I keep those slivers of soap in my sewing box. The skinny, thin slivers work great for marking my seam, or to make an X on the material. It washes off so easily. I've used it for crafts, or for sewing.
It is also good to rub over itchy seams made by thick thread or those itchy tags. Just rub it over the itchy spot and it smooths it where it doesn't irritate your skin.
By Nana Lee
This page contains the following solutions.
When bars of hand soap are almost finished, getting the small remnants to stick together properly can be a pain, and they certainly do not look quite right for use in the guest bathroom.
Don't throw away bar soap that dissolves into those little irritating pieces. Save them and add water, then slowly melt them down on the stove and use as liquid soap.
Don't throw away small pieces of soap. Gather together like colors of soap (or you'll end up with an ugly colored ball.) Place scraps in a bowl, and if they are very small - great, no further work needed.
When bars of soap get down to little piece, what do you do with it? Throw it out? Well there is a way to "recycle" the small pieces of soap.
I keep a plastic disposable type glass in the shower and it fits perfectly snug in the towel bar. I add all the slivers of soap with a small amount of water and use my netting shower poof to obtain the creamy soap. No more wasted soap.
I use a plastic bag to carry my fresh set of underclothes to the gym. Outside of that plastic bag is another plastic bag.
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
What can I do with leftover pieces of soap? Can they be microwaved and reformed?
By Julie L.
Fold a washcloth in half and sew two of the three sides. Toss you soap slivers in there and use it as a self soaping scrubbie!
Or just keep them in a plastic travel soap container until you have enough to melt and reform into a bar.
I've melted them in the microwave a few times, but it can be tricky. Line a small bowl with wax paper, put the slivers in it, and then microwave at 30% power for 15-second increments. When the soap is soft enough to stick together (the bar may be hot), squeeze it in your hands to make sure it's compact, and let it cool down.
Since I was a little girl in a house of 6 kids, we always had leftover pieces of soap. I saw a container in the Harriet Carter catalog on a product that turns old, small pieces of soap into hand soap in some kind of container. Does anyone know where I can find one, I have tried looking in the Harriet Carter catalog and they don't carry it anymore. Any help?
Hi there! I have an idea for your extra slivers of soap- I always stick that sliver on top of the new bar of soap (wet of course) and it melts right in. You never have to worry about putting all those little guys together! :-)
All you need to do is keep any nice little dish around to put the extra little pieces of soap in....when the dish (maybe a dessert dish) is full...microwave it altogether for a few seconds...keep doing that until you can shape it all into a new bar of soap...very easy to do.
Koren,Theresa & Patsy both have good ideas but mine is closer to Patsy's.My Mother use to put those same broken up pieces in the oven on 250º (in an old pan or pot)and let the warm oven melt the soap,cool and then cut into bars. Just keep on saving those pieces 'til winter and also help warm your home!!! Jackie
You can also use a regular liquid soap dispenser and add glass marbles regular of decorative to the dispenser. add a little water and soap slivers. shake aafter soap gets soft to mix.
I've had a "soap saver" from Harriet Carter for years. It is very handy way to use all those little pieces of soap.
I found another source. www.ShopHomeTrends.com
What can I do with old slivers of bars of soap?
By Janice Urban from Hays, KS
Here is a post that I submitted of how to make soap balls. I never throw left over soap away, I use it to the very end.
www.thriftyfun.com/
Well my mom used to do this but I don't remember if it worked but you can try to put it in the oven and I think it makes some kind of gooie substance the you take it outside and let it harden the it will be a play dough like thing.
The soap ball is one clever idea, here's what I do with those pieces of soap. Like you I don't throw them away, I keep them in a qt. jar, one they are somewhat different to look at; two, something to collect those pieces to turn into a soap ball or bar and I also use them in my laundry. I take a cheap (thin) washcloth, sew up the ends, leaving the side open to sew some velcro for a open/closure; place a couple of those pieces of soap inside, close & drop into the laundry. You can do the same thing with homemade lye soap as well. Its like added power. The soap bar can have a cotton rope hanging from it & use it in camping.
Put them in a piece of old panty hose leg, Tie a knot and use. Like soap on a rope without the rope.
