Everyone has a bar or two of soap lying around their house. Typically, most people will only use this soap for washing up. But there are actually tons of great things you can do with just one bar of soap!
Bars of soap can be used in lots of interesting and unusual ways. A simple bar of soap can do everything from keeping insects away from your garden to helping you sew. Plus, since the soap is so slippery, it’s great for helping to unstick stuck drawers and zippers.
A bar of soap is a versatile tool that can help with tons of common problems around your house. Read on to learn about 35 surprising things you can do with a simple bar of soap!
1) Fix Stuck Zippers
Is the zipper on one of your favorite jackets stuck? A little soap will help unstick in no time! Rub the bar of soap along the zipper, and then try unzipping it. The soap will lubricate the zipper, making it easier for the stuck zipper to move.
2) Prevent Musky Odor In Closet
If you don’t wear a piece of clothing too often, it can get a musky scent. To keep your clothes smelling fresh, hang a bar of soap in your closet. You can also use this trick to keep the clothes in your drawer smelling nice and fresh.
3) Pick Up Broken Glass
It’s always tough to pick up all the pieces of a broken glass, and it’s especially hard to spot those very small pieces. To make this job easier, wet a bar of soap and then glide it around the area where you dropped the glass. The soap should pick up all those tiny pieces you missed. After you’re finished cleaning up, be sure to throw out the bar of soap!
4) Make Homemade Laundry Detergent
Using a bar of soap, you can easily make a great homemade laundry detergent. Grate the whole bar, and then pour it into a saucepan filled with four cups of water. Stir until the soap has dissolved, and then pour the soap mixture into a container. Add a cup of baking soda, a cup of washing soda, and a ½ cup of Borax, and stir well until everything is dissolved. Cover the container, and let it sit overnight to thicken. Use about two tablespoons of this mixture per laundry load.
5) Soothe Bug Bites
Itchy bug bites are always a pain, but luckily, a simple bar of soap can help alleviate your itching. Moisten the bar of soap and then rub it on your bug bite. You’ll be amazed at how quickly the soap helps soothe your skin.
6) Stop Paint From Splattering
When you’re painting the trim around your windows, it’s always tough to avoid getting splatters on the window themselves. To protect your windows, rub a bar of soap on the window panes before you start painting. If you get paint on your window, the soap will make it easy to quickly wash it off. This easy trick makes painting a breeze!
7) Remove Wallpaper
A bar of soap will also come in handy when you’re removing wallpaper from your walls. Mix the bar of soap with water to create a soapy solution. Then, spritz the solution onto your wallpaper. The slippery solution will make it much easier for you to peel the wallpaper off your walls.
8) Make Body Wash
Want to make a lovely, fragrant homemade body wash? Pour six cups of water into a saucepan, and bring it to a boil. Then, microwave three bars of soap in a bowl for about 90 seconds. Stir the soap, and then pour it into the water. Keep stirring over medium heat until the soap is dissolved. Then, transfer it to a glass jar and allow it to cool before using. You’ll be amazed at how much body wash this recipe makes!
9) Pre-Treat Clothes Stains
A bar of soap is an easy, low-cost way to pre-treat a stain on your clothes before you put the clothes in the laundry. Moisten the bar of soap, and then rub it on stain. Then, once the stain is mostly gone, through the clothing in your washing machine.
10) Break In Leather Shoes
When you first buy a pair of leather shoes, the shoes are often tough and can cause blisters. To break your shoes in quicker, rub a wet bar of soap on the inside of the shoes. Keep rubbing until the top layer of the soap has been absorbed by the shoes. Try them on, and if they still feel tough, rub some more soap in.
11) Fix Squeaky Hinges
Do you have squeaky hinges on your door? A bar of soap will fix that problem in no time! Rub a dry bar of soap on the squeaky hinges, and then test the door. If the door is a little squeaky, rub a bit more soap on. Soon, your door should open and close silently.
12) Check For An Air Leak In Tire
Using a bar of soap, you can quickly check if your tire has an air leak. Rub the bar of soap on any suspicious areas, and then check for bubbles. The bubbles are caused by escaping air, and so if you see them, you’ll know that you have a leak. You can also use this technique to check for leaks in inflatable pools.
13) Keep Deer Away From Garden
Deer may be cute, but they aren’t as adorable when they’re eating the plants and vegetables you’re carefully growing in your garden. To keep the deer away, places bars of Irish Spring soap in mesh bags and hang them all around your garden. Or, you can grate up the soap and sprinkle it around your garden. The deer will be repelled by the scent of the soap.
14) Prevent Mirrors From Fogging Up
If you want to stop your mirror from fogging up while you’re showering, rub some soap on the mirror before you hop in the shower. Then, wipe the soap off with a clean cloth. You can also use this technique on your glasses to keep from fogging up.
15) Lubricate Screws And Nails
Getting a screw into a piece of wood can be tough, especially if you’re working with a thick piece of lumber. To make this job easier, rub the screw down with soap before you try hammering it in. The soap will make it much easier to get the screw or nail into the wood.
