When about 15% remains of a well-fed bar of soap, many people wonder: isn’t it time for it to “retire”? It continues to melt and gradually break in your hands - then it is sent to the trash can without regret. And completely in vain! Thrifty owners are happy to collect colorful soap remnants and put them in a jar specially designated for this purpose - after all, they know well that “size does not matter.”

Firstly, this allows you to save on various detergents that you can prepare yourself from leftover soap: shampoo, washing powder, dishwashing liquid, etc. Moreover, such a creative approach to solving everyday issues is valuable in itself for many. Secondly, remnants can be found in a lot of useful uses and not for their intended purpose - they will be useful to those who plan to sew, repair, glue something...



Finally, the environmental aspect is also important. It's no secret that to make a bar of soap, be it fragrant and glamorous or harshly economic, one way or another you need factories, steamships, power plants, and oil wells. In addition, resources are needed to package this very bar of soap - paper (trees), polyethylene, paint... Not to mention the fact that to obtain palm fat (the main component of soap) rainforests, whose place is occupied by palm plantations...



In other words, soap costs the planet much more than we pay for it in the store. In fact, we take it “on credit” from our own future (and, as you know, they don’t joke with loans). Therefore, soap is worth, if not saving, then at least treating it rationally - in other words, using it 100%. Next, we will talk about the most popular options for successfully using soap remnants in everyday life.

Two in one

So, the first and simplest thing you can do with a soap remnant is to attach it to a newly purchased piece of soap. It’s easy to calculate that over several times you save a whole piece. And if you use high-quality and inexpensive soap (especially foreign brands that are imported into the country for rising dollars), the savings will be quite significant.

You can simply collect the remnants in a pile, and when enough of them have accumulated, “wash them away” into a separate piece. If at the same time you always give preference to the same type of soap, then the trick will be completely invisible, and therefore will not disturb the aesthetics of the bathroom even of the most picky owner.

“Piggy bank” for remnants

To begin with, let us mention the already existing industrial version of this invention, for which users from all over the world willingly pay money. We are talking about a convenient and functional “string bag” for leftover soap called “Soap Bank”, developed by the designers of the company “DesigNoDoubt”. This unusual soap dish consists of a mesh for soap and a rubber suction cup, allowing you to easily attach the device to the tiles on the wall. The owner can wash his hands directly through the mesh without fear that the soap will slip out of his hands and crumble under his feet.

The beauty of this idea is that it can easily be repeated at home, using almost any available materials. Some people like a thin plastic mesh - these are usually used to pack kiwis and other “overseas” fruits in supermarkets. Someone adapts nylon or nylon from worn-out women's tights for this purpose. You will get a “portable” version, that is, just a bag with a drawstring, which you can hang on a suction hook if desired.

Another way is to make a self-foaming sponge. To do this, depending on the type of washcloth, wrap or insert the soap into it, if necessary, wrapping the structure with a sachet-type ribbon. If you have a garden plot, then you can put a couple of soap remnants in an ordinary sock (say, an unpaired one - and therefore unnecessary) and hang it near the water tap. The soap will foam perfectly, will not slip out of your hands and will not become limp. By the way, stockings with soap are good at repelling some pests.

If you have time and desire, the remaining pieces of soap can be grated and melted. The result will be completely complete “new” bars of soap. Depending on what soap you combine, you can get either a decent toilet soap or soap exclusively for household needs with an incomprehensible color and aroma. You can learn in detail about the technology of work from numerous master classes of amateur soap makers on the Internet. Let's just say that with the invention of the microwave, this process became outrageously easy and fast.

However, in secret, it is not necessary to heat soap shavings in order to form a familiar bar of soap out of it. It is enough to soak it for a while until a more or less homogeneous viscous mass is obtained, and then pour it into silicone molds for baking, plastic food containers or any other container that is on hand. The main thing is that it is flexible - this will make it easier to remove the soap when it is completely dry.

