“I feel like we’re at a super fancy resort,” my friend Shawna said nonchalantly as she looked on as my husband and I created beef and vegetable kabobs and mashed potatoes for dinner last night. She and her husband (and their two cute kids) stayed at our house the past few days.
Her comment made me smile. That is exactly how we want guests to feel in our home. Pampered. Appreciated. Relaxed.
One thing that we try to do is have little toiletry items available [just like hotels] in case visitors forget common bathroom items – shampoo, conditioner, lotion, toothbrushes, etc.
Right now, we have spare toothbrushes from Recycline, a company that sells products “made from 100% recycled plastics and 100% post-consumer paper.” The Preserve Toothbrush ($2.79), for example, is also known as “the toothbrush made from yogurt cups.” The Preserve Jr. ($2.79), designed for children ages 2-8, features a “pea pod shaped handle that makes it easy for young hands to grab on to while the soft bristles protect your child’s teeth and gums.”
When it is time to replace the toothbrush (or, say, your guest only uses it a few times and then heads home to their “real” toothbrush), simply send the toothbrush and case back to Preserve using the postage-paid label to be re-processed into plastic lumber for picnic tables, boardwalks, and decks. Now that is cool.
Preserve products are available at thousands of retail locations in the US and Canada, including Target stores, Trader Joe’s, and Whole Foods Market
WIN IT! One winner will receive one Preserve Toothbrush and one Preserve Jr. Toothbrush. To enter, leave a comment on this post prior to Sunday, July 20 at midnight (don’t forget to follow the rules). * Winner must provide a U.S. mailing address.
*UPDATE* The winner is #7 Andrea McMann. Congratulations!
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Caryn Bailey says
July 21, 2008 at 9:34 pmLove this toothbrush, mostly because of how it’s made! : ) Isn’t that cool? From recycled yogurt cups? No need to enter me!
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Kristen Hendricks says
July 20, 2008 at 8:33 pmI would really like to try these toothbrushes out especially since using them would be so environmentally friendly. This is a great giveaway and I really hope I win. Thanks.
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Donna Vance says
July 20, 2008 at 5:50 pmWe always need replacement toothbrushes at our house. The fact that they are recycleable is great.
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kathy pease says
July 20, 2008 at 5:34 pmmy email on the last post was wrong sorry :(
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kathy pease says
July 20, 2008 at 5:32 pmPLEASE COUNT ME IN ON THIS AWESOME GIVEAWAY :)
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Sylvia Porter says
July 20, 2008 at 4:10 pmthis would be so great, people sometimes stay at our house, and people always forget a toothbrush, i always have extra toothbrushes on hand, so this would really great for us.
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Kathy Conley says
July 20, 2008 at 3:14 pmWhat a great concept for the environment and for a family!
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Ron Miller says
July 20, 2008 at 4:08 amCan not have enough toothbrushes around the house!
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Pamela White says
July 19, 2008 at 7:50 pmWhat an awesome eco-friendly product.
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Sweetpeas says
July 19, 2008 at 7:15 pmToothbrushes is one thing I hadn’t found a good ecological solution to! I love the concept of this company! Now to convince my kids that peapods are better than princesses & dora and such LOL.
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Go Amie says
July 19, 2008 at 7:10 pmI think it is absolutely necessary to keep extra toothbrushes on hand – you never know when someone might need one.
I have a friend who kept an old toothbrush in the bathroom with a little tag on it that said “Guest toothbrush – please rinse well after use.” It was always great when someone failed to realize it was a joke!
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Rachel Watts says
July 19, 2008 at 3:06 pmCan never have too many toothbrushes. Enter me, please.
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Jean F says
July 19, 2008 at 4:10 amI have never been to Target-looks like they have interesting products.
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Elizabeth Mays says
July 18, 2008 at 6:30 pmI always have to replace my toothbrush because I’m terrible about brushing too hard. I can’t seem to help it.
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Emily N says
July 17, 2008 at 12:33 pmIt’s nice to know they’re available at Target.
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judy brittle says
July 17, 2008 at 8:59 amThis is great to keep on hand. The grandkids come to spend the night and of course they forgot their toothbrush.
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aimee says
July 16, 2008 at 9:30 pmReally cool idea! I wish I could send them all my toothbrushes. Your post is a nice reminder as we move to restock the “little things” for our guests!
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Gloria Walshver says
July 16, 2008 at 11:43 amgreat prize if you have guests for the weekend who forget their toothbrush.
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Rhonda says
July 16, 2008 at 11:29 amWhat a great idea. I keep spares for my guests as well. I love the recycle aspect. Companies out there are getting smarter.
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Eloise Carlson says
July 16, 2008 at 10:01 amThese look like great toothbrushes. It’s always great to have extra toothbrushes, my daghter has her friend over to spend the night once in a while and she always seems to forget her toothbrush. This would be perfect to have for her. Thanks for the opportunity!
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CAROLYN says
July 16, 2008 at 9:35 amNever can have too many toothbrushes!
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Melanie @ Mel, A Dramatic Mommy says
July 16, 2008 at 1:10 amThese are a great idea! I’ll have to look for them. My son abuses his toothbrushes so we go through them like crazy. Thanks!
