Bar soap is cheaper than body wash, but it just seems to melt away quickly. Let me show you how to make bar soap last longer with these three simple tricks.
Steve has always preferred bar soap over body wash but it drives me nuts sometimes. Because he gets covered in all sorts of yuck on the road, he tends to soap up twice when he showers and as a result, the man will go through three or four bars of soap a month by himself.
Yes, I think it’s excessive some days even though I understand it.
But even though bar soap is generally cheaper per ounce than body wash – well, that is unless you make your own homemade body wash – I still hate that he goes through it so quickly.
So to lower what little cost I already had, I took it upon myself to look up a few tips and figure out how to make bar soap last longer.
How to Stretch a Bar of Soap
It turns out it’s not all that difficult to stretch a bar of soap but the methods aren’t really ones that most think about. I mean I didn’t and I do everything in my power to save as much money as possible.
But as I said, it’s actually quite easy once you have everything pointed out to you.
Because sometimes it’s hard to see the forest for the trees.
Dry New Bars of Soap Before You Use Them
New bars of soap, even those that you buy in the store, are extremely wet. That isn’t to say they’re literally dripping water, but most of the time they have not been fully dried out.
The amount of moisture in each bar will vary not only by each batch but by brand as well. Ivory, one of my personal favorites and what I use to make my homemade laundry detergent recipe (Six Dollar Family) is one of the worst. It tends to come so moist – sorry if you don’t like that word – but so full of moisture that you can often squeeze it out of shape very easily.
This moisture causes the bar to melt away far more when you use it, but the answer is a quick fix. Before you use each bar, open one end of the package and allow the bar to fully dry out for a few weeks. This is most easily done when you buy it so when you need it, it will be dried out and ready to hold up better.
It won’t look pretty but it will last far longer.
Use a soap saver
Have you ever had a bar of soap left sit in the shower? What happens? It melts away because of the water under the bar and ends up in a soggy, goopy mess with half the bar gone over time.
A soap saving bag can help keep this from happening. These bags also act as a loofah/washcloth so you not only reduce the amount of wasted soap but you also reduce dirty laundry saving you money and time.
and since they’re reusable, one bag will last quite a while before it needs to be replaced.
Don’t Throw Away Small Slivers
Most people have a habit of simply tossing their soap slivers when they get too small to use. But did you pay for the bar of soap only to throw part of it out because it’s too small to use?
No, I didn’t think so.
Instead, save the slivers until you have enough to make a new bar of soap. The process is incredibly simple.
How to Melt Soap Slivers into a New Bar
- Save your soap slivers until you get enough that you think you can make a bar of soap. The number will depend on the size of the slivers you have.
- Once you have enough, heat them in either a microwave safe dish or on the stove on low. Make sure you stir it occasionally to help it melt down and keep it from burning.
- Pour the newly melted soap into a soap mold and allow it to fully harden. Remember to allow to to dry out again before you use it.
Pretty simple, right? Yeah I felt the same way when I realized how easy it is. It isn’t going to save you millions but even a few dollars a year is still money saved.
One of the biggest staples of the frugal living process is to use every bit of something you can and to reuse whenever possible. Learning how to make a bar of soap last longer may seem silly, but in truth, it is a step that reduces the waste your family has and saves you money at the same time.
And that my friends, makes it worth it.