Liquid soap

You can make excellent soap from toilet soap remnants. liquid soap for washing your loved one. To do this, the soap remnants need to be crushed, placed in a bottle with a dispenser almost to the neck and poured hot water. After 4-6 days, just shake well and, if desired, make the aroma more pronounced by adding 5-8 drops of your favorite essential oil, or a little glycerin to soften the skin. This soap will be useful on the washbasin in the bathroom, in the summer shower, and in the bathhouse.

If you add baking soda to this liquid soap (a teaspoon per 500 ml), it will be an excellent means for washing dishes, tables and all kinds of wooden utensils. If you add a tablespoon of dry mustard, any greasy frying pan can be easily washed. And to make a soft shampoo that does not dry out the scalp, use only the remains of cream soap (however, the hair feels great even when washed in one piece, this is not important).

Washing powder

To demonstrate that homemade washing powder is not at all the preserve of some poor hippies, let’s give another example of the successful industrial implementation of such a product. Not long ago, Lauren Singer, an environmental activist and blogger, founded The Simply Co, whose first product was a laundry detergent that was completely safe for nature and humans. It contains... laugh, laugh - only baking soda and organic soap. And yet, the business lives, prospers and expands!

Nobody forbids us to make such a detergent with our own hands (and how can you forbid technologies that humanity used for more than two thousand years until the industrial revolution?) We grind the soap remnants, add baking soda - and the “recipe” for a big wash is ready. If you have a washing machine, then you can do without soda: a tablespoon of soap cereal gives exactly the same effect as the same amount of washing powder. The only difference is a more delicate, barely perceptible aroma instead of the sharp “alpine freshness” and “sea breeze”.

Various utilities

Did you know that, due to their fat content, soap remnants can be used to make it easier to screw screws into wood? Soaps will also help solve the problem of a tight, always stuck zipper. If the table drawer does not slide out well, just rub soap on the outside of the bottom of the drawer and the supports along which the drawer slides out (to reduce friction) - the drawer will move smoothly again.

You probably remembered back in childhood that soap can serve as a light glue when it comes to attaching New Year's paper snowflakes to window glass. In the same way, using soap remnants, you can seal wooden window frames in order to prepare your home for the winter cold. It is enough to lubricate paper or fabric tapes with a soap solution, and traces of it can subsequently be easily removed with a damp cloth.

Those who do sewing use soap instead of tailor's chalk. The lines left by soap are clearly visible, and after washing there is no trace left of them. Also, the remains of toilet soap (as well as its packaging) can be used as a fragrance, laying them out between linen in closets and suitcases. You can be sure that the musty smell and moths are no longer scary for you!

The article reveals the secrets of soap making from soap remnants. A recipe for making solid and liquid soap is given.

How to save on personal hygiene products? Often, after using soap, small pieces remain, which dry out and crack over time. What to do with them? It's a shame to throw it away!

Thrifty housewives do it simply; they make soap from the remnants, which has the following advantages:

  • The size and shape of the soap can be any.
  • You choose the color and scent yourself.
  • You can add various additives that are beneficial to the skin to your soap.

A family can save significant money with a minimum investment of time and money.

The process of making soap from soap remnants

You will need:

  • Remnants 200-250 grams.
  • Boiled or distilled water.
  • Two metal cups, large and small.
  • Grater.
  • Sieve.
  • Soap mold (plastic or silicone).

Using a fine grater, turn the soap into small shavings (the smaller they are, the faster they dissolve in water).

Pour the soap into a smaller pan, add water, stir. Then into the pan bigger size add water and bring to a boil. We put one pan in another. Bring the water in the first pan to a boil. In a water bath, stirring constantly, dissolve the soap in a smaller saucepan.

On a note. The ratio of water and shavings for making solid soap: 1, liquid soap 1:1 or 2:1. Laundry soap remnants cannot be mixed with toilet soap; they have different purposes.

To give the soap the desired scent, use essential oil(fragrance, fragrance), adding it to the soap base, a teaspoon per 100 grams. The fragrance must be added at the end of the cooking process.

To give the soap the desired color, use liquid food coloring. Add 3-5 drops to the soap base and stir well. If you are not satisfied with the intensity of the color, increase the dose of dye, but do not overdo it.

