Irrationally upset over a washing up liquid bottle…

[lifestooshorttodickaboutwithaubergines]

Ok, so I’ll preface this by saying I know how utterly ridiculous this is, but I need an outlet for my grief.

Years ago I purchased a Limited Edition Fairy liquid bottle, one of those tall, white ones with the baby on it, which I’ve happily and diligently decanted washing up liquid into ever since. It’s been sitting there on the windowsill of the last three houses I’ve lived in, and although it’s just a plastic bottle, it’s just brought me a little bit of joy. It’s silly, but it’s mine.

Until yesterday morning, when my well-meaning MIL saw it beside the new bottle (waiting to be decanted) and threw it into the recycling bin! I didn’t realise this until my “D”P casually mentioned this morning that he’s made a quirky little LAMPSHADE for a lamp we have in the garage, using that “old washing up liquid bottle”. A fucking LAMPSHADE. Out of my prized possession. It doesn’t even look good, because why on earth would it? It looks shit.

I’m irrationally heartbroken about the death of this bottle that’s just been sitting there for years, minding its own business, harming nobody. I know, I know, it’s just a fucking plastic bottle, but it was MY plastic bottle and he’s watched me decant the washing up liquid into it for years. He KNEW it was important to me. But because it’s just a plastic bottle, I’m going to have to bloody get over it, aren’t I. He’s already ordered a replacement, apparently, but it’s not the same, it’s not the same bottle. I’ve shed an embarrassing number of tears over it and as it’s still so raw, I feel like I’ll never forgive the twat for it.

Cheer me up a little, let me know I’m not alone and come share your stories of silly things that to everyone else seems trivial and ridiculous, but for you has been a source of heartache and woe…😢

Sorry. Didn’t mean to make things worse.

YABU ffs it's an old bottle! I can't understand people getting so attached to things. Bit different if it was something a dead relative had given you. Try going through real grief 😔

I hear you OP. I had a plastic box I decant dog food into I've had since 2006. It has seen more than one dog and has lots of happy memories attached to it. It's just a plastic box but it's my plastic box. When the boiler was installed the workmen somehow managed to smash the lid in half. They didn't even need to go near it as it wasn't in their way. I had looked after it for years, fed my last dog out of it every day then fed my current from it every day. I still use it with a big split through the middle of the lid.

Years ago I purchased a Limited Edition Fairy liquid bottle, one of those tall, white ones with the baby on it, which I’ve happily and diligently decanted washing up liquid into ever since. It’s been sitting there on the windowsill of the last three houses I’ve lived in, and although it’s just a plastic bottle, it’s just brought me a little bit of joy. It’s silly, but it’s mine.

I am so sorry OP. A tiny bit of you has died along with the bottle. You are allowed to grieve.

I got a bottle of HP sauce with the scaffolding on Big Ben. Told everyone I wanted to keep it and put it away. Some fecker of my family opened it. I had The Rage. It’s now under my bed.

YANBU OP

The picture of the massacred bottle is hilarious. wth was your dh thinking?

I feel your pain. Just seeing that bottle brought back so many memories and you don't often find objects that do that. I can see why you loved it. I understand why you are so upset to lose it. I speak as someone who has been through two recent bereavements.

Well, you know absolutely nothing about me, my personal circumstances or what I have or haven’t been through. Perhaps read the thread and you’d see that. Of course I’ve experienced real grief. I personally can’t understand people coming onto a thread and deliberately trying to belittle someone else and make them feel like shit, but here you are 🤷‍♀️

You didn’t 😊

Thank you. I’m so sorry to hear you’ve been through recent bereavements, it’s so tough. Definitely a nostalgic item, I remember the bottles from being little and it’s nice to be reminded of happy times 😊

Aww OP you are allowed to feel how you feel and I would be exactly the same! I'd quite like one of those bottles myself...not for £150 though haha.

