Why You Should Always Steal the Shower Cap From the Hotel

Written by

Julie Sprankles
Julie Sprankles
Julie is an entertainment and lifestyle writer living in the coastal mecca of Charleston, SC. In her spare time, she enjoys watching campy SyFy creature features, DIY-ing any inanimate object within reach, and consuming lots o' tacos.
published Apr 9, 2018
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Shiplap on the walls of a white farmhouse chic bathroom with marble countertops
(Image credit: Emily Billings)

Who among us hasn’t snatched a tiny hotel toiletry (or 10) in our time? Let she without blame cast the first miniature moisturizer bottle. For the record, though, why would they leave them out if they didn’t want you to take them? We say keep growing your collection. And while you’re at it, make you don’t forget the most underrated of items: the humble hotel shower cap.

You may be wondering, “But, why? Like, why?” Because, fellow hotel toiletry thieves, there are myriad uses for a shower cap outside of the shower. Unlike those miniscule shampoo bottles that will last one-eighth of a use, the shower cap can be re-used countless times. It’s incredibly versatile, meaning anyone can find a solid reason to hoard a few.

Check out these clever ways you can put that hotel shower cap you stole (no judgment) to good use.

(Image credit: Joe Lingeman)

Covering your shoes

If you’ve made a habit out of gleaning hotel toiletries, you likely to a fair bit of traveling. If you want to keep the clothes in your suitcase clean, wrap a shower cap around the bottoms of your shoes.

Protecting electronics from the elements

Toss a shower cap into your bag while you’re wandering around town and you’ll always have it handy when unexpected weather threatens to, well, rain on your proverbial parade. You can stick your camera, smart phone, or any other electronic inside the cap until the weather clears up.

(Image credit: Joe Lingeman)

Wrapping up leftover food

You know those new-age Ziploc bags with elastic around the edges you can snap over bowls and the tops of cans? A shower cap can basically do the same thing. If you have a bowl full of leftovers and no lid to cover them (because hotel), slide the shower cap over the bowl’s top.

Taking out the trash

When you’re in a bind, you’ll be glad you brought that extra shower cap along. Take, for example, when you’re walking your dog at a rest stop and you realize you didn’t bring a doggy waste receptacle — voila! That shower cap can pull double dooty, er, duty.

Transporting beach ware

You spend a beautiful day at the beach, only to wind up with an armful of wet bathing suits dripping all over everything. Fortunately, a shower cap is just about the right size to stash your suits so they don’t get everything else wet, too.