10 Practical Ways to Use a Bar of Soap!

Have you ever wanted to try a new product but decided to wait because "you already have something like it at home"? Maybe it's a new item that catches your eye at the grocery store, like a new specialty food, or an intriguing beauty product you see in a magazine (like a new mascara that claims to make your lashes 20 times longer).

It's not that you're not open to trying new things (the reviews you've read online and your friends have given you are certainly convincing), it's just that you hate buying more of the stuff you already have.

While some may consider this to be "cheap," we consider it "thrifty." If the above examples resonate with you, we applaud your restraint and consider this type of behavior to be financially responsible.

Trust us, being a small business, we fully understand the importance of good financial management (i.e. being thrifty!). It helps reduce waste, keeps money in your wallet, and can even help you cherish the things you have before consuming more.

...You can even use regular soaps you have in your bathroom... Outside of your shower, in different ways!
This means you can use what you already have in a sensible way without wasting anything. So, without further ado, here are 10 different ways to use a regular bar of soap.

1.) Keep garden pests at bay

If garden pests are making you pull your hair out and you have a strong-smelling bar of soap (like Irish Spring or Ivory), you can actually use the soap as a nontoxic animal repellent. To do this, keep the soap in its original packaging or box and cut open one side of the package. If the bar is already out of the package, toss it in an old pair of socks or a Ziploc bag with a hole in it. Then place the bar at the base of the plant, tree, or shrub you want to protect.

If you’re looking for something a little more discreet, use a grater to shred the bar, then spread the shredded soap over the roots of the plant. Please note that this method works best when used on plants that you don’t intend to consume! Here are some pests that this method is effective for:

Roe deer
Mouse
Rabbits
Squirrels

2.) Keep your shoes fresh

We all have that pair of shoes that seem to suck up and absorb every odor they come into contact with, right? And throwing them in the washing machine to give them a good wash doesn't last long.

Try this instead: Take a bar of soap, put it in a mesh bag (an old pair of nylon stockings works great!), and place the bag of soap inside your shoes. Make sure the bag is far enough into the shoe and not resting on the heel.

Let the bag sit overnight and in the morning you'll be surprised at how much of the scent it absorbs. If this idea works for you, here are some other places you can try it:

The drawers of the dresser
Cupboards
In your car
Sports bag

3.) Slide screws into the wood

Make every DIY project a success by making sure your screws slide in easily. Take a bar of soap and carefully rub your screws along the bar of soap before drilling. This also works great with nails and saw blades. This is a must if you are dealing with very thin pieces of wood.

4.) Create a pin cushion that keeps your pins sharp

Sticking needles and pins into a bar of soap will keep your pins sharp and ready to slide through the thickest fabric. If you have leftover fabric, try making a cover for your new soap pin cushion.

5.) Prevent sticky zippers

Got a zipper that constantly gets stuck? Rubbing a bar of soap along the zipper is an easy way to keep the tracks well-oiled. After rubbing the soap along the zipper, open and close the zipper a few times to make sure the soap is evenly distributed among the zipper teeth. This is a great idea:

Jackets / Coats
Pants / Jeans
Dresses
Bags (wallets, gym bags, purses, luggage, etc.)
Sleeping bags

6.) Make your own soapy fish

This easy-to-make craft doubles as a bath toy and bubble bath maker. The colorful fish will put a smile on your child's face and soothe their skin.

If you're planning on trying this DIY project, we highly recommend using a goat's milk bar soap to ensure you're using all-natural, chemical-free products for your kids' baths.

7.) Loosen a stubborn ring

If you've ever had a ring on your finger, you'll understand how panicked you can be when it's time to take it off. Next time this happens, grab a bar of soap and lightly scrub the base and top of the ring.

Then, slowly twist the ring around your finger to loosen it. You may need to rub the bar of soap around your finger a few times during this process, but the natural body heat combined with the gentle friction of the twist will slowly ease the ring off your finger.

8.) Slide drawers out with ease

Have you ever owned a piece of furniture with drawers that are very difficult to open and close? If it's not a problem due to swelling of the wood from water damage, rubbing a bar of soap on the bottom and top of the drawers is an easy way to get them opening and closing like new.

This tip is especially helpful if you have antique wooden furniture in your home that has seen many years of reliable service.

9.) Make a donation

Did you know that approximately every 15 seconds, a child dies from a disease that could have been prevented by good hygiene? Consider donating your unopened soaps (and any other unused toiletries) to your local homeless shelter, women’s shelter, or other cause you care about. Organizations likeClean the World collect soaps and distribute them to homeless shelters across the United States, as well as to at-risk individuals in developing regions around the world. You can even start your own soap drive!

10.) Fill in the gaps

Even the most careful renters and landlords know that holes happen, especially if you like to hang art on your walls. Before you go out and buy one of those big cans of painter's putty for a tiny hole, try this technique first. To start, carefully rub a bar of soap against the hole in a back-and-forth motion. You may need to rub the soap over the hole a few times to get a complete seal. Then, take a rag and wipe away any excess soap that's left on the wall.

TIP: The most important thing to remember here is that it's best to start with a bar of soap that's the same color as your wall paint.

And that's how to divert the use of soap!

Go ahead and try one of these ten methods. You'll be glad you found another way to use your soap that's less wasteful and less polluting than throwing it away.

Have you tried any of these methods yet? If so, how did they work? Join the discussion by leaving a comment below! And if you found this helpful, share it with your friends!