Old Soap

April 29, 2005 2:08 AM

Am I right in thinking that there exists a certain contraption that can be used to squash the remnants of various bars of soap into one large bar of soap, thereby utilising all those little slivers of soap that are always left over? If so, what is such a thing called? And where can I get hold of one? (pref in UK) Thanks
posted by juniorbonner to home & garden (14 answers total)

I just leave the soap remnants in the dish, and place a new bar of soap on top. In time, they seem to merge.
posted by trevyn at 2:17 AM on April 29, 2005

Soap makers do something called "rebatching" or hand milling. The same technique might work for old soap scraps. There are also devices called "soap presses" but they are really for soap manufacturing (and really expensive, I bet).
posted by sexymofo at 2:20 AM on April 29, 2005

My misspent youth involved reading about this exact thing in the Betterware catalogue, so yes they do exist, though they don't have them anymore, at least not online. No idea what they called them.
posted by cillit bang at 2:48 AM on April 29, 2005

I don't think you need any special equipment. Look here (just ignore the rope part): http://familycrafts.about.com/cs/soap/a/blsoaprope.htm

or here

or better yet the answer to this thread:

Take 3 to 4 ozs of soap, in slivers or grated, add 4 to 5 tablespoons of water, put in microwavable dish, and heat for 2 or 3 min, until the soap is melted. Be careful not to let the soap foam over the edge of the dish, you may need to stir it once or twice as it is heating. After the soap is melted, you can add oatmeal, or any kind of exfoliant if you wish to. Pour the melted soap into molds, or you can use a tin can, and let set 'til hard. I've used this method a few times, and it works fine.
posted by ori at 2:49 AM on April 29, 2005

Get soap with a hole in the middle. Hey presto no annoying bit left over.

But seriously.....

To reuse bits of leftover soap, buy a container of glycerin soap from a craft store ...........the kind that can be melted in the microwave. ........Pour in a thin layer of melted glycerin soap, then put the leftover bits of bar soap in another layer, add more melted soap. Alternate layers ending with melted soap until the bar is as big as you want. This kind of soap lasts forever because the soap bits are usually quite dry and don't melt during use....more....
posted by kenaman at 2:50 AM on April 29, 2005

See this heavily answered AskMe question, which is similar to the first part of your question.
posted by biffa at 3:49 AM on April 29, 2005

I just cut a hole in the middle of a sponge and shove the soap bits in there. Instant soapy sponge!
posted by gaspode at 4:49 AM on April 29, 2005

I put them in one of the mesh bags that onions come in. Holds the slivers and scrubs garden dirt off nicely.
posted by theora55 at 6:02 AM on April 29, 2005

Just take a new bar into the shower with you. You don't even have to use it. The water and heat will loosen the surface a bit and form a nice surface on which the sliver can stick. When you're done showering grab the sliver and firmly press it into the new bar. Even if the sliver breaks a bit it will still bond. leave the new bar in the shower so it will dry out slowly.

I love Theora's idea.
posted by sublivious at 7:27 AM on April 29, 2005

Take new bar of soap. Wet it. Take remaining sliver of previous bar of soap. Wet it. Smash the two together and hold firmly for several seconds.
posted by suchatreat at 8:46 AM on April 29, 2005

The tricks to a successful "sliver smash" are to 1. make sure that you don't let the sliver break before trying this! It is much more difficult to smash two 1/2 slivers than to smash 2 whole slivers, and 2. take the new bar into the shower, use it (try as hard as you can to ignore that little sliver that is about to break), and when you are DONE with the shower, do the smash... by the time you return it will be as one!

But, here's the nice part about this issue... As I near retirement age, i've finally decided that I don't really need to do this any more.. I can actually afford to throw away the sliver...

That being said, I still do it!
posted by HuronBob at 10:40 AM on April 29, 2005

Thanks for the suggestions, and sorry for posting an item that already seems to have been dealt with.

re smashing the slivers together - I have tried this but it never seems to work, they don't stick together and I end up with a sliver of soap being discarded unknowingly in some nether region of my body. Also the problem now is that I have a huge collection of slivers - almost a drawer full! (do not ask why I have kept so many ;-))

I think possibly the best way forward would be going down the melting and moulding road.

Whilst we are on the subject of bathroom technology, I wonder whether anyone has any bright ideas about how I can prevent the copious amounts of hair that I have falling out of my head from bunging up the bath plughole, and/or how to remove the squalid, fetid hair balls that are congregating there.

Cheers
posted by juniorbonner at 2:14 PM on April 29, 2005

You can buy little metal mesh things that fit over the sinkhole of the shower/tub. Just remember to upend it over a trashcan when you're done showering. I've seen them in supermarkets in the bathroom supplies area. Otherwise, try a household-type harware store, or even your local dollar store.
posted by PurplePorpoise at 3:05 PM on April 29, 2005

Put the slivers in the 'foot" of some panty hose. Cut several inches above soap and tie in a knot.

I remember those soap smashers you are asking about but have no idea what they are called.
posted by vronsky at 5:34 PM on April 29, 2005