When the soap remnants are completely dissolved, pour the mixture into the soap molds. You can choose them from plastic children's toys, or buy them in a store.

The soap will harden when room temperature 12-24 hours in advance, you can take it outside or put it in the refrigerator, but it is advisable not to do this, so that the soap base cools evenly.

The finished soap must be preserved from drying out and cracking; to do this, simply wrap it in plastic and store it at room temperature for no more than 5 months.

On a note. When filling the soap mold, use a strainer to ensure a homogeneous mass. If this is not done, then undissolved pieces of soap may come across.

Preparation of liquid soap

Hot boiled water and small shavings from soap remnants are poured into the prepared container in a ratio of two to one, glycine 2-3 tablespoons, food coloring, and flavoring are added.

In order for the soap shavings to completely dissolve, you need to shake the container constantly. The whole process will take you 2-3 days.

From laundry soap you can make a gel for washing (soaking) laundry and washing dishes. The preparation process is the same as for liquid soap; we pour the finished detergent into a plastic bottle.

Still consider soap remnants a useless product? Don't rush to send them to trash can! Find out how to make homemade soap from ordinary soap, and cook it for beauty and health.

Recipe for liquid soap from soap remnants

Making liquid soap from soap remnants is the simplest thing you can think of. To do this you will need a standard beginner soap maker kit:

  • Hot water – 1 l;
  • Remnants – 1 l;
  • Essential oils (any) – 4 drops;
  • Milk – 0.5 tbsp;
  • 3 liter bottle;
  • Thick plastic, heat-resistant dishes or silicone molds.

Cooking process:

  1. Cut the soap remnants with a knife or grate them on a fine grater.
  2. Pour the resulting shavings into the bottle to fill approximately 2/3 of its volume.
  3. Pour hot water over the mixture, close the jar with a lid and shake well.
  4. Let the mixture dissolve completely, shaking the container with future soap from time to time. This process can take from a day to several days - it all depends on the quality of the remnants taken.
  5. After this period, a thick soap mixture will form in the jar. Add milk and essential oil to it - this is the result of your work.

How to make solid soap

Making solid soap from soap remnants is also easy. Stock up on the following ingredients:

  • Hot water – approximately 1 liter;
  • Remnants – 1 l;
  • Forms for the future product.

Cooking process:

  1. Grate the soap on a fine grater.
  2. Pour a small amount of boiling water over them and leave to dissolve under the lid. To speed up the process, change the water as soon as it cools down.
  3. Once every 15-20 minutes, stir the mixture with a clean spoon for complete and uniform dissolution.
  4. After a few hours, pour the soap into molds and leave them in the cold.
  5. The product will be ready in two days.
  6. Alternatively, you can put the soap remnants in a saucepan, fill them with a liter of water and put them on very low heat. The cooking process will take at least a couple of hours. Do not forget to stir the product regularly, otherwise it will not be homogeneous.

Making soap in the microwave

Do you want to make soap from soap remnants in the microwave? No problem! For this you need:

  • Remnants - 1 l;
  • Soap molds;
  • Hot water – about 250 grams;
  • A container with a lid designed for microwave ovens.

Cooking process:

  1. Plane the remnants with a knife or chop them with a knife.
  2. Pour them into a special container, cover with a lid and put them in the microwave.
  3. Set the power to 600 W and cook the soap for 30 seconds.
  4. Remove the mixture from the oven, stir the mixture with a spoon and cook for another 15 seconds.
  5. Repeat this process until the soap is completely dissolved. Keep in mind that the mixture should not be brought to a boil.
  6. Pour the soap into clean molds and place them in a dry and cool place.
  7. In a couple of days the product will be ready.

With our recipes, each of you can make soap from soap remnants at home. If you know of any other options, we will be happy to listen to any proposal.

Additional ingredients for homemade soap

Nowadays you won’t surprise anyone with ordinary soap, even if it’s made from soap remnants. To make your remedy even more beneficial, diversify it with various additions:

Additives that act on the skin:

  • Exfoliate – coffee grounds, ground almonds, coconut or poppy seeds;
  • Soften – cream, almond or peach essential oil;
  • Soothing – lavender and mint oil;
  • Do you want to make nourishing soap? Add dark chocolate or oil solutions of vitamins E and A;
  • You can also make soap that dries the epidermis and relieves inflammation. For this you will need sage oil and medicinal chamomile infusion.

