Most people have a bar of soap in their homes. In fact, there's probably one sitting in your bathroom vanity unit right now! But while you can certainly use a bar of soap to wash your hands or shave your legs, you might not realize that there are many other soap bar hacks out there. Whether you need help with a home repair or just want another environmentally friendly cleaning supply to add to your collection, a bar of soap is all you need. Don't believe us? Just check these out.
Fill Holes in the Wall
Whether you live in rented accommodation and want your deposit back or you've just bought a new home and the previous homeowners have left you some unsightly holes in the wall, you'll probably want to fill them. And while you could head to the Home Depot and buy some proper filler, why would you do that when this soap hack is a budget-friendly and environmentally-friendly alternative? It just makes sense to use a bar of soap.
This soap hack is super simple, too. All you have to do is rub the soap bar over the holes and let the soap find its way into the nooks and crannies. Then, you can paint over it.
Combat Smelly Shoes
Some people have smellier feet than others, and that's totally normal! But nobody wants smelly shoes in their house, which is why utilizing this soap bar hack may work in your favor. To combat smelly shoes, all you need to do is pop a bar of soap into each shoe. Ideally, you should wrap the bars of soap in a towel or napkin before doing so to ensure the soap residue doesn't soak into the fabric.
If you leave the bars there overnight, you should wake up to fresh-smelling shoes the next day. And when they start smelling again, just repeat the process and grab some more soap.
Stop Your Mirror From Fogging by Rubbing Soap on a Portion of It Pre-Shower
Everyone knows it's impossible to look at yourself in the mirror after a bath or shower, right? The mirror is normally fogged up to a point where you can't see anything, and wiping it rarely does anything to help. You don't have to live like that, though. By utilizing this soap bar hack, you can stop your mirror from fogging up as soon as you turn on the shower - and you'll be left with a fog-free mirror right until you turn it off again.
No, you don't need any fancy cleaning supplies. All you need to do is wipe the soap bar across the whole mirror and allow it to create a protective coating.
Freshen up the Smell of Your Clothes
You probably don't need us to tell you that clothes can smell a bit funky sometimes. It might be because you have no choice but to dry clean clothes indoors in a humid environment or because you shove them at the back of your old dresser. Whatever the case, you could wash them again to get rid of the smell - but that's not very budget-friendly. So, you could use a bar of soap instead.
All you need to do is wrap a bar of soap in a thin towel or napkin and then place it alongside your clothes in the drawer. If you choose one with your favorite scent, it'll work wonders.
Lubricate Old Screws
Although you can pick up buckets of brand-new screws from the hardware store, this is sometimes an expense that you weren't anticipating. And if you're looking to save money, working with what you have rather than buying new is a budget-friendly alternative that just makes sense. Thankfully, it's very easy to lubricate rusty old screws that just don't want to screw into your wall - and all you need is a bar of soap.
You'll need to add some water to the soap bar for this to really work, but when you start to see bubbles, you can rub the screw into the bar and instantly add some lubrication. Just make sure you don't let it dry out before using it.
Stop Dogs From Chewing on Things by Rubbing Soap on Them
Anyone who has ever had a puppy will know that these little guys love to chew and bite. And while this is all part of their development process, it's key to let your dogs divert this attention away from your furniture and onto something like a chew toy. But how do you do that? Well, the best way to stop dogs from ruining your furniture is to make your furniture less appealing to them.
You can do this by wiping a bar of soap over the legs and the fabric of the furniture. It shouldn't stain or mark it in any way, but it will taste horrible, so your dog will be less likely to take a bite out of it.
Grease Rusty Door Hinges
Is there anything more annoying than a rusty, squeaky, old door? No, we thought not! And while you may feel like you're out of your DIY depth when you notice one of your old doors start to squeak, we're here to tell you that it's actually much easier than you'd think to solve this problem. In fact, you should have everything you need to fix this problem if you have a bar of soap in the house.
