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You may already know, but I am a big fan of bar soap.
If you need me to convince you that it’s amazing, you can read my article here comparing bar to liquid soap for washing.
That being said, bar soap does have some minor drawbacks- unless you use it in a soap-saver bag!
What is a soap-saver bag?
There are many different types, but essentially a soap-saver bag is just a sack that goes around your bar of soap to contain it while in use. Some are made of natural fibers (my recommendation), while others are made of plastic mesh.
Here is a picture of the kind that I use and a few reasons why I like it:
1. Using a soap-saver bag makes bar soap less messy
Who likes to clean their shower? Not me!
Bar soap can be messy, it leaves it’s mark wherever it sits. Instead of sticking it on the shelf in my shower, I put my homemade soap in a natural sisal bag and then hang it from a Command hook on my shower wall.
Not only is it less messy, hanging it up ensures that the bar soap dries completely, which discourages bacterial growth- a win/ win.
2. You will waste less of your bar soap with a soap-saver bag
Every time you use your bar soap it gets smaller, and eventually all that you have left is a sliver of soap. For me, dealing with the sliver used to be a conundrum.
Do I…. Throw it away? Try to stick it to the new bar? Keep trying to use it even though its super hard to hold onto?
Now that I use a soap-saver bag, the soap remnants get used until they really are no more. No waste, no worry.
3. Soap-saver bags allow you to exfoliate as you clean
I don’t take my bar soap out of the soap-saver bag, it just stays in there. It hangs on the shower wall until I need it. When it’s time to wash, it is ready. All I have to do is get the soap and bag wet and rub it on my body. Simultaneously, the soap cleans while the natural fibers of the bag gently exfoliate my skin.
I recommend bags made of sustainably-sourced, unbleached cotton, flax, or sisal. These natural fibers are odorless, durable, and mild enough for even sensitive skin. They also absorb some water during washing and contribute to the soap’s lathering ability.
4. Soap-saver bags are reusable
Another great thing about soap-saver bags is that they can be used again and again. The natural fibers maintain their strength for a long time.
I don’t usually wash the bag when I add a new bar of soap, but every so often I run it through the laundry with a load of towels. I machine wash it on gentle, let it air dry, and it comes out as good as new!
5. Soap-saver bags are biodegradable
The final reason I endorse using a natural fiber, soap-saver bag is that they are environmentally-friendly. Unlike plastics that are filling our landfills at an alarming rate and take hundreds of years to breakdown, natural fibers are compostable.
Save the soap- save the planet.
Find yourself a soap-saver bag
If you are wanting to give using a soap-savor bag a try, here are a couple of economical options from Amazon that I would recommend:
If you are crafty, these don’t look super hard to make either!
Happy washing!
Mother, farmer, author, and teacher by trade… She loves tending to things and watching them grow!