If you use a double boiler, you can melt it down and form it into little ice or cookie molds. Then you can dress then up with nylon net or other stuff and make your presents like we used to!
I toss small soap bars in the tray area ... where you put laundry soap in my washer. Then they slowly dissapear as the water runs over them. Just an added bonus to the washing per say. I also have done with with all my old dish soap..dishwater soap.I drain it all into my washer. Yes I have a front load and been doing it for 10+ years with no issues.
I regularly have many bits of soap left over. What can I do with these? It is so very wasteful. I need a method of using the last little bits.
By SAK
When my soap starts getting too small to use, I get a new bar, then place the smaller piece(s) on it while both are still wet. The pieces may fall apart once or twice, but after a day or so, they'll stay together and form a larger bar of soap.
I've been doing this for years, and it helps me use every bit of soap.
If you work outside in the yard, put the small pieces of soap in one of those net bags that onions, etc, come in and tie it around the outside faucet. You have soap and water handy to clean your hands.
Another way to use the small pieces of soap is to put them in a net bag (like onions, oranges, etc come in) and then tie another bag at each end of the one which contains the soap and you have a good back scrubber next time you take a shower..
I smush all the little pieces into a pump bottle - add lots of water and use in the shower/bath or to wash hands. Keep adding water if it thickens too much and shake when using!
I buy packages of thin nylon scrubbing pads, about 4" x 5" each, from the $1 bin at the grocery or drugstore. I take a new scrubber, fold one end up about one third & sew the side edges with any old leftover thread, making a pocket.
I put the soap scraps in the pocket & tuck the other end of the scrubber into it, creating a soap filled scrubber. I add more soap scraps to it when I have them. When the scrubber is worn out, I make a new one. It's very handy to grab for just about anything that needs a little scrubbing to get clean - just moisten it with water & scrub. I keep it in a plastic caddy with drain slots suction-cupped to the inside of the sink.
After making bars of soap from pieces, how should they be stored?
By chris from Cumming, GA
My sister used to wrap her bars in leftover gift wrap. They can also be stored in zipper sandwich bags.
You can place them in toe of a piece of pantyhose (knee high). I do this and tie it to the outside faucet for easy clean-ups after working in the garden.
How can I use up old bits of soap? Perhaps make into fresh bars to use. Any other suggestions?
By Sandra
Walmart (& probably other stores) sell little scrubbies over near the cosmetic department that are like an envelope that you place the soap pieces in. It has a loop that you put through another loop to I hang it in my shower & one side is a little rough & use it to scrub the dry skin off my feet, etc.
I crocheted (all cotton, cost $1 on sale each to buy the Peaches 'n Cream yarn) bath mitts, simple rectangles that we slide the soap and hands into for a good scrub up.
Since I made those mitts, lol, we no longer have soap bits:)
Can I melt pieces of soap into big bars of soap in the microwave? Thank you.
By Terry L. L. from PA
There are oodles of different ideas, including using the microwave, if you scroll down on this page to the ThriftyFun archives below. :-)
I've never melted soap ends, but what I have done is taken the ends and pieces and tied them up in a nylon mesh and made a 'scrubbie' out of it. It's great and foams up like you wouldn't believe!
I have a jar full of soap jelly made from leftover toilet soap. How can I use it now?
By Marian
Those last tiny slivers of soap are perfect for adding to the inside of your exfoliating glove, using them for one final cleansing task. This is a page about add pieces of soap to exfoliating glove.
ThriftyFun is one of the longest running frugal living communities on the Internet. These are archives of older discussions.
Can I melt small pieces of bath soap in microwave oven and make one big bar?
How do you recycle bar soap pieces? Thank you in advance.
I always hated to throw away the small parts of soap bars when they became to small to use.
How do you make one bar of soap from small pieces?
What can I do with all the leftover pieces of soap in the shower?
What can you do with small pieces of soap besides put on big pieces of soap?
We have all had needs for bath soap etc. and I have found that each bar costs lots of money. I have made up my mind to recycle all of the bits of soap-ends...
I would like to know what to do with leftover pieces of hand soap. I have started using liquid soap for hands, but have plenty of soap pieces left over.
