# What do you do when a lotion pump won't pop up? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 25, 2010, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-when-a-lotion-pump-wont-pop-up/537275 "2010-04-25T04:02:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2010, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-when-a-lotion-pump-wont-pop-up/537275/1 "2010-04-25T04:02:21Z")
You know those pumps that come on bottles of cleanser and lotion and such. They arrive pushed down to almost meet the cap and you’re supposed to twist them until they pop up and then you can pump the dispenser like normal. One out of every ten, let’s say, don’t pop up when I twist. What the hell do you do then? ---
**Author:** ![Todderbob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e47774/32.png) [@Todderbob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Todderbob)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2010, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-when-a-lotion-pump-wont-pop-up/537275/2 "2010-04-25T04:04:11Z")
I’ve never had that happen to me… But i don’t use lotion, so I wouldn’t know. Try pulling on it really hard? Or unscrewing the cap and see if here’s something obvious wrong? I’d probably just return the damn thing. ---
**Author:** ![EmAnJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d2c977/32.png) [@EmAnJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmAnJ)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2010, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-when-a-lotion-pump-wont-pop-up/537275/3 "2010-04-25T04:16:45Z")
I twist and pull up pretty hard at the same time. ---
**Author:** ![DanBlather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@DanBlather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DanBlather)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2010, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-when-a-lotion-pump-wont-pop-up/537275/4 "2010-04-25T04:43:12Z")
Time to stop surfing those sites. ---
**Author:** ![Quintas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/48db29/32.png) [@Quintas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quintas)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2010, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-when-a-lotion-pump-wont-pop-up/537275/5 "2010-04-25T05:31:00Z")
Pour the new lotion in to the old bottle with the working pump? Skip the pump and just take off the top and pour onto hand? If it’s some type of girly expensive lotion, ask to exchange it? Pour lotion into a dish with a lid, open lid and scoop out lotion when needed? Invite friends over and try to use all the lotion in one go, a lotion party? Give the lotion to someone else as a gift and let it become their problem? Buy a decorative empty pump bottle and put the lotion in it? Write a strongly worded email to the company and tell them you’ll never buy their lotion again and wait for coupons to arrive in mail? Take a giant glob of it and go plop in onto your boyfriends head for no reason? ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2010, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-when-a-lotion-pump-wont-pop-up/537275/6 "2010-04-25T06:26:35Z")
> [@Quintas](#): > > Pour the new lotion in to the old bottle with the working pump? If it’s the same stuff, in the same size bottle, just unscrew the working pump from the old bottle and put it in the new one. ---
**Author:** ![Jamicat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c67d28/32.png) [@Jamicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jamicat)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2010, 7:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-when-a-lotion-pump-wont-pop-up/537275/7 "2010-04-25T07:57:26Z")
Need answer Real fast? I remember someplace about a “hose again” or something to that effect. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![hellpaso](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ecae2f/32.png) [@hellpaso](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hellpaso)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2010, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-when-a-lotion-pump-wont-pop-up/537275/8 "2010-04-25T20:16:20Z")
I always have this problem. I have a hard time telling right from left for whatever reason. What I usually do with new soap/lotion dispensers is unscrew the whole top off the bottle, then I can usually fiddle around with it to make it work–then I put it back on the bottle. ---
**Author:** ![opmike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/9d8465/32.png) [@opmike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/opmike)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2010, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-when-a-lotion-pump-wont-pop-up/537275/9 "2010-04-25T22:12:03Z")
Interesting. I’ve never had this happen to me. And I’ve bought a lot of soap, lotion, shampoo, and conditioner that has the little twist locking pump. Time to use spit, I suppose… ---
**Author:** ![cbul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ac91a4/32.png) [@cbul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cbul)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2013, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-when-a-lotion-pump-wont-pop-up/537275/10 "2013-03-14T23:34:20Z")
1. Unscrew it from bottle. 2. clamp the clear pick up tube with a pliers or like tool 3. turn the pump head to unscrew it. My wife come home with some good smelling lotion and the pump head would just spin and not release. This worked its like a bolt and nut sometimes you need to hold the bolt to spin the nut.[http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/images/smilies/smack.gif](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/images/smilies/smack.gif) ---
**Author:** ![neilm2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/edb3f5/32.png) [@neilm2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neilm2)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2013, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-when-a-lotion-pump-wont-pop-up/537275/11 "2013-12-03T03:18:27Z")
cbul’s solution worked for me. I used a paper towel and my grip instead of pliers, and pulled the pump up. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2013, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-when-a-lotion-pump-wont-pop-up/537275/12 "2013-12-03T23:25:05Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > You know those pumps that come on bottles of cleanser and lotion and such. They arrive pushed down to almost meet the cap and you’re supposed to twist them until they pop up and then you can pump the dispenser like normal. One out of every ten, let’s say, don’t pop up when I twist. What the hell do you do then? When this happens to me, I’m usually replacing an empty bottle with a new one of the same product. So I still have the old bottle and just transfer the pump from that one and reuse it. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2013, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-when-a-lotion-pump-wont-pop-up/537275/13 "2013-12-04T00:08:02Z")
zombie or no buy a new bottle so that is the new newer bottle. then the new bottle becomes the older new bottle. then use the new newer bottle until empty and transfer the pump on the new newer bottle to the older new bottle. if you have any problem with the pump then buy a new bottle so that is the new newer bottle. ---
**Author:** ![soccer1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d26b3c/32.png) [@soccer1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/soccer1)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2017, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-when-a-lotion-pump-wont-pop-up/537275/14 "2017-04-04T19:00:53Z")
screw the collar of the pump down as tight as you can, then try to open the head of the pump again. ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2017, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-when-a-lotion-pump-wont-pop-up/537275/15 "2017-04-04T22:08:34Z")
The idea of a “lotion party” raises all kinds of unwanted images…🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brown_eyed_girl/32/3574_2.png) [@Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brown_Eyed_Girl)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2017, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-when-a-lotion-pump-wont-pop-up/537275/16 "2017-04-04T22:27:55Z")
Not lotion, but I have the same problem with a large bottle of Trader Joe’s All For One Shampoo/Conditioner/Body Wash. I usually use about 3 pumps for body wash, but only the first pump is effective, the second and third pumps never put out much. I attribute it to the viscosity of the soap. It’s annoying, but I really like it as it has a light scent and doesn’t make my skin feel weird. ---
**Author:** ![TSBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/77aa72/32.png) [@TSBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TSBG)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2017, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-when-a-lotion-pump-wont-pop-up/537275/17 "2017-04-05T00:51:37Z")
You can buy empty pump bottles for minimal cost at many stores and online. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2017, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-when-a-lotion-pump-wont-pop-up/537275/18 "2017-04-05T01:04:15Z")
This isn’t meant as snark but are you sure that you’re twisting it in the right direction every time?