Fragrances (essential oils):

  • Roses;
  • Jasmine;
  • Ylang-ylang;
  • Orange.

Natural dyes:

  • gray – crushed coal;
  • brown – cocoa, rose hips or coffee;
  • orange – sea buckthorn berries;
  • red – beets;
  • yellow – saffron, calendula, curry;
  • white – kaolin;
  • blue – chamomile essential oil;
  • green – sage, henna, cucumber skin;
  • beige – milk.

To properly make soap from unwanted soap, use our tips and recommendations:

  • The smaller the soap shavings or pieces, the faster they dissolve;
  • When using essential oil, do not be lazy to test for an allergic reaction;
  • Cooking soap does not have a very pleasant smell. But this does not mean that you need to immediately pour aroma oils into the container. Add a maximum of ten drops and wait about an hour. The final aroma will infuse only after complete drying (about two to three days);
  • If you decide to add cucumber peel, milk, orange or lemon zest to the product, be prepared for the fact that the product may spoil quite quickly;
  • For homemade soap It is better to use silicone molds, greased vegetable oil. Of these, it is easiest to get the finished product. An alternative to such forms can be any other form. If the soap does not lend itself, first put the container in the refrigerator (for about two hours), and then place them in hot water (for about two minutes);
  • How to make soap more liquid? Add a little water during cooking. An alternative to water would be a decoction of medicinal herbs;
  • If the soap is too watery, add a tablespoon of sugar to the mixture;
  • Avoid any solid ingredients, they will disrupt the structure of your product;
  • Old dried soap can be crushed with a hammer.

That's all, the soap remnants have found a worthy use, and you and your family received a bar of beautiful and fragrant soap.

It’s rare to find such perfect clean people who manage to wash off an entire bar of soap to the bitter end. Most often, small pieces remain - remnants. And what do you want to do with this treasure?

There are several answers to the question what to do with remnants.

We offer the following options:

1. Make new soap from soap remnants. You can make both liquid soap and ordinary solid soap. Below is a recipe on how to do it.

2. You can add old soap to new one. This is done like this: Soak a piece of new soap in water and “stamp” the soap into it. For greater strength, you can wrap the resulting bar of soap in cellophane and place it in the microwave for 10-15 seconds. Two different soaps will stick together tightly and become one piece.

3. Let's make a bubble bath. To do this, rub the soap remnants on a grater and add baby oil to the soap shavings. The resulting mass will successfully replace regular bath foam.

4. Sponge for the garden and garage. As you know, after fiddling around in the garden and fixing a car, it is very difficult to wash your hands. A special washcloth made from soap remnants and a plastic mesh from vegetables or fruits, for example, garlic, will help here. If you put some soap there and tie it, you will get a strong washcloth that will help you quickly wash your hands even after the dirtiest work in the garden or garage.

5. Soaps will help to wash your laundry better and make it more fragrant. Just to do this, you don’t need to put soap in the powder compartment. Instead, put the soap in an old sock, tie it well and put it in the wash with the rest of the laundry.

6. You can use a bar of soap instead of a pin cushion. Let's stick all the needles and pins in the house there. As a result, our needles are neat and clean. For beauty, we will place the soap in some cute little case.

7. Let's put small pieces of fragrant soap in drawers with linen, and as a result our clothes will smell nice.

8. Soap is an excellent substitute for chalk: you can use it to draw marks on fabric and even on pieces of wood where you need to cut.

9. By putting the soap remnants in a linen bag, we get an excellent washcloth.

So now you don’t have to worry about lathering yourself with small pieces of soap. Place the remnants in a box and save them for later use. And you can always throw it away...

Old soap turns into wonderful new soap. If you successfully select the colors and smells of the soap remnants, your soap will turn out better than before!

You can make two types of soap from soap remnants: liquid and solid.

