Bar soap vs liquid soap

"Also consider ditching the liquid soap, which now accounts for 70 percent of hand-and-body soap sales. Bar soap costs a lot less per wash than liquid soap and has a lighter environmental impact. Still, soap bar sales continue to slip. Among the main reasons for this depressing shift, which only began around 1980, is the belief that liquid soap is more hygienic. Not true, according to authorities such as the Mayo Clinic. It may be easier to handle liquid soap because the bottle doesn’t leap out of your hands or get gooey. If that’s an issue for you, try the recently invented SOAPSTANDLE, a nifty little plastic gadget that fits onto a soap bar. It elevates the bar just enough to prevent it from getting soggy, while also helping you maintain a firm grip on the soap. "

Liquid soap is referring to soap used in bath or shower and soft hand soap for the bathroom sink, I suppose. Since I use cheap, cheap shampoo as my hand soap, I doubt I spend more. Plus, I have been using the same pump for ten years or more, so I am not buying new plastic. 

I still stand by my frugal practice of using shampoo I do not like or  shampoo bought on a super cheap sale, often gotten for free. In the past I had a friend who gave me her shampoo she hated. It was good for hands.

As for the Soapstandle, I am still using the little pink soap "stand" I bought from TG&Y in 1966. It has little feet-like spines on both sides and the soap dries perfectly. I put the little pink thing in a flat soap dish that can be washed and drained if necessary. I also have a white one, too. I used one in the tub and one at the sink. People have suggested I get rid of one or both and get a new plastic dish that has a matching stand. Matching? Why?

Oh, my little and very old soap "stand" is hard enough to poke it into the soap, but I won't/ 

For the rest of the Sierra Club article Read here.

Have you abandoned bar soap? What do you have that is still useful and works just fine that is over 50 years old? Okay, how old is your oldest thing, something that can be replaced by something new and improved?

Free Soft Soap and Other Parsimonious, Sudsy Matters.




Washing spending right out of my life!

 

Halsa, Hallelujah
Long, long ago, I used Halsa shampoo. It worked on my hair, smelled nice, and I liked it. When I could no longer find Halsa in the stores, I began my quest for a cheap brand that I liked. Eventually, I found Garnier, incredibly expensive at $3 bottle. No, I am not into expensive shampoos.

Big Lots to the Rescue
Along came Big Lots with a big shipment of Halsa. I bought 17 bottles of shampoo at $0.58 apiece for 15.4 ounce bottles. Did you ever wonder who makes up these odd amounts to package? I do.  After using Halsa once again, I regretted my purchase. My hair did not like Halsa. So, I am stuck or have to return it. What to do? What to do?

My Ruined Hair
Luckily, I decided to just keep it around for company to use. It does smell really nice! I imagine my hair color habit is why Halsa made my hair feel like a wet sponge with no distinct strands. Yes, I realize I am ruining my hair!

Soft Soap Pumps
Everyone had been buying pump liquid soaps for years before I caved. I wanted the experience..whine...whine. When I used the soft soap in the cute pump, I was hooked--no more soggy soap on my old, old, old sink with no counter space or storage space. There is only the little indention for soap on each side and barely enough room for a soap dish on the back of the sink. All this made for a messy sink and bars of soap dropped on the floor.

Yikes at the Price
When I shopped for more soft soap, I was appalled that I would either have to buy a new pump bottle to get more soap or buy the half gallon refill that was antibacterial. Three problems existed: 1) I did not want to spend the money to get soft soap and be forced to buy a new pump when the old one worked. 2) I was not going to buy anti-bacterialsoft soap and could find nothing else. 3) I really did not have the inclination or money to buy the large refill even if it weren't antibacterial.

Lightbulb Moment
My solution was to use the 17 bottles of shampoo in the pump. That has worked out great. Remember, soap does not kill germs. It just facilitates removing them from your hands when you rub your hands together. Shampoo will do the same job. I have several bottles of Halsa left. Today, when I dug in the cabinet that is low, the cabinet where I store things seldom needed, I could not find the purple Halsa shampoo, lavender, I think. The lavender may be stored in the laundry room. The Halsa lavender shampoo is in the pump bottle in the picture.

Free Shampoo in the picture
Only the green shampoo by Halsa was evident. So, since I had to go to the car to get my camera, and I wanted to be outdoors with the hens, I just took the picture outdoors on this gloriously sunny, frigid day. The two tall bottles of shampoo were given to me. Anytime anyone does not like a shampoo and is ready to toss it, I ask if I may have it. NO, I don't ask friends if they are getting rid of shampoo. But, if something will be tossed after one or two uses, I do volunteer to take it off their hands. FREE SOAP for my bathroom sink=no spending for me. The pump bottle, reused for many years contains lavender Halsa shampoo.

Free Soap
Free hotel/motel soap is still here from about five years ago. Plus, samples in the mail and donations from friends keep me in little bars for guests or the basement sink. Occassionally, I buy a brand of soap I don't like or use if it is free with a sale and coupons.

Soaps Inventory
Additionally, I have a dozen bottles of Dawn for the kitchen, all free with sales and coupons. There are about six bars of Dove. I use a bar of Dove (on sale) about every four months, bathing at least once a day in the tub. Since my Garnier is off limits to others, the other free shampoo is available. Actually, I rarely have overnight company. A boyfriend would bathe after mowing my yard each week, but never wanted to use the Garnier and refused to use the Dove bath bars. My pump soap (aka as shampoo I won't use), Garnier shampoo, kitchen-sink soap, Dove, and guest soap costs me under $2 each year. Yes, most of it is free!

Soaps Savings
That is approximately $65 saving each year.

Friends and Family Plan
Plus, my daughter never has to buy her Palmolive for the kitchen sink since I get it free! My Garnier shampoo and conditioner is only bought when I can get it on sale and with a coupon. Finally, a guy friend refused to take anymore shampoo. That's okay. It is now called soft soap.

Add Soap Savings to Banana and Onion Savings
We talked  banana and onion savings. So, let's add soft soap, dish liquid, and bar soap savings. I save at least $65/year on soaps/shampoos. That makes $135.00 saved on those three items, alone. Sales and free; all are for me!

Your Turn
You can do this too. Do you have teens who just have to try something new and then refuse to use it? Do you purchase shampoo that you really don't like after all? Can you salvage shampoo from friends and family and put them in a pump for the bathroom sink?