How do you extend the life of a bar of soap and avoid the buildup of soap scum? Try using a soap saver.
Instead of letting your bar soap rest on the ledge of a sink or shower, you can store it on a specially-made dish or in a handcrafted bag.
A soap saver offers a cleaner spot to set your soap, saving you from scrubbing soapy residue. Let’s take a closer look.
What Is a Soap Saver?
A soap saver is typically a woven sack or a small dish with ridges or raised points designed to hold a bar of soap. The ridges or points lift the bar, allowing air to flow underneath. The dishes are typically made from plastic, metal, or a fiber-based material.
Soap saver bags are small, loosely woven bags that hold bar soap. The bags allow you to combine multiple chunks of soap, making it easier to use the last bits of each bar. As with a soap saver dish, the bag allows for better airflow compared to setting it on a sink or ledge.
So, why use a soap saver? It’s a convenient way to store bar soap, either near the sink or the bathtub. The ridges or points promote airflow, helping it dry faster, which also increases its lifespan. You get more use out of each bar when you avoid letting it sit in a mush, soapy pile on a flat surface.
Benefits of a Soap Saver
Some of the benefits of a soap saver include:
- Helps bar soap dry quickly
- Maximize soap lifespan
- Protect surfaces from soap scum
When you set soap on a counter or sink, it may never fully dry before its next use. It sits surrounded by soapy water and gradually breaks down and dissolves. A soap saver solves this problem by lifting the soap off the surface.
The dish or bag offers perfect ventilation, helping to keep soap dry between uses. A soap-saver dish promotes better airflow due to its ridges or points, resulting in faster drying time and less waste. With a bag, the soap is hung to dry.
Keeping your bar soap dry between uses helps increase its lifespan by preventing it from slowly dissolving on the ledge or counter. The design also helps with drainage, which can significantly reduce residue, making soap scum cleanup a breeze.
How to Use a Soap Saver
Soap savers are typically either bags or dishes. Each choice has separate steps for proper use. A soap-saver dish works well when placed on one of the ledges of a bathtub surround. If your tub does not have a surround, you can add temporary shower shelving, such as a hanging shower caddy.
The dishes are also a great option for bar soap placed next to a sink. However, no matter where you place it, you’ll need to clean it occasionally to remove buildup from the bottom of the tray.
The easiest solution for removing soap scum from a dish is to soak it in a mixture of warm water and white vinegar. After about 10 to 15 minutes, rinse the dish clean or use an old toothbrush to remove any stubborn buildup.
Soak the space saver in a mixture of water and white vinegar to loosen the soap scum in the bottom of the tray or dish.
Soap-saver bags work differently and are a little more convenient for use in the shower. Here are a few step-by-step instructions for using a soap-saver bag:
- Place bar soap in the bag
- Rinse the bag to help lather the soap
- Use the bag as you would a loofah or a sponge
- Use the bag as an exfoliator
- Rinse the bag before hanging it to dry
- Choose the best shower placement for drying
You can add one or more pieces of bar soap to the soap-saver bag. Clinch the bag by pulling on the drawstring. Rinse it under water to help lather the soap and start cleaning yourself. The bag works as an exfoliator, the same as using a loofah or a sponge.
After cleaning, rinse the bag and hang it from a faucet, hook, or showerhead. You should also sanitize the bag weekly by boiling it in a pot of water. Boiling kills any bacteria or other buildup, leaving your bag clean and safe to use.
Conclusion
In the end, a soap saver offers many benefits. It gives you a more sanitary place to store soap, protects surfaces from soap scum, and helps you get more use out of each bar of soap.
If you don’t know whether to buy a soap saver bag or dish, I'd recommend a bag, such as the Sisal Soap Savers. You can use each piece of soap instead of discarding it when it gets too small, resulting in less waste and better value for your money.
The Sisal Soap Savers are also an eco-friendly choice, as each bag is made from 100% natural fibers from the agave plant. You can reuse them many times and compost them when you’re done.
