With all the fabulously scented, bubbly body washes and liquid hand soaps out there, a basic bar of soap might feel old-school or passé. But there are good reasons to grab a bar like your grandma used.
Bar soap has purposes that go way beyond washing up. In fact, there are a myriad of ways it can be used around the house. Read on for surprising and incredibly useful ways to use a bar of soap.
1. Stuck Drawers and Doors
Have an annoying door that keeps getting stuck, or a drawer that requires yanking? Try rubbing a bar of soap along the edges or the tracks. You’ll be shocked at how it fixes the problem.
2. Squeaky Hinges
From floorboards to door hinges, a dry soap bar can stop the squeaks. Just rub the soap on the squeaky areas and repeat if necessary.
3. Foggy Mirrors
If you have places to be and don’t have time for a foggy mirror after showering, try this trick. Before you bathe, rub a bar of soap all over the dry glass. Use a dry cloth to wipe away streaks. Magically, the mirror will remain fog-free!
4. Chewed Up Furniture
Don’t waste money on a bad-tasting pet deterrent for your puppy. Instead, protect wood furniture by swiping the legs with a bar of soap, which will make them much less tasty.
5. Stuck Zipper Teeth
Rub a bar of soap over the zipper teeth to help it glide better. Make sure the soap is dry so you don’t get anything on the clothing.
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6. Itchy Bug Bites
A bar of soap can work just as well on a fresh bug bite as an itch cream like hydrocortisone. Try rubbing the dry bar all over the bite for quick relief.
7. Stuck Rings
Lather up a bar of soap and warm water and scrub it around the offending ring. It should help make things slippery enough that the ring slides right off.
8. Fabric Stains
Stop wasting money on stain removers that are supposed to target one type of stain — you can use a bar of soap to scrub out most types of mishaps. From food stains to grease stains on fabric, wetting the material and then rubbing a bar of soap over the stain can help erase it.
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9. Garden Pests
Gardeners know the secret to keeping deer, rabbits, and squirrels from munching on plants: a bar of Irish Spring soap. Really, any type of deodorant soap that has a strong scent will work. Put the soap in an old pair of tights or a plastic bag with holes, and place it at the base of the plant.
10. Selling Your Car
Listing a car for sale? Write the information with soap on the windows. Soap art is also a fun, albeit possibly annoying, activity for kids to decorate your car for a special occasion.
11. Wall Holes From Pictures
Soap is the perfect solution for leftover holes from artwork. Try this hack before spending money on a specialty repair product. Rub the soap over the wall hole back and forth until a seal forms. Wipe up any soap residue left on the wall.
12. Sewing Pincushion
Attention all sewing enthusiasts: Keeping your needles in a bar of soap can help keep them nice and sharp. Wrap the soap in fabric if you want to get extra crafty.
13. Broken Glass
Next time you shatter something in the kitchen, reach for a bar of soap after you sweep. Run the wet bar of soap over the area where the glass shards are — it will pick up all the little bits.
14. Hidden Leaks
A bar of soap can be used to find a leak in anything from an inflatable pool to a bike tire, to a gas leak. A wet bar of soap will form bubbles when there’s air movement, magically finding the leak.
15. Freshening Up Stinky Shoes
Soap is the perfect solution to unsavory-smelling athletic shoes or any other shoes your feet have been sweating in. Just drop a bar of soap in each shoe overnight and in the morning, your shoes will smell fresh and clean.
16. Clean Fingernails
Whether you’re in the garden, working on your car, or doing any sort of project that leads to filthy fingernails, soap is the solution to dirt-caked tips. Just scrape your nails across the bar so that slivers of soap stay underneath the tips, then rinse your nails when done with your project.
17. Stuck Sliding Glass Doors
Rub a bar of soap along the bottom track for a fast trick when your slider is stuck. The soap will create lubrication to help the door run more smoothly.
18. Homemade Shaving Cream
There’s no need to spend money on pricey specialty shave creams when you can easily create your own from soap. Mix up one part of hot water and one part of grated soap shavings to create a foamy concoction.
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