Small reusable plastic bottles for liquids
 

The kind of mouthwash I use doesn't come in a small size. So I've purchased those travel plastic bottles from CVS/Walgreens. But these never seal tight and I end up having the liquid leak out copiously.

So do you have any suggestions on where I can get a good travel-size reusable bottle/container for liquids?

My $ .02
 

Purchase a couple of the travel size mouthwash bottles from the source of your choice. Empty their contents, then dispense your mouthwash into them. We end up purchasing the LARGE bottles of mouthwash from our local warehouse club and have been doing this for travel the past few years without incident.

There are many sources - Container Store, Muji, big box stores like Target & Walmart. The silicone versions I find a little more leak proof but they tend to take up way too much space in a ziploc. No worries if you're packing in a checked bag.

Another "cheap and readily available" option along the lines of an existing travel mouthwash bottle might be a mini liquor bottle. Basically, something designed for a thin liquid (many "travel" bottles seem to be ok for thicker substances like shampoo, conditioner, shower gel)

Good idea.

Thanks for the pointers. Yes, you're right about thick liquids doing better in the most commonly available bottles. But thinner ones leak like crazy. So I'll try either reusing another mouthwash bottle or a liquor bottle.

Yeah, and silicone bottles are bad for oils & some serums. We tend to talk about things like this in the Women's forum here and in the fashion/beauty forum I frequent on Cruise Critic. I get lots of good idea ;-) [for face oils & serum, eye drops bottles are good!] Some people have VERY creative solutions, and you never know until someone asks!

You can also cut a small piece of Saran wrap/cling film, put it over the opening of the bottle and then screw on the cap. This will prevent leaks.

Have you tried the Nalgene bottles which are available at Container Store (and are actually reasonably priced there)?

They are available elsewhere too, but Container Store is probably the easiest. Here is one example:
https://www.containerstore.com/s/nal...0243&q=nalgene

Good idea. However, after a fair number of uses (packing and unpacking a few times) saran wrap tends to bunch up into an unusable mass of plastic for me.

I'll look into these. Have you used them with thin liquids like mouthwash?

I've used the "original" nalgene bottle (from REI) as a camping water bottle. That's what it was designed for. Haven't used the travel toiletry versions though. (If I recall the early to mid 80s, Nalgene's claim to fame is that nothing "stuck" to the bottle and changed the flavor - so you could do koolaid with one bottle but once unlike some bottles, the next 5 bottles of water wouldn't still taste of koolaid ;-)

Nalgene bottles are the bomb. buy some and never look back.

The mini Nalgene bottles are perfect. With the exception of the dropper bottles, they never leak.

I have one gripe about Nalgene. They make their travel bottles in 1 oz, 2 oz and 4 oz sizes, but not in the 3.4 oz max carry-on size that the TSA mandates. I don't know why Nalgene doesn't make them, I would imagine that they would be a big seller.

Excepting mouthwash, it takes a while to go through 100ml of shampoo, conditioner, lotion, or bodywash.

I'd also look at 50/100ml spout bags, similar to baby food pouches (without the re-sealable zipper for reusable ones), but I'm a container nerd. They're similar to the soft flask style used in "rum runners" for cruise ships. The small opening should help keep thin liquids from leaking and you can add a layer of plastic wrap on to help it seal.

I buy a travel size bottle of Listerine, toss the contents, and pour my mouthwash into it. It seals very well and even has a child safety cap.