If you grab your soap bar and wipe it directly on the hinges, you should grease them up enough to stop squeaking. However, you could also use liquid soap if you don't have a soap bar to hand.
Make a DIY Pin Cushion
If you're a crafty person who's constantly whipping out their sewing kit, you'll know just how annoying it is when you're constantly losing your pins and needles on the floor. Of course, it's highly likely that your feet will find them eventually - but who wants to deal with that kind of pain when there's a much easier solution? By making your own DIY pin cushion from soap, you can keep your pins and needles in one place.
The hard and soft texture of a soap bar makes it perfect for this job, as the pins and needles will easily stay in the bar, but they won't fall out. Then, you can use as many as you wish.
Soothe Painful Bug Bites
There are two types of people in this world: those who never get bitten by bugs and those who always seem to sport a bug bite or two. If you're part of the latter category, you'll know that it's not just the bite itself that's itchy and uncomfortable. The area around the bite always seems to become irritated, too, which is why this soap hack can soothe all of your aches and pains.
By rubbing a soap bar over the bite, you should feel instant relief. It'll help with the pain and the itchiness, and the smell of the soap will even keep further bugs from bay.
Find Punctures in Your Tires
Whether you cycle to work and want to keep your tires in tip-top condition or you want to check why the warning light keeps flashing up on your car's dash, a soap bar could be everything you need to find punctures in your tires. All you need to do is lather up a soap bar to create a bowl of soapy water, and dip the tire into the bowl. If there's a hole or leak, you should see bubbles start to form.
Of course, the soap won't fix the tire for you, but it's still a budget-friendly way to help you know for certain whether you do have a puncture or not.
Fix Stubborn Drawers
If you have an old dresser, you've probably found yourself in a situation where you feel as though you're playing tug of war with the drawers every time you want to grab your favorite T-shirt. Yes, it's easy for these old drawers to become stubborn and stuck, but a bar of soap could be the solution to all of your drawer problems. That's because the soap will act as a lubricant.
Simply rub the soap bar over the edges of the drawer and around the edge of the dresser itself if you can. But if you don't have a soap bar, you can use a few drops of liquid soap instead.
Keep Nails Free From Dirt
If you're someone who is constantly getting their hands dirty (both in the metaphorical and literal sense), you'll know that certain jobs will leave you dirtier than most. And while most people just deal with their dirty hands after they've finished their jobs, did you know that you can actually prevent dirt from getting under your nails to begin with? In fact, soap will form an impenetrable protective barrier on your nails.
To make the most of this, you just need to scrub your hands with a wet bar of soap before you start your job. Then, you can scrub it off when you're done.
Get Rid of Sweat Stains
There's nothing worse than seeing someone wearing a white shirt that has yellow stains under the armpit. And while we know sweating is only natural, keeping the stains there is a choice. However, we have to give people the benefit of the doubt, as most people don't know this soap bar hack. But if you catch a sweat stain early and rub it with a wet bar of soap, you can prevent these stains.
The key is to catch the stain early and allow the soap to work its magic for about an hour before laundering it like usual. And if you do that, you should be able to get rid of sweat stains completely.
Freshen up Your Car
Every car has its own smell, right? It might be that your car smells like wet dog, it might smell like the McDonald's your kid threw on the floor, or it might smell like strong-smelling perfume. Whatever the case, one thing that can freshen up your car is a bar of soap. All you need to do is choose a soap bar that smells delicious to you, and pop it in your car.
It's best to pop the soap bar into a Ziploc bag or wrap it in a towel instead of leaving it free to roam in your car, but the soap smell will soon take over and banish any other smells in there.
Mark Your Fabric When Sewing
If you're someone who regularly sews new cushions for your home or new dresses for your closet, there's a high chance that you've used chalk to mark your fabric. This helps you map out your pattern and know exactly where to cut and sew, and it's an essential tool in any sewing kit. But what happens if you run out before you have the chance to buy some more? Well, soap can help.
