How to Use a Soap Saver
I hear you. You've heard about soap savers and that they help to reduce waste and money but what are they exactly and how do you use them?
In this blog post I will answer all your burning questions about how to use a soap saver to help you live more sustainably at home and more. If you have other questions that haven’t answered don't forget to pop them in the comments section below.
So What Exactly is a Soap Saver?
A soap saver is a small bag, usually with small holes in it, like the one pictured above, that holds your bar of soap or soap scraps. They are ideally made from a sustainable fibre like hemp, linen, sisal, cotton or jute and you use it to wash your body with in the shower or bath instead of using a synthetic sponge or loofah.
Depending on the fibre used, they can be soft and gentle on your skin or gently exfoliating. If you’re looking for soft and gentle, opt for an organic cotton or linen option. If exfoliation is what you’re after, then hemp, sisal or jute are the way to go.
Be careful when buying a new soap saver, some are made with synthetic fibres which will shed micro plastics into the water system. Aim for a natural / plant based fibre content as mentioned above.
How Does it Help to Reduce Waste?
Reduces Plastic Bottle Usage.
The reason these are so popular within the sustainable, zero waste community is because by using one of these you will no longer need to buy plastic shower gel bottles. All you'll need is a yummy bar of soap of your choosing and you’re good to go. Bars of soap tend to come in paper packaging which can be easily recycled or composted.
Reduces Micro Plastics in the Water.
The soap saver acts as a replacement for standard synthetic loofahs or sponges which all shed micro plastics into our water systems with every use. Using a soap saver made with a plant based fibre eliminates this problem.
They Give Back to the Earth.
Unlike synthetic loofahs or sponges, once your soap saver has no more life in it, you can simply compost it and give it back to the soil due to its natural fibre content. So you will no longer be throwing something into the bin and into landfill.
Fancy Making Your Own Soap Saver?
Head to my really easy soap Saver Crochet Pattern for the free instructions.
How Will it Save Money?
Soap Lasts Longer.
Using a soap saver means you also need to use a bar of soap, which in general, will last longer than shower gel / body wash due to the fact that it is a solid and shower gel is a liquid. Also, I don't know about you, but with shower gel I feel like I need to keep adding more to keep the lather going.
Be sure to hang your soap saver to dry to keep the soap dry too. This will keep it away from standing water and extra splashes which can encourage it to begin disintegrating.
We Can Use the Whole Bar.
With shower gel, there is always some left in the bottle that we can never get to whereas with a bar of soap and a soap saver, we can use the whole thing! Even if you end up with left over pieces of soap, you can use these in the soap saver to use up every tiny bit of soap left. Saving you from buying more sooner.
So! Now that you’re convinced that you need to switch :) Let’s talk about how to actually use the thing.
How to Use a Soap Saver
It's so easy, you won't believe that you've not tried it before. All you need to do is...
1. Pop the bar of soap into the soap saver.
2. Tie the end or close the lid, depending on the type you have.
3. Wet the whole thing and rub between your hands until it lathers up.
4. Use it to wash with. That's it!
When you're done, give it a quick rinse and hang it up to dry until your next shower. Leave the bar of soap inside the bag and they will stay dry together.
As I mentioned above, you can also use it for soap scraps. The instructions are the same as above but just put your tiny scraps in the bag instead. Once you start using the soap saver, the tiny scraps will melt together and become one. So easy!
If you have further questions about using soap savers, as always, pop them in the comments and I’ll do my best to help :)
