My soap trick

Foaming soap is pretty much one of the best things in life, wouldn't you agree? It's soft and luscious, lasts a long time, and doesn't make a gigantic, gooey mess when small children decide to be slightly independent and wash their hands all by themselves with traditional hand soap. We don't want to discourage them by telling them they are doing it wrong, making a huge mess for mom to clean up later, and make them feel incompetent/less likely to fight germs in the future. So, we bring foaming soap into our homes and the battle is won. Or is it? I would venture that it is only partly won, because there is more to win. I'm talking financially here. Did you know you can use your overpriced foaming soap bottles from Bath and Bodyworks for pretty much the rest of your life? Yes, even at 6 for $20, it is a huge rip for a dang bottle of soap. But use my little soap trick, and they can be a great investment. Work with me here.

First, you have your empty foaming bottle. Buy some cheap, generic hand soap. $3 or $4 will buy you a few YEARS of soap. I'm not kidding.

Most of the bottles in my house are Pink Grapefruit. I've been refilling them with cheap soap for years, and I have never had anyone say, "Hey, this doesn't smell like Pink Grapefruit! This smells more like generic Wal-Mart anti-bacterial hand soap! What is UP with that?" I hate to break it to you, but scented soap is a scam. You only smell what you think you are smelling.

 

Next, just fill your bottle about 1/4 of the way with soap, or even less. This picture actually shows more soap than you really need. I poured too much, then didn't feel like pouring it back into the other bottle. So I went with it. Bring on the foam. Go easy, though, if you get too much "regular" soap the end result is slimy. 

Slowly add water to about 2/3 of the way to the top. You need to leave a little breathing room. It helps to tilt the bottle and pour the water in at an angle, hitting the side of the bottle fist so it doesn't go directly into the soap and create premature bubbles. Put the lid back on, shake it all up, and you are good to go! A brand new bottle of foaming hand soap, for pennies.

It also works with foaming dish soap, which I love. A little bit goes such a long way. Plus, I bought this bottle of Sun for 89 cents and it has 56% more free! I will probably still be using it when my kids leave home. The back of the extremely overpriced bottle of foaming Dawn reads "Refill ONLY with Dawn Direct Foam. Traditional dish liquids will not work or foam." This is true. They won't... UNLESS you only use a little bit of dish soap and add lots of water. Boo ya! I hate to have to say boo ya on a post about soap, but I need emphasis here.  I just get excited when I get a chance to stick it to the man, or Proctor & Gamble, or anyone really. It makes me feel like I have arrived.

And here's a shout out to my two little helpers. Jake is sad because he got shots earlier in the week and his only consolation seems to be following me around and attempting to hang on my leg every waking hour. Bless him. And bless me, with patience.

Abby seems to be saying, "Thanks for refilling the foaming hand soap so economically, Mom, so you can afford to buy me a huge overpriced box of Goldfish for Jake to spill all over the family room!" You're welcome, Abby. You're welcome.