Instead of using chalk, you can actually use a soap bar to mark out your fabric and guide you along the way. It does exactly the same job, and it won't leave any lasting marks.
Fix a Stuck Zipper
It's hard not to panic when you realize the zipper on your favorite pair of jeans or the dress that you're already wearing is stuck. You begin to wonder whether you'll be stuck in the dress forever, or whether you'll just have to throw the jeans in the trash. But you don't have to do either! There's a simple way to fix a stuck zipper, and it involves that bar of soap sitting under your sink.
By rubbing the soap over the zipper, you can grease it up and loosen it so it should slide up or down next time with ease. Plus, this soap hack should work on any type of zipper.
Make Your Pans Non-Stick
Let's be honest; pots and pans can be a nightmare to clean. As soon as you burn food in them, they're ruined. You then have to put all of your might into scrubbing them clean, which means you need countless cleaning supplies and a whole load of time - which most people don't have. You can make things easier by rubbing soap on your pots and pans before using them, though.
By rubbing a small layer of soap onto your pans before you cook, you can create a non-stick barrier that will stop anything from getting stuck to it. Then, cleaning them will be a breeze.
Keep Deer at Bay
While we love deer as much as the next person, having deer in your garden can be irritating. They eat all of your flowers and scare all of your pets, and it would be much better if they kept themselves to themselves. And if you want to keep deer at bay, you can use a bar of soap to your advantage. However, you'll also need a few pairs of old socks, too.
If you put chunks of the soap into the socks and leave them around your garden, it should ward the deer away from your property. Deer have a very strong sense of smell, after all.
Fix Squeaky Floorboards
There's nothing more annoying than the squeak of an old floorboard. It makes walking around your house an irritating experience, and means that you're constantly waking up the other people in your home. But you don't have to master DIY and replace your whole floor to fix these squeaky floorboards once and for all. Instead, you just need to grab your nearest bar of soap and bring this soap bar hack to life.
If you lather up the soap bar and then rub it between the cracks of the floorboards, you should be able to lubricate the boards and stop the squeak. Just make sure you dry up any excess water before walking on them again.
Make a Homemade Mosquito Repellant
Whether you love camping or you live somewhere where mosquitoes are part and parcel of everyday life, you'll know that having an effective mosquito repellant is hugely important. And while you could spend a fortune on chemical mosquito repellants, an environmentally friendly and budget-friendly alternative is using soap instead. Yes, you can actually make your own homemade mosquito repellant from soap - and you can either use a soap bar or liquid soap.
To do this, fill a spray bottle with soap and water and give it a shake. When you spray it onto your skin, you should be able to keep the mosquitoes at bay.
Prevent Smelly Backpacks
Whether your kids use them for their smelly gym kit or you use a backpack to store a smelly lunch, there's no doubt about the fact that backpacks can have a distinct odor to them. And while you could throw them in the washing machine, there's an easier way to reduce the odor of your backpacks. As you can probably guess by now, that trick includes a soap bar and a Ziploc bag.
Simply pop the soap bar into the Ziploc bag and then place it into the backpack. It won't take up too much space, but will provide instant freshness that will make it smell so much better.
Make an Ice Pack
If you constantly find yourself dealing with your family's sprained ankles, muscle cramps, and bumps on the head, you'll know just how effective ice packs can be. But you'll also know just how expensive these can be, and they don't last forever. Because of this, you might be interested in learning about this budget-friendly alternative that involves some soap, a Ziploc bag, and a freezer. Plus, you can either use liquid soap or a soap bar.
All you need to do is create a watery solution of soap and water and then pour it into a Ziploc bag. Then, pop it in the freezer and take it out when you need it!
Unclog a Toilet
Most people know that using a plunger is one of the most effective ways to unclog a toilet, but what you might not realize is that it's not the only option. If you don't have a plunger lying around the house but need to unclog a toilet, you could use liquid soap instead. This isn't hard to do, either. Simply pour some soap down the toilet and wait for the magic to happen.
