centrifugal != centripetal

in almost all manners in which one might use "centrifugal force" in casual conversation, the correct term is centripetal. just sayin'.

I do what HRMANN does.

Well kinda, I use powder.

But when I had liquid I pour water in and slosh.

Same happens with the Spray-n-Wash refills. I pour water in it and add to wash loads figuring those loads get a extra boost.

:P

i use a similar technique to get the last little bit of weed out baggies...

knock all the shake into a corner and twist/rip the corner off = perfect shake bowl

Come on people, Put a little water - hot if you can be bothered. Shake the bottle (wth the lid on!!)

Then crack on with talking about something a little more intresting

This actually WAS a Heloise hint (from a vintage 60's paperback) but I also use just half the recommended amount of detergent. Detergent companies just want to sell more bottles and make you wear itchy clothes. And yeah, I'd rather put some water in and shake up the results than punch a hole -- those bottles are so sturdy, diabetics are sometimes advised to use them for hypodermic needle storage. Fun fact!

Mixing it with water makes it less viscous (or thick in layman terms), making it easier to pour out. Water's not going to do anything to it either since you're probably pouring detergent directly into the water anyway.

I think this is the laundry detergent manufacturer's version of "lather rinse repeat."

That's idiotic. It's going into the washing machine anyway, which is going to fill with water. Also, it only takes a couple ounces of water to rinse a bottle out (actually filling it is LESS effective than putting 2 or 3 ounces in a couple of times.)

I hope you didn't vote for whomever is telling people this (or whomever hired them).

That's what I always do. "Snap." LOL

@mrmysterious:

Centrifugal force FTW!
Learned this trick for stubborn ketchup. Catsup?

I've seen it suggested that you wash your clothes with the suggested amount, then REwash them immediately with NO detergent and open mid-cycle to see how many suds you have. Because the suggested size is just too much detergent to wash out efficiently. Apparently you can use half the suggested amount and STILL have leftover detergent in your clothes to make lots of suds!

You can get an extra load of of a box of the powdered laundry detergent also. You just fill the empty box with water when your machine is first filling, swish the water around in the box a bit and pour it in.

Even easier than water is a temporal solution.

Most detergent bottles and caps, like the one pictured, are easily stood on-end. This new, common design puts every drop into the cap and will not run out and malke a mess when the cap is removed.

In other words, just stand the damned jug on it's cap and wait overnight!

@therethinker: Thats what I was trying to say! You said it much better.

Since when did the Consumerist become "Hints from Heloise?"

My city tells us not to rinse out the bottles because it wastes water.

The "add water" technique reminds me of when I was a kid. If there wasn't enough chocolate syrup left in the Hersheys bottle to squeeze out, I'd just fill it with milk and shake it up then squirt it right into my mouth. Perfect chocolate milk every time!

Adding a little bit of water is most certainly easier than risking cutting your abdomen!

Yeah... just fill it with water! Isn't that much easier and more efficient than cutting holes in the bottle?

Plus, you should rinse out any bottles before you recycle them anyway.

Like everything else, gravity seems to do the trick for me. I saw on a science show once that if you swing a jar/bottle/whatever down toward the ground, lid down, then the fluid will be forced near the cap. Works great w/ dishsoap, shampoo, ketchup, etc.