Buy one of those dish brushes with the soap in the handle. Water down the soap when you fill it and its perfect.

Make a graphjam regarding the use of soap. Post it somewhere near the sink. Funny but they’ll get it.
I hate doing the dishes so a more direct approach could irritate them to just give the job to me…which I do not want. Just be thankful for what you have haha.

@derekpaperscissors: Note date of question. By now, all those soap abusers have skin like prunes and are spending most of their time at the dermatologist’s.

@gailcalled oh, should have noticed the date. Fluther could probably use a close question feature.

Actually even if the original people don’t come back to a question, others do find the thread and can benefit from your answers, months or years later.

I for one am now aware of graphjam

Seriously, quit being so petty. You remind me of one of my friend’s roommates who actually asked her if she would try to re-use her paper plates if they weren’t too dirty lol