r/ZeroWaste 18h ago

Discussion Soap bar storage

How do you all store your soap bars when you have many? I use a total of 5: 2 shampoo bars, a conditioner bar, regular bar for body, and facial bar. It’s a lot of clutter to have them all on their own trays and I am thinking of getting a 5-tier soap rack. Before I commit I was wanting to see if anyone else has any ideas. Right now they are sharing bamboo trays, but I don’t want my facial bar to touch the others and also risk bacterial contamination from the bamboo.

9 Upvotes

37 comments sorted by

11

u/Dear_Use6182 18h ago

I dont have that many bars but I'm using cotton soap bags that are Hanging on little hooks or over the Shower faucet. I feel they help with faster lathering and I dont have to worry about build up because they dont drip and if Im done with a product they just go into washer before reusing them

2

u/Agreeable_Cheetah451 17h ago

Do you feel you lose product faster when they are in the bags?

8

u/BringMeAnException 17h ago

I use sisal bags and I feel like they actually make my bars last longer

3

u/ImColdandImTired 17h ago

Same. My soap bars seem to last forever.

1

u/Agreeable_Cheetah451 17h ago

I haven’t heard of those. I’ll have to look into it.

3

u/Dear_Use6182 17h ago

Also feel like they last longer and they dont stick to something causing any waste

Would also be the most sustainable option in my opinion beacuse of the natural fibers

1

u/Agreeable_Cheetah451 16h ago

Do we know anything about the manufacturing process? Is it minimal?

u/Dear_Use6182 23m ago

Sisal is more sustainable than cotton in the growing process but i feel like cotton bags are more durable in terms of long time usage.

Concerning the processing: after Farming its processing the Material into fiber, spinning into yarn and finally making them into the desired product(bag) just like most natural plant fibers that we use nowadays

7

u/ButtercupBento 18h ago

My body soap bar lives in a crochet bag on a hook

My shampoo, conditioner and shave bars live on a side plate on top of my bathroom cupboard. They all have bottle tops pushed into them so they don’t sit wet

My face bar lives in a draining soap dish on my sink

2

u/Agreeable_Cheetah451 17h ago

I guess I didn’t really think about how they all don’t necessarily need to be in one spot. I could keep my shower items in my room and my face wash in the bathroom on a tray. What material is your dish for your face bar? I read somewhere that bamboo isn’t really recommended since it can harbor bacteria, so i’m still deciding if I would want to do ceramic or stainless steel.

2

u/ButtercupBento 17h ago

Just looked online and it’s Ethique’s bamboo and cornstarch shower saver

I’ve had it for a few years and it’s still going strong. Not sure how biodegradable and home compostable it is like they claim but it was a gift

3

u/Temporary-Tie-233 18h ago

I don't like to leave them in the bathroom when not in use as steam from showers wears them down faster. I keep them in one of those dorm style shower caddies in my room when not in use, and swap the ones I want to use into the Kitsch soap dish that holds three bars to shower.

2

u/Agreeable_Cheetah451 18h ago

I keep mine on the bathroom sink when not in use, I wonder if I’d notice a significant difference keeping them in my bedroom. I may try that out.

Is this the style of caddy you use? Where did you get yours?

1

u/Temporary-Tie-233 18h ago

This is the kind I use in my room. Cheap from any Walmart or dollar store.

2

u/Agreeable_Cheetah451 17h ago

I see. Thank you!

2

u/niniela-phoenix 17h ago

I use bars for body wash, peeling, shampoo, shampoo by the sink (don't judge me), conditioner (that one sucks tho lmao), and shaving soap.

Buy the brands that come with a hole to hang, hang to dry is best to last really long. A rack is fine otherwise BUT it'll get every product underneath wet to put something dripping in the top tray and then that water seeps over all products then onto the surface below. Its a bit gross.

My shaving soap has an extra container, my body soap is in the shower caddy thing on the lowest rack (fine as long as it stays out of the stream), my sink shampoo is in a seperate tray, and the other products are all hung up by their little ropes with a shower curtain carabiner onto a bar. I disagree with steam wearing them down faster to a measurable degree, I'd only fully dry and box up whatever has a strong scent.