16) Make Homemade Liquid Soap
Do you love liquid soap but don’t like spending so much money on it? Make liquid soap out of a bar of soap! First, grate a bar of soap, and then mix it with four cups of boiling water. Stir until the grated soap is dissolved, and then allow the mixture to cool. Once it’s cool, pour the soap into your liquid soap dispensers. This liquid soap is easy to make, and it will save you tons of money!
17) Help Leg Cramps
If you often get leg cramps at night, try placing a bar of dry Irish Spring soap between your bed sheets. The oils from the soap will help soothe your legs and keep them from cramping. Try it out one night, and you’ll be amazed to see how well this trick works!
18) Prevent Soot In Cast Iron Pot
When you’re cooking over a campfire, the bottom of the pot will often get covered in soot, which can be tough to clean. Before you place the pot over the campfire, rub the outside of the pot down with a bar of soap. The slippery soap will make it much easier for you to clean the pot after you finish dinner.
19) Keep Mice From Entering House
Using a bar of soap, you can harmlessly keep mice from entering your house. Chop up a bar of soap and place the pieces in any infested areas. Irish Spring soap is particularly good for keeping away mice, but any fragrant soap should do the trick.
20) Stop Pets From Chewing On Furniture
If your fur baby won’t stop chewing on your furniture, simply rub the furniture’s legs down with a bit of soap. Your dog won’t like the taste, and so they should stop chewing. This easy trick will help save your favorite pieces of furniture.
21) Keep Fingernails Clean
When you’re gardening, it’s always tough to prevent dirt from going under your fingernails. To keep the dirt away, scrape your fingernails over a dry bar of soap, and leave a bit of soap under your fingernails. The soap will act as a barrier against the dirt, keeping your nails clean. Once you’re finished gardening, be sure to wash your hands well!
22) Mark Fabric When Sewing
When you’re sewing, you’ll usually need to make marks on the fabric to know where to place your needle and thread. A bar of soap is a great choice for these marks—the soap won’t damage the fabric, and it will wash right out.
23) Find A Gas Leak
If you notice a rotten egg smell in your house, you can use a bar of soap to determine if you have a gas leak. Rub the bar of soap over the pipe you’re worried about, and then watch to see if the soap starts bubbling. If it does, there is a problem, and you should call for help immediately.
24) Loosen Stiff Lock
Is the lock on your front door feeling a little stiff? Loosen it up by rubbing a bit of soap on it. This easy trick will prevent frustration when you’re trying to get your key in the lock, and it will make your lock move smoothly.
25) Cut Wood More Easily
When you use a handsaw, it can sometimes be tough to cut through a thick piece of wood. To make this job easier, rub soap on the saw blade before you begin cutting. The soap will lubricate the blade, and it will make cutting wood a breeze.
26) Make A Pin Cushion
A bar of soap makes a great base for an easy DIY pincushion! Wrap the soap in a piece of fabric or some wrapping paper. Then, simply stick the pins in. The soap will keep the pins firmly in place, and the soap will lubricate the pins, making it easier to stick them into your fabric.
27) Refresh Smelly Shoes
If you’ve noticed that a pair of shoes is getting a little smelly, place bars of soap inside the shoes. Leave the soap in the shoes overnight, and the soap should absorb the shoes’ odor. When you wake up in the morning, you’ll have fresh-smelling shoes!
28) Keep Insects Off Plants
Do you have an insect invasion in your garden? Make a quick insect repellent by mixing a grated bar of soap with warm water. Pour the mixture into a spray bottle, and then spritz it on the underside of the plants’ leaves. The bugs will be repelled by the smell of the soap.
29) Hide Nail Holes In Your Wall
If you have a few nail holes in your wall, you can easily hide them with a little soap. Choose a bar of soap that’s the same color as your walls, and then rub the dry soap over the little hole until the hole is filled. This easy idea is a great way to hide nail holes until you spackle or repaint your walls.
30) Get Rid Of Fleas
If your dog has brought home fleas, a bar of soap can help get rid of them. Place a slice of soap in a bowl of water, and then put it under a light. If there are a lot of fleas in your house, you may want to put out several bowls. Fleas will be attracted to the soapy water, and they’ll drown in it.
31) Loosen Drawers
A bar of soap is a great way to loosen a drawer that’s hard to open. Simply rub a dry bar of soap all along the drawer’s runners. The drawer should then open without a hitch!
32) Make Felted Soap
Felted soap is great for exfoliating your skin, and it’s super easy to make. All you’ll need to make it is wool roving in a couple different colors and one of bar soap.
33) Fix Squeaky Floorboards
Noisy floorboards are always a nuisance, but with a bar of soap, you can easily stop them from squeaking. Rub a bar of dry soap on the edges of your squeaky floorboards, and they’ll be nice and quiet.
34) Loosen A Tight Ring
If one of the rings you’re wearing is feeling a bit tight, don’t panic. With a little bit of wet soap, you can easily remove the ring. Rub the wet soap on your finger, and try to pull the ring off. If it doesn’t come off, rub on a little more soap. Soon, the ring should be safely off your finger.
35) Coat Sewing Needles
It can sometimes be tricky to get a sewing needle through a tough piece of fabric, but a bar of soap will make this easier. Lather up the sewing needle before you begin, and then the needle will slide smoothly through even the toughest fabrics.