About 10 plus years ago my mum lent me one of her "good" shopping bags to carry some things home in - a mid-sized canvas-like boxy one, in a purply colour with little cocktail glasses all over it. It ended up in our loft with all the old photo albums she gave me, and when she died in 2020 I reorganised her things but kept her good shopping bag in her favourite colour, that had been used for countless church fetes and Mothers Union meetings and U3A groups and bible reading fellowships and horticultural shows on the green. 🥲

I used it myself for carting crochet projects around on our numerous caravan/motorhome holidays and it reminded me of her. But DH accidentally gathered it up amongst our normal shopping bags, and he carelessly chucked a 4 pint bottle of milk in it which leaked, then he used it to take beer bottles to the bottle bank, so it had old smelly milk and lager juice in it. It's still around but I can't help feeling sad that a memento of my mum has been so casually mistreated (and I can no longer use it for nice things that mum would have liked).

Try learning some understanding.

I am gutted for you! This is 100% something my DH would do and be so delighted with himself and completely bemused that I was upset.
One that I can remember - near the start of covid I got into the habit of having a morning coffee in the garden and admiring the beautiful trailing plant coming over the garden wall. DH lopped it all off 'to line up with the top of the wall'. Why!!!!??? Stopped going outside for my coffee couldn't bare to look at the butchered twigs.
Another one, a crystal vase from a beloved great aunt. DH put it in the dishwasher and completely ruined it. His response, you never said it couldn't go in the dishwasher. What???? Why would I even need to say that?
Not DH, but my mum put all my comics in the recycling when I was about 10 years old. I was gutted then and still a bit gutted today. Not resentful towards her, just genuinely a bit sad that I can never read them again.

This is going to sound embarrassing and weird but I had one of those sippy cups as a child and I just ended taking it to bed every night with me until I was 16, when my Mum took matters into her own hands and threw it away. I know she did it for my own good, but I loved sipping out if that cup and it was part of my routine. I was very upset at the time!

This has just reminded me of my favourite ever shopping bag. Nothing fancy, just a recycled plastic tote that was green and had the perfect length straps and folded up easily and didn't crease. I loved it and used it for years, literally years, until one day DH came home drunk and was sick in it. It was ruined and had to be thrown away. I still remind him of it from time to time!

My partner gave away my old laptop.

It had backups of my photos on it. Photos that I accidentally deleted recently, hence searching for my old laptop. He wiped it and gave it to some random bloke. I remain devastated and absolutely fucking furious. I would NEVER give his possessions away without asking.

I've been through grief, am still grieving, but can still sympathise with the OPs upset at her bottle being destroyed.

Life is hard enough so anything that makes our days a bit lighter, bit more fun or just a little anchor of comfort is a good thing and losing that something would be upsetting.

If it's any help, you can get.prints of the original Fairy Liquid.bottle with either a green or a pink background. They are on sale too.You can also see the Fairy Liquid advert on you tube and singalong with the FL song...

Bless you OP, I totally get it. Especially the lampshade thing, as he retrieved it from the recycling so bungled the chance to rescue it.

I hear you OP.
My sister collected special edition 50p pieces and had pretty much all of them.
Her husband put them into a coin star machine 😢

If the replacement bottle is the same size can you use the old nozzle off the old bottle on the new one? Like a heart replacement so it lives on a bit?

Ok, maybe (probably) I was a bit heartless in my original post.
I do sympathise with the OP.
Thank you for your reply that was to the point without being rude.
Sorry for your loss x

@PadstowGirl That is gutting! How could her DH not have realised????!!!!! I think there was a case in the news a few years ago about a feud between two 50p collectors who fell out over the Beatrix Potter coins and one murdered the other. 50p collecting is serious stuff!

I didn't intend to belittle or make you feel like shit, apologies. I can see how my post was insensitive. An item which holds lots of memories is obviously sentimental. Grief does funny things to people and tbh, I probably shouldn't have commented on this thread. Sorry OP, I didn't mean to upset/anger you 💐

I also had that bottle and loved it.

In a spat of decluttering I put it in the recycling a couple of months ago. I've regretted it ever since. It's the only thing I've ever decluttered and regretted.

A plastic bottle.

I also feel silly about this. Isn't it odd.

Ah I feel for you. I think this is a bit of a comfort thing, when you're going through uncertain times your old friend the washing up bottle is always there. People saying you've never known grief in your life are missing the point - I know the more heartache I face the more I appreciate the little constants in my home. Sometimes I read a bit about Buddhist attitudes to physical things to try and remind myself they're just things and it's ok to let go, but the mind is a funny thing and seeks solace wherever it can.