Make Your Soap More Efficient and Save Money

Is soap getting too expensive? Do you find yourself pondering the merits of not washing? Here is any easy way to stretch the lifetime of your soap while using it more efficiently. This instructable will help you make a soap dispenser much like those in doctor's offices and medical buildings, where cleanliness is extremely important.

Step 1 Find yourself a foaming soap container that you think is attractive

I bought myself a cheap facewash that I liked the look of. Note: It is critical that you buy/use a foaming pump for this project otherwise it will not work. It is easy to tell if a soap product uses a foaming pump because it is a popular selling point, so it should say "foaming" or "refreshing" a minimum of 17 times on the bottle.

Comments

[cahaidusek]

Why not mix the soap before sealing the container?

[TOCO]

I learned this a couple of years ago at a kohls store. I saw a cool soap pump but it was like $20. I though how do you make it foam after you use up all of the soap inside. Well on the back of the box it said how to do this. I went home and found a foaming soap pump. I followed the instructions and it worked. YAY!

[klee27x]

Using up too much soap? Try softening your water. You'll start using pea-size bits of soap and shampoo, else you'll never wash it all away.

[missdipsy]

I do this all the time for my kids' soap - children have a habit of using too much so foaming soap restricts it nicely. Most "kids" soap you can buy comes in these foaming bottles; I bought it once when it was on special offer and now I just refill it with soap and water regularly. The best thing about this is it's the perfect way to use up those little bits of soap & shower gel left in the bottles after use - just swish with a little bit of water and tip it into the foaming dispenser. @OzWoden: pre-foaming will not make the soap less effective. If anything it might make it more effective. Both have to do with the structure of the soap molecule; one end sticks to oil (hydrophobic) & the other sticks to water (hydrophilic). When bubbles form the hydrophobic ends actually point outwards, making it even easier for them to stick to the dirt. Seeing as children's hand soap usually comes in foaming bottles, I think it's probably been established that it works!

[Mr. Rig It]

Nice idea, but I actually like to use a lot of soap. It makes me feel better to know I have enough on my hands to kill all of the germs. Still it is a nice idea.

[Julibopper]

Actually, soap doesn't kill germs. It just washes them off better. So you don't have to use more! Love the foaming pumps-- good to have a proportion to work with :)

[pingmaster]

The extra foaming actually helps kill more germs than regular soap, but ya, I know where you are coming from. Personally my hands just feel more "squeaky clean" if I use this method.

[OzWoden]

The point of soap being able to lather and "foam up" is to grab onto dirt and other muck you want to wash off. So applying already foamy soap would take away much of its effect would it not?

[maizeroad]

Great suggestions here--thanks! I don't know if this used with the foaming soap bottle, but I find adding some baking soda to soap or shampoo makes it work better, and leaves your skin/hair feeling even cleaner. (Great for getting out product buildup in the hair, and getting the scalp extra clean.) Adding some water helps, too-then just shake the bottle a bit. (Not too much!) It also helps the soap, etc., go further. As for proportions, I'd say about a tablespoon of baking soda to about a 12-15 oz bottle of shampoo/soap. Oh--baking soda is great in the bath, too, esp. if you plan to have a soak. Use it with your bubble bath to improve it's performance, too. As for proportions--honestly, I never really measure, and I tend to be generous with it, but I'd say at least a 1/4 to 1/2 cup to a full bath. (If you already have soft water, the combination is heavenly!)

[lotusduck]

I do this with shampoo! I suggest you amend this to include shampoo. I'm a klutz and I always take too much from shampoo bottles, especially since I have very short hair, so it's very difficult to get out only the small amount I need AND get it foaming. You gotta water it down a lot since shampoo is so thick.

[trogabird]

if you want plenty of soap to wash hands with use Dawn dish liquid.

[laserhands]

when rinsing any soapy container, a little vinegar cuts it nicely.

[pingmaster]

better life through science!

[laserhands]

pH balance ftw

[dragonag]

good idea if you already have the container, but you're buying soap, to dump out, and replace with...soap?

[pingmaster]

no haha, you use up that soap first :P

[vanpaun]

soap is soooooooooooooooooo pricey???

[chuckr44]

This is exactly how I refill my "foaming" hand soap pump. I use 25% liquid hand soap, 75% water. Works great.