After about 20 minutes, pour a bucket of hot water on top of the soap and watch as the toilet unclogs itself. Yes, it really is as easy as that.
Remove Wallpaper With Ease
If you've just moved into a new house and want to make your own stamp on the place or you just want to redecorate, it's important to remove wallpaper fully from the walls. But anyone who has ever done this before will know that there are some stubborn areas that seem to make this impossible. And while you could scrape away with a wallpaper scraper, you could use some soap instead.
To do this, use a soap bar or liquid soap to create a bowl of soapy water and then wipe it over the stubborn areas with a sponge. You should then be able to peel it off with ease.
Stop Chipmunks Digging up Your Garden
Sure, chipmunks are cute, but they can be a nuisance. They dig up your garden, they pull apart your flowers, and some even make their way into your garage or shed to help themselves to your belongings. And while you could hire a professional to deal with this pest problem, there's a budget-friendly way to solve this problem yourself - and all you need is a few bars of soap.
You have two options for pesky chipmunks. You could either hang bars of soap from the ceiling of your garage or shed, or you could leave bits of soap bar around your garden.
Make Your Own Liquid Soap
If you prefer liquid soap over bars of soap, you'll know just how annoying it is when you run out. And while you could head to the store to stock up on some more, you might want to have a dig around in your cupboards to see if you have a spare bar of soap anywhere. If you do, you can make your own liquid soap instead. All you need is a bar of soap and some water.
If you simmer this bar of soap with some water, it should dissolve within minutes. The end result is a liquid soap that you can pour into the container of your choice.
Help Your Needle Glide Through While Sewing by Rubbing It With Bar Soap First
No matter if you're a seasoned sewer or you're just looking to patch up that hole on your favorite shirt, knowing how to make a needle glide effortlessly through any fabric is a nugget of information everyone should have in their back pocket. After all, it makes sewing so much easier! You don't need to go out and buy a whole new sewing kit, either. All you need is a budget-friendly bar of soap.
By rubbing some soap over the needle, you can allow it to glide effortlessly through any fabric, making it easier than ever to finish any sewing task in record time.
Leave Shredded Irish Spring Soap Around the House to Deter Rodents
Let's be honest; nobody wants rats or mice in their home. These creatures are a danger to your health and your home, leaving droppings everywhere and biting through your electrical cords. But anyone who has ever experienced rats or mice before will know that these guys can get through the smallest of gaps and are almost impossible to catch. That's why you might want to buy a bar of soap next time you head to the grocery store.
If you scatter bits of a soap bar around your home, this should keep the rats and mice at bay as it will prevent them from smelling the crumbs of food around your house.
Remove Oil Stains From Driveway
If you're lucky enough to have your own driveway, you'll know just how annoying it is when you spot oil stains on it. Of course, this is all part and parcel of having a car and a driveway - but it doesn't mean that you have to put up with it. You don't have to buy any expensive cleaning supplies, either. To get rid of these oil stains, you can use soap.
All you need to do is create a water and soap solution and scrub it into the driveway. This should be enough to cut through the grease and clean it up a treat.
Make Erupting Soap for Children
When school's out, and the kids are at home, it can be exhausting. Parents have to come up with new and exciting ways to keep them entertained, and most of the time, these activities last all of ten minutes before they're bored and looking for something else to do. So, why not make some erupting soap? This DIY craft is fun for all the family, and it's budget-friendly and environmentally-friendly, too.
To make erupting soap, pop a soap bar into the microwave for a minute or so and wait for it to expand and erupt into a giant cloud. Then, you could get your kids to paint it and play with it!
Make Soap Jelly
If you're looking to pass the time with your kids and want to feel like scientists in the kitchen, might we suggest making some soap jelly? Alternatively, if you're looking to add some new cleaning supplies to your cupboard, soap jelly can clean everything from marks on the walls to stains on your kitchen counters. You only need a bar of soap and some water to make this a reality, too.
Simply grate a bar of soap into a pot, fill the rest with hot water, and let it cool overnight. By the time you wake up in the morning, it should have turned into a jelly.
