I have stopped taking the shampoo, conditioner and body lotions hotels provide.
Basically they’re crap. Made in China crap.
And normally they make my hair go like straw. Or have a scent I wouldn’t use.
I do make exceptions. Crabtree and Evelyn products. Nice smelling soaps for guests. (In the book I read where they won a luxury trip, they got Chanel and Tiffany products. I’d take those by the case load.)
I never used to be this strong but my “Use it up” challenge made me confront my excess product collection. Now I can walk out of a hotel and not feel the need to throw in all the small bottles. I’d rather spend money on the product I like than use a freebie I don’t like.
But I can’t walk out with the slippers!
Why?
They are generally one size fits all which means they are too big for me.
They don’t have a great warmth rating.
I have heaps already.
I did think I could give them out to guests who stay over. We have wooden floors which are cold in winter. But I don’t really have that many guests.
Since I started my “Wear it out” challenge, I have stopped wearing my beloved uggies and are wearing the hotel slippers.
Every so often I look down and think, “Shit. If someone came to the door now and saw me in these grotty things, they’d think I was a pig.” And then I know it is time to toss them. (They don’t really hold up to being placed in the washing machine.)
I have gone through quite a few. But they are like the magic pudding or wire coat hangers – there always seems to be another pair. OK, I did bring more home from my trip to China. Still…
Can you resist the free?
And what about the hidden costs? I don’t mean the hotel bill covers these things. I mean the cost to our environment for such disposable items. Does this cost worry you?
lucinda sans 
I have only ever stayed at one hotel that provided slippers. It never even occurred to me to take them home. But of course they wouldn’t have been reused, so I probably should have taken them home if I opened the package!
Greedy, silly me takes the unopened ones. A habit I must break.
I must admit, I’ve never stayed at a hotel that had slippers! Where are these hotels? Yes, the hidden costs bother me. Everytime I see something ‘free’ that is really cheap plastic craptastic, I do stop to think about the landfill and production costs and usually pass on it.
These hotels are everywhere. Mostly I’ve stayed for work: conferences and stuff. Hilton, Shangri-la, that sort of hotel. First time I stayed at Salt, a resort at Kingscliff, NSW, when it just opened they gave slippers. Now they don’t.
wonderful to get those slippers, very light and thin, I bring them along for traveling, cannot abide walking in bare feet or socks only
Similar here. Though I don’t mind bare feet, I don’t like cold feet. Funnily enough I take my uggies when I go somewhere cold.
I don’t usually bring them home, but I did once, after a homeless man at church asked if they had any on hand (they didn’t). My church has a homeless sleep over on Saturday nights, so there’s some ‘regulars’. Anyhow, I resisted continuing to bring them back lest the man no longer visit, or want or need them.
I did use some at a recent (non Thai) massage, and then put them in the hamper, undoubtedly for trash. That made my zero waste ways sad, but bringing them home wasn’t true to me either… I wouldn’t wear them.
I need to be strong and take a lesson from you. I don’t like the slippers; I need to say no. Though your use for the homeless is a good idea. Slippers were offered to everyone on my recent return flight from Taiwan. I said no but most everyone took them. At end of flight plastic wrappers and disposable slippers everywhere.