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Ma Val says
July 15, 2008 at 2:59 pmExtra toothbrushes for guests are great. I wish my house had a guest bathroom as well. I’ll have to start with a toiletries basket. I’d love to give these a try. Thanks
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Bebemiqui says
July 15, 2008 at 2:19 pmI actually have some of Preserve’s cutting boards and I them.
Great giveaway! Count me in. bebemiqui82(at)yahoo(dot)com
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Becca says
July 14, 2008 at 9:22 pmI think that is the coolest sort of go green product I have heard of yet. Cool.
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Marlena says
July 14, 2008 at 7:49 pmI just read about these online. I’m pretty sure that they are BPA-free too! That’s a huge plus for me since my daughter loves to chew on her toothbrush. I’m going to check these out the next time I head out to Target. Hope to win some free ones! :) Thanks!
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Erica says
July 14, 2008 at 7:10 pmMy sister does the same thing. She even has some sample-sized makeup in the basket! It’s a great idea. These toothbrushes look cool, but I have to get past the fact that I’m putting recycled trash in my mouth…just being honest.
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Dayna says
July 14, 2008 at 5:15 pmWe always have a little basket of toiletries for guests and would love these toothbrushes to add to it!
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Katie says
July 14, 2008 at 1:43 pmWhat a great idea to keep around for guest. Though with such a small house we don’t really do it much but when we move I will definatly have to keep that in mind. Thanks.
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Katie says
July 14, 2008 at 1:42 pmLove the idea of having little toiletries for guests! I just hand them my big ol’ bottle of shampoo…not as classy. :) But a few spare toothbrushes is a great idea. Old toothbrushes in our house become cleaning tools. I use a sharpie to designate their use (considering “poo” is on one of the toothbrushes and you DON’T want to mix that one with ANY other!!!)
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Madeline says
July 14, 2008 at 1:27 pmExtra toothbrushes are always needed around our house, and these are environmentally friendly to boot! How fabulous is that! I’d love to test them out.
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Sara says
July 14, 2008 at 12:50 pmOoo, I’ve seen these at Trader Joe’s but never really looked at them. I like that they give you the postage paid to send them back. I’m going to give them a harder look the next time I’m out b/c I believe our toothbrush stash has dwindled down to nothing. Can’t have that now can we!
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Meg says
July 14, 2008 at 12:09 pmI heard lots of these were made from recycled yogurt cartons–so cool! Im also excited they are going to sell them at places like Target-thanks!
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Suzanne B. (Crunchy Green Mom) says
July 14, 2008 at 11:56 amI love these toothbrushes, and the best thing is , with the amount of little teeth I have in the house, we go through them quickly. (HOW do kids lose their toothbrushes so often? It’s like they are stolen by the tooth fairy when she feels like it’s been too long!)
I love the recycling aspect of it, it makes me feel good to know they aren’t just going into a landfill!
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Belinda says
July 14, 2008 at 11:06 amIt always nice to have these for guests. They look very nice. Thanks for the giveaway!
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Angie says
July 14, 2008 at 8:23 amWe keep a little basket of toiletries (including toothbrushes) in our guest bath as well – I’d love to add to our stash. I wonder though, would Recycline take mailed in regular toothbrushes? Where would I go to find out?
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My Baby Pajamas says
July 14, 2008 at 7:46 amI also always have on hand soap, shampoo, dryer etc. I never thought of having a spare toothbrush. Great idea.
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Sarah T. says
July 14, 2008 at 7:39 amThe recycling idea is very innovative. And, like you, we love keeping a little basket of helpful hygiene/shower items in our guests’ bathroom. We get quite a lot of houseguests…do you have any other fun entertaining tips?
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Andrea McMann says
July 14, 2008 at 6:37 amI read about these on the Peekaboo Picks site. Very neat idea! :)
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BR says
July 14, 2008 at 3:55 amWe too keep stuff like that on hand … and I love the recycling bit of this. Over the last year, we have really tried to increase our recycling efforts (using reusable bags, etc.) so I’m all for this!
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misty says
July 13, 2008 at 11:05 pmAw, that’s great. One for me and my daughter. Thanks so much for the opportunity.
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Belinda A. says
July 13, 2008 at 8:28 pmWe seldom have overnight guests in our little apartment, but just last week I had a playdate and a razzled and pregnant mom friend arrived without having had time to brush her teeth – I gave her a toothbrush from my complimentary airline toothbrush stash:) These Recycline toothbrushes sound so neat, the international airlines that still give passengers a free bathroom kit should invest in these.
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Becca says
July 13, 2008 at 7:17 pmI do the same thing for our house guests. I’ve got a basket in our spare bathroom with mini shampoos and conditioners, deoderants, feminine hygiene items, disposable razors, etc. A few I’ve purchased, but many I’ve received as free samples in the mail. And I don’t think we’ve had a house guest yet who didn’t end up using at least one item from that basket.
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Becky says
July 13, 2008 at 6:42 pmI actually hadn’t heard of Preserve toothbrushes yet. Sounds very nice! We don’t tend to have visitors stay in our already-cramped-for-space apartment, but I’d like to try these toothbrushes anyway!
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stacey moore says
July 13, 2008 at 5:56 pmmy mom used our extra toothbrush when she stayed a couple of weeks ago so we would love to win these! we always try to keep extras at our house as well!!
thanks!
moore.g at insideconnect.net