10 votes

Could just-add-water products save us?

5 comments

  1. [3]
    NaraVara
    Link
    I'd be into this if it works just as well as a regular bottled product, but I'm not sure how much buy in it will get. I assume if I was a large consumer products manufacturer, it would be easier...

    I'd be into this if it works just as well as a regular bottled product, but I'm not sure how much buy in it will get. I assume if I was a large consumer products manufacturer, it would be easier for me to just produce, package, and ship my stuff in concentrate or dehydrated form.

    I have to assume they have actual customer convenience or public safety seasons for not doing it this way. Like, a cleaning solution that's too concentrated can be caustic and they don't want people getting chemical burns from handling undiluted containers. Or they just don't trust people to stir up the products properly (like, making sure they're properly/sufficiently blended) and they don't want their customers to have shampoo that's watery at first and lumpy later.

    On the other hand, I have switched over to buying gatorade powder in bulk and using it for workouts. I actually prefer it to be overediluted and I add a bit of lemon-juice concentrate since I want to get less sugar than the standard gatorade. So maybe it can work in specific contexts.

    3 votes
    1. [2]
      Micycle_the_Bichael
      Link Parent
      My partner and I have been using a lot of these products (or equivalents) for about half a year now (started using Blueland on launch so that's the outlier, that one has only been 3ish months...
      • Exemplary

      My partner and I have been using a lot of these products (or equivalents) for about half a year now (started using Blueland on launch so that's the outlier, that one has only been 3ish months since they launched April 2019). We use the Blueland cleaning products, bar shampoo and bar soap and are currently waiting on a shipment of eco-friendly toothpaste. For all of them I would say they work as well or better than their bottled counterparts. The shampoo and soap work really well as well as being a million times easier and safer to travel with (don't have to worry about my bar of shampoo taking up a lot of space or exploding in my suitcase!). The Blueland cleaning products seem to work well. I'm not sitting in my apartment growing cultures to see the microscopic quality of the cleaning products, but I will say that my countertops, windows, and mirrors all look clean and I haven't gotten any sort of food poisoning or seen anything to indicate that my countertops aren't clean. I would suggest giving them a try. They're really cheap, work well, are ascetically pleasing (not a major selling point, but it's a nice-to-have) and are mildly helpful for the environment.

      Unrelated aside: YES. Another member of the powdered gatorade society. I strongly prefer the powders so that I can make weaker-strength gatorade and put it in my water bottle. More gatorade at a better strength for less money. Huge wins :)

      5 votes
      1. NaraVara
        Link Parent
        Interesting. I'll have to check it out. I'm in a very high cost of living city, so even environmental benefits aside just freeing up some storage space seems like it would be well worth it.

        Interesting. I'll have to check it out. I'm in a very high cost of living city, so even environmental benefits aside just freeing up some storage space seems like it would be well worth it.

        2 votes
  2. [2]
    Somebody
    Link
    My mother loves to dehydrate things, and I can tell you from experience that there is a real quality degradation involved. Rehydrated products are never as good as their never-dehydrated source.

    My mother loves to dehydrate things, and I can tell you from experience that there is a real quality degradation involved. Rehydrated products are never as good as their never-dehydrated source.

    1 vote
    1. MimicSquid
      Link Parent
      I think that may depend on the item in question. This may be true for dehydrated and rehydrated meat or fruit, but given that the article is talking about personal hygiene and cleaning supplies...

      I think that may depend on the item in question. This may be true for dehydrated and rehydrated meat or fruit,
      but given that the article is talking about personal hygiene and cleaning supplies it's not really a relevant criticism. These are chemical compounds that don't have the water added for use until the consumer gets it, not something that started out with the water in it.

      7 votes