In my all-out "war against waste", I'm just wondering.......What do you all do with your soap slivers? I don't make my own soap, I buy it from the grocery store. But when the bar is too small to use anymore, I HATE throwing away those slivers (which is what I have been doing). I do remember purchasing a fat little sponge on a rope, quite awhile back, that had a little "pocket" in it. If you put the soap slivers in the little pocket, you had a nice sudsy bath sponge (and didn't have to worry about all the little slivers falling out all the time). Those were quite handy. Haven't seen them in the catalogs lately though. Then again, I haven't exactly been looking for them either. In fact, In my efforts to save money, I've been throwing out the catalogs without even looking at em!! Any help is appreciated.

-- Greenthumbelina (sck8107@aol.com), September 04, 2001

Answers

You can grate them or cut them up small and then put a bunch of them into a tin can with a little water and set it on the woodstove. When they soften and melt, take the can off and let it cool, then open up the bottom of the can and push the 'new' bar of soap out!

-- Rebekah (daniel1@itss.net), September 04, 2001.

Soap slivers are "grafted" onto new bars of soap with water, or dropped into the soft soap dispenser.

-- Ann Markson (tngreenacres@hotmail.com), September 04, 2001.

Ann, Do you mean just drop/mix the solid soap slivers into the liquid soap? Do I need to add water to it? Also, when the slivers are "grafted" onto another bar of soap with only water, I find that they always separate, (come loose) and fall off. I kinda like the idea of adding the solid slivers (after grating) to the liquid soap, but wonder if the small solid pieces wouldnt clog the dispener?

-- Greenthumbelina (sck8107@aol.com), September 04, 2001.

take some cotton dishcloth yarn and knit or crochet a 3x5" piece , sew up the sides and bottom. run a draw string ( a piece of the cotton yarn) through the top of bag put in your soap slivers and pull shut. this is great for kids to wash their hands with, big kids too.

-- sally stanton (mallardhen67@hotmail.com), September 04, 2001.

Put them into the shaving mug. They work just fine when you use them with the brush.

-- Tom S. (trdsshepard@yahoo.com), September 04, 2001.

Greenthumbelina:

If you already have soap in the dispenser it will dissolve. I "water down" the dollar store soap I put in there to start with so there is plenty of moisture to have it dissolve. I've never had it block up my dispenser--Have you not noticed how it dissolves in your shower or bath? Just so.

It grafts on nicely if after a bath or shower you wet both the bar and sliver and then let it dry. If it doesn't work--oh well--into the soap dispenser. I do the least amount of effort first. Simple, efficient and frugal... good luck.

Please tell me you don't buy fancy soap or pay more than a dollar for it?

-- Ann Markson (tngreenacres@hotmail.com), September 04, 2001.

I collect all my soap slivers until I get enough. Cut them or grate them up and add them to hot water. What I end up with in a semi- solid soap goop that I scoop out with my fingers and use just like soft soap. This isn't a liquid, so I can't "pump" in out but scooping works just fine for me.

Wishing you enough.

-- Trevilians (aka Dianne in Mass) (Trevilians@mediaone.net), September 04, 2001.

Soap balls (or patties, or fish, or any other handy shape). Put some slivers into a food processor and chop them up very fine. Add just enough water so that the mixture isn't crumbly. Let it sit for a few minutes to soften up the soap bits so they'll stick together better after drying. Then mold it into the desired shape, put on a rack or plate to dry for a few days, turning so the dampish spots can dry too. Then use. Very easy and effective. When you have a bunch of tiny, mostly used up soap balls, do it again with those!

-- Laura Jensen (lauraj@seedlaw.com), September 04, 2001.

Once when we only had bar soap and I had laundry to do, I dissolved it in hot water and added it to the laundry water. Those clothes turned out wonderful!

-- daffodyllady (daffodyllady@yahoo.com), September 04, 2001.

I hardly ever use laundry detergent - just laundry soap, which I grate. When slivers of toilet soap become too small, I let them dry, then work them through the grater into the washing machine to use with the laundry soap. Can help if you let them sit in water for ten minutes or so to soften and dissolve.

-- Don Armstrong (darmst@yahoo.com.au), September 04, 2001.

Mom always saved the slivers and put them inside a square of nylon net which she tied up somehow. Works like the nylon net balls you can buy at the store only it already has soap on it! Great for sloughing off the outer dead layer of skin.

-- debra in ks (windfish@toto.net), September 04, 2001.

I saved the nylon net bags the onion and garlic sets came in, put in the slivers, and fastened the bags shut with a rubber band. I bought hand soap in a dispenser one time, saved the dispenser, and put slivers with water in it. My kids like the net bags better because they are "scrubbier". My 11 year old son says he can get his hands cleaner with the net. When we ran out of slivers we put a whole bar in.

-- Cathy N. (keeper8@attcanada.ca), September 04, 2001.

Hello Greenthumbelina, Even with Meli's homemade lye soap we have soap slivers! I used them by putting them in a mug and using a lather brush I whip them up into a shaving foam! Free shaving cream. Sincerely, Ernest

-- http://communities.msn.com/livingoffthelandintheozarks (espresso42@hotmail.com), September 04, 2001.

I have my grandmother's soap saver. Its a handle with a small barsoap shaped basket on the end. Soap slivers were put into this and swished around in the sink to wash clothes or dishes. I believe Lehmans Non- electric Catalogue still sells them.www.lehmans.com.

-- Kate henderson (Kate@sheepyvalley.com), September 04, 2001.

A sponge, an old pair of hose (toe end intact) - cover sponge in hose add slivers and tie with ruber band. Use other toe end stuffed with old cloths to polish shoes - nice and shiny in both cases :o)

-- Jen Butler (heavenleigh2938@hotmail.com), September 05, 2001.

Take and old sock that has no matching mate, put your soap into the foot of it, tie it up and hang it by your outside faucet for quick clean ups before tracking dirt into the house and mucking up the bathroom.

-- Alison in N.S. (aproteau@istar.ca), September 05, 2001.

I took a nice new facecloth and cut it in half, then sewed each half into a little bag with the finished edges across the top. I put my soap pieces into the bags and tie it closed with a ribbon. Just wet and scrub. I use one for the soap pieces and I use the other half for herbal scrubs. Fill it with favorites and float it in the tub, then scrub. With a little remnant ribbon and a facecloth your out about $2 and your little ends feel luxurious.

-- Terri in NS (terri@tallships.ca), September 05, 2001.