I Finally Stopped My Toiletry Leaks for Good with This $7 Find

As a travel writer who is on the road (or on a plane!) about once a month, I’ve gotten most of my packing routine down to a science, but there’s one thing that’s plagued me for years: leaky toiletries. No matter how hard I try, my sunscreen oozes out of the container, nail polish leaks, or a tube of travel-sized toothpaste bursts. The worst messes occur when shampoo or conditioner seep out of their supposedly leakproof travel bottles. 

I’ve tried tightening caps and lids as much as possible, but something inevitably goes wrong when the pressure hits the tubes. I’ve even gone through multiple brands of travel bottles promising to end leaks for good, but none of them work. I was resigned to always arriving at my destination with a mess, big or small, inside my toiletries case. That was until I found a solution: these silicone bottle covers.

While scrolling through Amazon in search of new travel containers for my vitamins, I noticed a travel item I had never seen before. These silicone bottle covers promised to stop leaks and prevent messes in my suitcase. I was skeptical, but desperate to find a solution to my constant toiletry leaks. Plus, the price point is a steal — you can get a 10-pack of silicone toppers for less than $7, and a 12-pack for $10. I went with the $10 pack myself. 

The silicone toppers are what they sound like — they’re a stretchable topper that you literally stretch over the tops of your toiletries in order to prevent inevitable face wash, toothpaste, moisturizer, or body wash leaks from getting all over your toiletry bag or other toiletry items. You can fit them over anything, except on pump tops. The manufacturer says they fit on most toiletries from 1.18 to 2.2 inches in diameter, so they’re perfect for travel-sized toiletries. If the silicone sleeve becomes loose, the manufacturer says you can soak it in near-boiling water (about 194 degrees Fahrenheit) for a minute and its shape will restore. 

I decided to give these bottle covers a try. I didn’t have much to lose, and they got promising reviews.  When I packed for my next trip, I was shocked to see that the bottle covers fit over almost everything I wanted to pack in my toiletries case. Although all of the covers in the pack are the same size, I got one to fit snugly over a small bottle of nail polish, while another stretched large enough to cover the lid on a big bottle of body scrub. Yet another stretched wide enough to fit over a big jar of SPF face cream I never leave home without. 

I was delighted to find that once secure, the silicone toppers held all of my lids in place. And they worked as advertised — there were no gooey or sticky messes to clean up as soon as I checked into my hotel. I’ve used these toppers several times since my first trip with them. 

When some sunscreen or toothpaste still manages to escape its container, the leaks stay inside the topper. Instead of having to wipe down multiple items, I only need to clean out the inside of the topper. That only takes a few seconds. Plus, I like the way the colorful toppers look in my otherwise drab toiletries case.

These silicone toppers are so simple and inexpensive, but they are a total game-changer. I will never travel without them again. I even bought an extra set for my husband. 

Buy: TRANAMOS Silicone Bottle Covers Set of 10, $6.59