WITH liquid everything is very simple: we push the remnants of soap into a bottle of old liquid soap (preferably with a dispenser, for solidity), about half a bottle, fill it with hot water and... wait.

Periodically the bottle needs to be shaken and its contents mixed.

After a few days (it all depends on your soap remnants: some soap dissolves faster) you will have a bottle of liquid, viscous soap. If the soap mixture seems too thick, dilute it with water.

Solid soap made from soap

To prepare it, we will need a plastic container suitable for heating in a microwave, in fact, the microwave itself and molds into which we will pour the finished soap.

Step 1. Grind the soap on a coarse grater or chop it into small pieces with a knife.

Step 2. Place them in a prepared plastic container and add a little hot water. If you want to get multi-colored soap, place the soap remnants in different containers, without mixing one color with another.

Step 3. Close the container with soap remnants with a lid and put it in the microwave for 15 seconds. Then take it out and mix. Let's set it again. And we do this until the soap melts. Try not to bring the soap to a boil.

Step 4. Before the final “heating”, you can add various oils to the soap, cereals, ground coffee, flower petals... This way you will not just have recycled soap, but a new useful and beautiful product.

Step 5. Grease the soap molds with oil and pour the melted mixture into them. You can make soap with several layers. To do this, first pour melted soap remnants of one color, let the soap dry a little, and pour the second batch of a different color.

Tin cans are suitable for molds (when the soap dries, we simply cut off the bottom of the jar and push the soap out), children's sand molds, pastry molds for cupcakes...

The soap should dry for several days. Well, then you will have your own soap made from the remnants.

What can be made from remnants?

It’s rare to find such perfect clean people who manage to wash off an entire bar of soap to the bitter end. Most often, small pieces remain - remnants.

And what do you want to do with this treasure?

1. Make new soap from soap remnants.

You can make both liquid soap and ordinary solid soap. (see below)


2. You can add old soap to new one.

This is done like this: Soak a piece of new soap in water and “stamp” the soap into it. For greater strength, you can wrap the resulting bar of soap in cellophane and place it in the microwave for 10-15 seconds. Two different soaps will stick together tightly and become one piece.

3. Let's make a bubble bath.

To do this, rub the soap remnants on a grater and add baby oil to the soap shavings. The resulting mass will successfully replace regular bath foam.


4. Sponge for the garden and garage.

As you know, after fiddling around in the garden and fixing a car, it is very difficult to wash your hands. A special washcloth made from soap remnants and a plastic mesh from vegetables or fruits, for example, garlic, will help here. If you put some soap there and tie it, you will get a strong washcloth that will help you quickly wash your hands even after the dirtiest work in the garden or garage.


5. Soaps will help to wash your laundry better and make it more fragrant.

Just to do this, you don’t need to put soap in the powder compartment.

Instead, put the soap in an old sock, tie it well and put it in the wash with the rest of the laundry.



6. You can use a bar of soap instead of a pin cushion.

Let's stick all the needles and pins in the house there.

As a result, our needles are neat and clean.

For beauty, we will place the soap in some cute little case.



7. Put small pieces of fragrant soap in drawers with laundry ,

and as a result, our things will smell nice.

8. Soap will perfectly replace chalk:

They can be used to draw marks on fabric and even on pieces of wood where they need to be cut.


9. Putting the remnants in a linen bag,

we get a wonderful washcloth.

So now you don’t have to worry about lathering yourself with small pieces of soap.

Place the remnants in a box and save them for later use.

And you always have time to throw it away... ;)



From laundry soap.

1. Collect the remnants of laundry soap in a separate bottle - this is an excellent detergent for the kitchen sink.

2. Add a little soap to the soap remnants baking soda- makes a good detergent for kitchen furniture, window frames and doors. And if you add dry mustard, you get a wonderful detergent for washing very greasy dishes.

3. To wash linoleum and tiles, you need to add ammonia to the solution of soap remnants.

SO: How to make liquid soap from soap remnants?
The easiest way to make liquid soap from soap remnants is to use regular hot water. You can add milk and oils to it, but adding solid components is not recommended - the structure will be disrupted.

