With 10 furnished rental listings, finding a way to efficiently restock supplies has been a challenge. Through trial and error over the years, I have finally developed a system that has changed the game in multiple ways. I have finally discovered how to restock supplies in favor of time, money, and the environment.
If you are just getting started in your furnished rental journey, you can now skip the trials we went through and implement these learnings right away. I'm jealous. But even if you aren't a furnished rental host, you can still implement these ideas into your own home and the environment, and your wallet, will thank you.
Surface cleaner, window cleaner, shower cleaners, stainless steel cleaner, hardwood floor cleaner, toilet bowl cleaner, electric stovetop cleaner, trash bags large and small, toilet paper, paper towels, hand soap, dish soap, laundry....the list goes on. It is a lot! Multiply that times 10 and we have an overwhelming amount of plastic and waste that is negatively contributing to the environment. That's pretty ugly.
Laundry Detergent Sheets Instead of Jugs
All of this actually started when I learned about laundry detergent sheets. Laundry detergent sheets were the gateway drug in this journey 😂. Instead of buying a huge multi-gallon jug of liquid laundry soap, I could buy this thin box/envelope filled with laundry detergent soap in sheets that did just as many loads. Game changer! Lugging those big jugs to properties when they needed refills was a literal burden. I could literally buy twice the amount of laundry soap in sheets and fit it all in one arm.
Where can you buy these laundry detergent sheets you ask? Amazon.
Then of course as I purchased these light soapy sheets of goodness, Amazon shows me other similar game changing cleaning products. Refill soap pods. Refill cleaner pods..and then my wheels keep turning.
Hand Soap Refill Pods
Another annoying thing to refill is hand soap. Hand soaps are the greatest and quickest accumulation of plastic from our properties. With one at every sink, they get used the most and we go through it the fastest. I would buy larger jugs of liquid hand soap to refill the small bottles, but over time, even those big jugs add up and lugging those around is also not awesome.
When I learned they now make hand soap refill pods, that was the solution. I can buy a small eco friendly packet with several refills pods in it. I bought eco friendly amber glass foaming soap bottles for every sink at our properties. Now all the soap dispensers match (esthetically pleasing) and they are durable.
Foaming Dish Soap Refill Powder
Dish soap was the next most common item to replace. Again, I would buy larger jugs of Dawn dish soap and just refill the bottles at each property. But now I can take it another step further. I discovered you can buy foaming dish soap refill packets! There is a brand called eclove that sells eco friendly foaming dish soap refill packs. It is a powder you just add to warm water in a foaming bottle. It dissolves and is ready to go. Their mango scent smells so fresh too! There are a lot of other eco-friendly brands out there now. Just go off of reviews and try them out to see which brand you like most.
Shower Soap Refills
For midterm rentals, to be honest we have not had to refill the shower soap supply very much primarily due to the fact that when guests come to stay for more than a couple weeks, they want to use their own soap. And they do. So having shampoo or body wash available is primarily for when they just arrive for added convenience.
I used to buy the "3in1 everyone" soap for our guests. It comes in one bottle and is quite nice actually with really pleasant aroma choices. This means just one bottle in the shower instead of a cluster of bottles taking up space that guests eventually just move aside to use their own products they bring.
So over time, we would have a bunch of partially used plastic shampoo and body wash bottles that just get tossed. I can't control what our guests buy and what they leave behind, but at least I can provide a slightly more eco friendly solution...though I'm still waiting for the universe to invent shampoo refills in a pod form that you add water to that are cost effective. I have no doubt it is on the horizon.
Again, I purchased large amber glass refill bottles and then large jugs of a plant based, sensitive skin, 3 in 1 shower wash from zogics (since I don't have another choice...but I remind myself of all the other types of jugs I don't have to get anymore. Yay!) The benefit with these is that I can buy one jug for each property and just leave it there to refill. I have no doubt it will last at least a year. So that is a big win for my restocking efforts.
Dishwasher Detergent Sheets
For the dishwasher soap, the little pods have primarily been our go-to...but again they come in plastic containers that take up space. The dishwasher powder also takes up a lot of space. But not the sheets! The dishwasher detergent sheets come in an envelope pouch. Just fold up a little sheet and place it in the detergent receptacle and you're done. So handy. So much less to cart around.
Cleaner Refill Pods or Tablets
All the different types of cleaners add up to a lot of plastic waste, a lot of weight and hassle to purchase and deliver, and they clutter up your space wherever you store them. Why do we repurchase the same plastic bottle over and over again that just contributes to the giant mountain of supposed recyclables? The answer is primarily due to convenience right? But restocking several properties with all these same spray bottles over and over again is really NOT convenient.
What IS convenient are the refill pods or tablets. With any type of reusable spray bottle (I went with amber glass with labels) we can just drop a cleaning tablet in with some warm water and we are ready to go.
Now we are just paying for the tablet, not all the plastic that comes with it. This saves space in shipping, which saves fuel in shipping making more space for other products, it saves space in storing, it saves time, eneregy and money. It is an all around win.
Wool Dryer Balls
After living in Europe for more than 6 years throughout our marriage we have learned the having a clothes dryer is a perk and convenience in this first world culture, but it is not a necessity. Hang drying your clothes is better for the fabric and also the environment. In addition to that, we learned that white vinegar is a great fabric softener. A friend in Italy swore by it, so we tried it and they were right. White vinegar is cheap and has innumerable uses. So that became our fabric softener for years.
Then when we moved back to America, of course there really is nothing like fresh hot towels pulled straight out from the dryer. We discovered wool dryer balls that help toss your clothes and keep them soft while drying in the dryer. Purchasing fabric softener is a waste and not a necessity. The wool dryer balls are reusable. We have had a set for years that are still rollin!
The Full Amazon List
For your convenience, I have made our list of these game changing restock supplies that you won't want to live without found on Amazon so you can save yourself some time of searching for them and also some time in going out and buying them. Just get them delivered and get back to what you would rather use your time for. Because time is also money. So use it wisely when you can.
Check out our Amazon list here!
If you know of other space saving eco friendly products not listed here, or know of brands you love, please comment and share! I'm sure all of us would love to learn more!
Free Restock Checklist
Never forget an item to restock at your listing with this handy checklist. This checklist is categorized for easy reference and you can add onto it if you need to add something of your own.