Stop Your Glasses From Fogging
People who wear glasses will know the struggle of fogging. As soon as you open the oven or get caught in a rainstorm, your glasses fog up, and you're unable to see anything out of them until you take them off your face and wipe them on something clean. But this can be a hassle - which is why this soap hack will help you out. After all, soap can stop your glasses from fogging up.
Before you put on your glasses, grab some soap lather and wipe it over your glasses. As long as you wipe it off before you wear them, it should do the trick.
Remove Stubborn, Stuck Rings
Have you ever got a ring stuck on your finger? Many people have experienced the panic of swollen fingers and a stuck ring, and it's hard to know what to do. But while many people swear by butter or another form of grease, what you might not realize is that soap can also help remove these stubborn rings from your finger. Plus, you can either use a soap bar or liquid soap.
All you need to do is lubricate the area with soap lather and make your hand as slippery as possible. Then, give the ring and tug and it should come off with no problems.
Make Felted Soap
A soap bar on its own is enough to clean your hands and wash your body, but sometimes, you might need a little extra push to get rid of ingrained dirt or to exfoliate your skin. A budget-friendly way to do that is to make felted soap, which is a soap bar covered in felt that can be used whenever you need it. They'll provide a deeper clean while also looking much cooler on your bathroom vanity.
To make these at home, all you need to do is grab the soap bar of your choice and a thin layer of wool. Then, wrap the wool around the soap and you're done!
Loosen a Stiff Lock
From outdoor shed locks to your front door lock, it's pretty easy for these locks to become stiff and stuck over time. And while this isn't uncommon, it's not something you want to put at the back of your mind, as it'll just get worse and worse as the days go by. But instead of heading to the store and buying an expensive chemical to solve the problem, you could use a soap instead.
This is an environmentally friendly and budget-friendly way to loosen a stiff lock, and it's actually best to lather the key in soap rather than the lock itself. When you put the key in the lock, it should work its magic.
Make Your Own Bespoke Soaps
While you could spend a fortune on store-bought presents for your friends and family, handmade presents are budget-friendly and thoughtful - and some people absolutely love them. But what can you make? Well, one of the easiest handmade gifts you can make is your own bespoke soaps. To make these, you'll need some moulds, some leftover soap bars, water, and a few decorative items such as ribbons, fruit, or foliage.
Then, put the leftover soap bars and the water onto the stove and melt everything down. When it's liquid, pour them into the moulds and decorate them however you choose.
Use Soap to Make Sawing Easier
Even those who are proficient in DIY will know just how difficult using a saw can be - especially when you're cutting a thick piece of wood. Although you intend to cut in a straight line, sometimes the saw has other ideas and goes off course. But if you want to make sure that your saw goes straight through the wood without any problems, lubricating it with a soap bar should do the trick.
Not only that, but you can also use a soap bar if you don't have a pen or pencil to mark out where you want to cut. This makes the whole process so much easier.
Get Rid of Grease Stains
Hands up if you know a fully-grown adult who is constantly getting food down their clothes? If you're that adult, there's a high chance that you've thrown away more stained clothes than most. But you can stop throwing your clothes away, as there's a super simple way to get rid of grease stains on your shirt - and it doesn't involve buying expensive chemicals from the grocery store. Instead, you just need some soap.
It's also handy to have a scrubbing brush to hand, as you can then rub the soap into the stain with a brush and rinse it out. You may need to repeat this a few times, but it should work.
Make Your Own Cleaning Bombs
If you have a house full of cleaning supplies, there's a high chance that you like your home to be as clean and tidy as possible. And while you could head out and buy even more cleaning supplies, why would you do that when you could make your own? In fact, you can make your own cleaning bombs that you can drop into your bathtub or toilet and let them do the hard work for you.
To make these, mix liquid soap with baking powder and lemon juice. The end result should be a crumbly mixture that you can mold into a ball and pop in the freezer. Then, they're ready!