Eco ways to store your soap
If you have made the switch to ditch plastic then you have probably come across a common problem. How on Earth are you going to store all them soap bars? Of course you are also environmentally conscious and want to find the most eco friendly ways of storing soap. An easy and cheap way is just to buy plastic soap dishes but you are trying to ditch plastic so that is kind of counterproductive right? Well if you do opt for this option do not kick yourself too hard as it is single use plastic that is the main enemy! Though of course it is still best to either recycle, craft or buy plastic free. Here is a list of a few suggestions on how to store your soap in an environmentally friendly way.
Recycle old tins to store your soap
When recycling tins to store your soap make sure that they are clean before reusing them in order to not contaminate your soap. Some suggestions on which tins could be reused as soap tins these could be hair wax tins, mint tins and sardine tins. It might be worth punching a hole or two in the bottom of the tin to allow water to drain out if the soap is going to experience heavy use and you notice water pooling in the tin. If you want to use smaller tins then try cutting up your soap to make it fit, this also makes your soap go further!
Recycle lids and bottle tops to store your soap
Though these might not be the most aesthetically pleasing ways to store your soap it is actually a super effective way to store soap, placing a small lid such as a jam jar lid upside down provides a small area underneath the soap to collect excess water and the soap balancing on the edges of the lid provides lots of surface area around the soap and good air flow to dry the soap out quickly so you get more uses out of your soap bar. Just either punch a hole in the bottom of your lid of choice or remember to empty it of water every now and again. Some examples of lids and bottle tops you could use are; jam jar lids, bottle caps and Pringles lids.
Beeswax wraps to store your soap
Yes beeswax wraps to keep your soap in, the same type of beeswax wraps you can use to store food avoiding cling film or plastic tubs. Beeswax wraps are also great to store your soap in if you are travelling. Just ensure your soap has dried out a little after use then wrap it up, wrapping your soap in beeswax wraps has the added bonus of stopping your soap soak up moisture from the air especially if you keep your soap in the bathroom. We have beeswax wraps in stock on the knowledgeiskey store if you could support us that would be awesome and very appreciated.
Craft soap bags to store your soap
Soap bags are a great soap storage solution if you are short on space, you can colour code your soap bags so you do not mix up normal soap, shampoo bars and condition bars. There are many different ways you can achieve a nice crafted soap bag, a simple solution is to re-purpose an old hand towel, sew up your hand towel so it is a little pillow case design and sew in a piece or ribbon or string so you can hang it up. They are very effective are they allow lots of air to aid drying out the soap and you can wash them every so often with your laundry to keep them fresh. If you are more of a knitter than a sewer you could crochet a soap bag and do not worry you can use plain old wool or cotton yarn and it will still work great. There are many tutorials on Youtube if you do not know where to begin.
Store your soap on dry flannels, scouring pads or loofahs
A really simple eco friendly way to keep your soap is to put it on a dry folded flannel, a dry scouring pad or a dry loofah. One of the best options is to find a coconut scouring pad, which is a environmentally friendly product in itself, then store your soap on that. The ridges and air space in the scouring pad itself provides great drainage and airflow for your soap and it looks great. If you use flannels or loofahs you have the added benefit of being able to wash and reuse them when you get too much soap residue build up after plenty of use.
Use large sea shells to store your soap
If you love going to the beach and or collecting sea shells this is the soap storage solution for you. Scallop shells are a great shell as they are large enough to hold a reasonably sized bar of soap, but that is just one example. There are many large shells out there you could use, perhaps even if you eat shell food at a restaurant you could save some large shells to take home with you. If you cannot find especially large shells then you could chop your soap up into smaller but still usable chunks to fit your soaps into smaller shells, this will also make your soap go further.
Turn any dish, bowl or container into a soap dish
The key to a good soap dish is avoiding storing your soap on a flat surface so it does not sit in a pool of water. That being said you can easily turn flat surfaces such as a small dish into a soap dish. To do this you can wrap the dish with elastic bands or string in a criss-cross pattern, this should provide great drainage especially if the dish does not have a completely flat surface to start with, if the item you are turning into a soap dish is completely flat like a coaster for example, then it would still be usable but probably best for soap that experiences light use.
Buy a bamboo or wooden soap dish to store your soap
If you a particularly house proud you might not be able to compromise and recycle. If you must buy new then there are some really lovely looking bamboo and wooden soap dishes available. If it is for soap that will only be used once or twice throughout the day then a ridged soap dish will be fine, if the soap is going to be heavily used throughout the day then the barred soap dishes are recommended, the barred soap dishes allows the soap to drain and dry out much more effectively. Feel free to check out the knowledgeiskey store to see which eco soap dishes we have in stock.