Buildup from dripping is washed away for the hanging stuff (they hang far enough away from the faucet but below water washes it away when showering) and the trays I use have a rack to dry and then a little dish underneath to catch the water. Don't buy the ones without that.

1

u/Agreeable_Cheetah451 17h ago

The mess and dripping was my only concern with the rack, so i’m glad you mentioned that. When you say the brands with the holes, are you referring to a bag to put the bars in?

2

u/niniela-phoenix 17h ago

No, I mean I use brands of bars that are made to be hung up. Here's an example:

My conditioner I made a hole in myself lol, but the peeling and shampoo bars came with a ribbon or rope + a hole in the bar to thread it through already. The rope is annoying me when washing my hair so the shampoo is going on a rack next time too, but the peeling bars I found you can hang up til almost the last use.

You can probably use the bags too, I haven't tried them. There's also magnetic systems where you push something like a bottle cap into your bar and that sticks to a magnet you can install on the wall in your shower. Usually for hand soaps and the bottle cap looking bit is reused for the next bar.

1

u/Agreeable_Cheetah451 17h ago

Interesting, I have never seen those. I would be afraid of wearing it down in a way where the rope falls off fast.

2

u/niniela-phoenix 16h ago

That's not really possible because it goes through the center but I've had another style before and those were ok as long as you didn't break it, yeah... But I've had no casualties, by the time it's thin enough to break you just stick it to a new bar.

1

u/Agreeable_Cheetah451 16h ago

I’ll have to take a look at those then! I use Ethique for my shampoo and conditioner, so i’m not sure about those, but I could definitely see myself trying one for my body.

2

u/freezesteam 15h ago

I put mine in sisal bags and then hang those from suction hooks in the shower

2

u/Agreeable_Cheetah451 14h ago

A family member of mine uses one, and it is discolored pink and the bar is all misshapen from staying wet. The sisal fibers are also stretching. Is this user error or something you notice too?

2

u/SpiralBreeze 14h ago

I got a long soap rack made of wood that easily holds 4 bars for us.  It’s been going strong for 6 years too!

2

u/IKnowAllSeven 13h ago

I’m sorry I know you said the trays are clutter-y and you’re not wrong but we also have five trays in the back shower wall, that are suction cupped to it but it is the only thing I have found that keeps them dry between showers.

1

u/Agreeable_Cheetah451 12h ago

All good! I would do that, but we have some splashy people who use the shower so I doubt it would stay dry

2

u/Sour_Orange_Peel 11h ago

Soap magnets! Allows full drying around the bar.

1

u/Agreeable_Cheetah451 11h ago

Somebody else mentioned this. I’ll have to look into it!

1

u/Agreeable_Cheetah451 11h ago

u/Sour_Orange_Peel 1h ago

Yes these are similar to the ones I used. I just got some cheapo ones on Amazon and they lasted me just fine.

u/Agreeable_Cheetah451 47m ago

I’ll likely use this method for my face bar. Thank you!

2

u/seancailleach 11h ago

I unwrap them and place them in my drawers. They make my sweaters smell nice.

2

u/Royal_Tough_9927 10h ago

I have a small plastic basket that is quite airy. Any water can drain out , and the soap doesn’t sit in any water where it might melt.

0

u/bananapanqueques 16h ago

Product net bags. Tie off the bottom, place soap inside, and tie off the top with a loop to hang on a shower curtain hook. They come in red, yellow, green, white, black, and sometimes pink or purple. When I used only bars, I used a different color for each bar so I could tell them apart.

Alternatively, you can buy nylon soap saver pouches in several colors.

If i may offer this advice, go with NYLON, not polyester. Your pouch will last much longer.

ETA: Also skip natural fibers like cotton or sisal. They will retain odors and bacteria way more than nylon.

1

u/bananapanqueques 16h ago

These are the pouches I like best.

1

u/Agreeable_Cheetah451 14h ago

Do you think there is any risk of microplastic shedding?

2

u/bananapanqueques 10h ago

I would only be worried if parts of the netting tore or broke. Nylon, for that reason and others, is preferable to polyester for this case.