For liquid soap you will need:

  • remnants;
  • hot water;
  • heat-resistant dishes (any thick plastic will do, for example, an old soap bottle).
  1. Finely chop or grate the soap and push them into the bottle. Soaps should occupy approximately 2/3 of the bottle. And remember: the smaller the pieces, the faster they will dissolve.
  2. Pour hot water into the bottle, close the lid and shake vigorously. Leave the mixture to dissolve, shaking occasionally.
  3. After some time (depending on the soap, the time can vary from 12 hours to several days), a thick soap mixture forms in the bottle. That's all, simple liquid soap is ready to use!


How to make solid soap from soap remnants?
Real scope for imagination opens up when making from remnants hard soap. You can vary the color, shape, texture, composition and smell. For example, you can change the color using food coloring, the shape is suitable for children's molds or baking dishes, and the texture of the scrub can be achieved using natural ground coffee. If you want your soap to have an antibacterial effect, add a few drops of oil tea tree, and sandalwood essential oil is suitable for a calming effect.

Solid soap from soap remnants can be made using hot water, a microwave or a stove - choose the method that is most convenient for you, fortunately, it has virtually no effect on the effect.

To make soap using hot water you will need:

  • remnants;
  • hot water;
  • heat-resistant mold (you can use a soap dish);
  • additional ingredients.
  1. Place the grated soap in a mold and pour in a small amount of boiling water, cover with a lid and leave to dissolve. To speed up the process, you can periodically drain the cooled water and add a new portion of boiling water. Stir the mixture every 15-20 minutes to completely dissolve.
  2. After a few hours the mixture will become almost homogeneous - this best time to add additional ingredients.
  3. Place the soap in the refrigerator and forget about it for at least two days - then everything will happen naturally. But if you decide to make scrub soap, you need to add ground coffee when the mixture thickens. Once you have added the desired amount of coffee, mix the soap thoroughly and put it back.

This is perhaps the fastest, but not the most reliable way to make soap from soap remnants. But then the experimentation begins.

How to make soap from soap in the microwave?
Use this method you need to be very careful. Many soaps use strong fragrances and there is a risk that you will later smell them in food that is heated in the oven. If this circumstance does not frighten you too much, then in order to make soap in the microwave, take:

  • remnants;
  • microwave container with lid;
  • molds (if the shape is not important to you, you can get by with microwave-safe dishes);
  • additional ingredients as desired.
  1. Grind the remnants on a grater or plan them with a knife.
  2. Place in a microwave-safe container, add a little water, cover with a lid and microwave for half a minute at a power of about 600W.
  3. Take out the mixture and stir, then put it in the microwave for 15 seconds. Repeat these steps until the soap is completely melted. Remember that soap should not be brought to a boil.
  4. Add additional ingredients before you microwave the soap for the last time.
  5. Open the lid and place the soap in a warm, dry place. It should dry out for several days.

To make soap on the stove you will need:

  • 1 liter jar remnants;
  • 1 liter of water;
  • a small saucepan with high sides;
  • molds (it is better to use Silicone forms for baking);
  • additional ingredients.
  1. Grate the soap remnants on a coarse grater. If the soap remnants are already dried, you can grind them using a hammer.
  2. Place the soap remnants in a saucepan and fill them with a liter of water, then turn on the heat to minimum.
  3. Be sure to stir the melted soap to make it homogeneous. Please be patient - this process will take you at least two hours.
  4. Grease the molds with vegetable oil. It is best to use silicone molds as they make it easier to get the soap out.
  5. Pour the melted soap into the molds and place in a warm, dry place to dry. The use of any special forms is not necessary - after drying, you can trim the edges of your soap with an ordinary knife.

That's all - remnants have been found useful application, you received many unforgettable emotions and saved a certain amount of money. And if the process drags you on, try making soap from scratch - in addition to its immediate functions, such soap is also a good gift, and a wonderful bathroom decoration. And how many positive emotions are generated by the realization of what you have done? an ordinary thing with your own hands! Experiment, try - and the remnants in your hands will find a second life.