(noticing that the soap is ALL gone……)
I posted this wayyy back last year, and thought – since grocery store prices are rising….and free soap is becoming an oddity, lets just make our OWN!
As you can tell…I have kiddos. And although my baby is not using hand soap yet, my 4 year old is. And boy is she using it. More like I go through a whole bottle in one week ~ how is that possible?
Sure, that little bottle of Softsoap or Dial may have been FREE after coupon, but come on – does it mean that I want her to use it twice as fast? Um, ….no! I’m all about preservation, and if you know me I’m also about frugality. Several months ago, I bought Dial foaming handsoap for a few bucks. And guess what? I’m cheap, and I kept the foaming pump…….. why? To make my own of course! Who needs to spend $7.50 on Bath & Body Works soap? NOT ME.. NOT ME…….
Lets check the math: is it really cheaper?
Dial Complete in the 7 1/2 oz bottle has approx. 186 pumps in it. One person washing their hands 3 times a day (and that’s hardly ever…) using one pump will make the soap last 2 months. Or, two people doing their hands 3 times a day can use it up in just 1 month. Have a family of four? Then you will go through the soap even quicker. Or, if you have a 4 year old who likes to pump pump pump, it may last a whole 2 days. If you’re lucky.
So why not stretch the soap out and make your own? Foaming hand soap can run anywhere from $1.59 – even more in the store…and it has the ingredients YOU can use to make your own, for almost nothing.
How? Super easy!
Step 1
Buy and use a bottle of foaming hand soap…OR, go to Wal Mart and buy the foaming soap dispenser for around $1.99. When it is empty, add 2 Tablespoons transparent liquid dish soap. It can be any color, but you should be able to see through it. If you use an opaque white soap, it could cause problems with the pump.
Step 2
Add water to the bottle leaving about one inch of space at the top for inserting the pump.
Step 3
Screw the pump on the bottle. Gently tilt the bottle back and forth to combine the water and soap. Shaking it will produce foam inside the bottle, but that’s not where you want it!
You can vary the amount of soap a little, depending on how soapy you like it. It’s better to start with less than start with too much….I would likely use a 6:1 or 7:1 ratio (water to soap that is!) I have had problems with the pump not working well in two cases: using the wrong soap (opaque soap, or soap with beads/crystals, OR, using too much soap. If you want to make it soapier, add only a little more at a time.
Lastly…the following tips:
- You can use shampoo, or even body wash instead of Dial or the usual “hand” soap.
- You can do this for your dish soap too! Instead of using regular Dawn, use a foam dispenser…it works the same as “Dawn Direct Foam” for a fraction of the price.
Thanks for the information! I can’t wait to get a foam pump to make my own.
I have heard that you can make your own laundry soap too from bar soap but I haven’t tried that yet since I have quite a stockpile of laundry detergent.
Just read this, thanks Sheryl! I’ll try it!
Great idea, will do! Thanks!
What does everyone do with the little pieces of bar soap too small to use anymore? I have lots, but don’t know the best way to turn it into a bar again. Has anyone used the mircowave for this? I have been saving the pieces of Irish Spring my Husbnad uses and I have enough for about two bars if I knew a good way to do it.
Thank you so much for the instructions on making the hand soap. There are 7 in our family and we use sooo much. Also on making your own Dawn pump soap.
You are awesome!
I’ve been doing this for years! Works great my son goes through soap like crazy if I don’t use the foam pump =)
I do this to make soap last longer and I also do it with the dishwashing liquid. I bought the Dawn Direct from a clearance cart at my local Kroger for .69, and have been using it for over three years! I had some foaming soap from Bath and Body Works and re-used those pumps for quite some time. For whatever reason, they don’t seen to last as long as the Dial hand soap pumps has.
Some ideas for soap slivers…Press the old soap sliver into the new bar of soap. Look on the internet for recipes to make your own clothes washing detergent and use the soap to make it. I personally just stick the soap sliver into the compartment on my washing machine and it works fine, but not sure how it would work for others. I use soap slivers to mark fabric for quilting and sewing. The marks come off easily, but are easy to see on dark fabrics. I also run my thread through the soap before handsewing to keep it fom tangling instead of wax. It works and washes out and leaves no waxy film. Run screws over the slivers to coat your screws before screwing them into something, they go in much easier. I’m sure there are many more, just can’t think of them right now.
Cut off the foot end of a clean, old pair of pantyhose that had runs in it. Put your soap slivers into that, tie a knot at the end, and use it in the shower.