If I’m ever feeling unmotivated to make a green choice in my life (or more often feeling discouraged that I’m not doing enough), I always like to start with a little math.
If I go through a plastic bottle of body wash once every two months, and I choose to make the switch to bar soap, that’s six bottles a year out of the landfill. If I switch over my pump-bottle of hand soap to a bar of soap, that’s about five bottles a year. If I were to just make those two decisions and keep it up for ten years, that’s 110 bottles I haven’t contributed to the ever-climbing mountain of human-created trash.
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In the grand scheme of things, these eleven bottles a year don’t seem like much. Switching to a reusable water bottle can save 365 plastic bottles a year if you are drinking a bottle of water daily. But for how little effort you need to put into this switch for it to make a big difference, the results are substantial.
In this article, I will address how to easily switch over to bar soap, and some myths, facts, tips, and tricks about getting started.
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The Move to Bar Soap
Like most every eco-decision I preach, making this transition may take time. You should never say, “I am moving to bar soap only,” and then immediately throw away all your bottled soap. That’s not what I’m saying.
If you’ve still got bottles strewn about the house, use those first, then recycle them. Or, you can save them for special occasions. I received a plastic soap bottle as a gift last year, and since it was peppermint scented, I waited until the holiday season to use it.
Once you’ve gone through all your plastic dispensers, then you can start buying bar soap.
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I suggest buying bars only in paper/cardboard packaging. If you’re buying from big businesses such as Walmart, the packs usually come wrapped in a plastic film, so buy the bars in bulk. You will be using more plastic during that shopping trip, but in the long run, you will be using less while buying more.
Myths About Bar Soap
I understand people’s disdain and hesitance toward bar soap. These people usually seem to have the same arguement:
“When dirty hands touch the bar soap, the germs cling. When someone else comes to wash their hands, those germs transfer.”
I get it. It sounds gross, but when doing research to confidently write on this subject, I have to say, the evidence was entirely lacking. I was looking for anything: not only facts to debunk the myth and support my stance, but also facts that may prove me wrong and provide me with a strong counter argument. I was fully prepared to write, “Yes, there are germs, BUT x, y, and z.”
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However, the only study I found was that of Yackovich and Heinze whose experiment concluded that there were no germs left on anyone’s hands after using the same bar of soap. But the study group size was only 12 people, entirely too small a number to draw definitive conclusions. Plus, the company who funded the study was Dial Soap. Everything about this experiment seems unreliable, so no solid evidence is readily available to prove or disprove the germs-on-soap theory.
The Miracle of Using a Soap Dish
Nevertheless, clinging germs is still a wide-spread worry. This idea was theorized because it takes a while for soap to dry before its next use. An easy way to fix this is by buying a soap dish.
This was something that I was excited to share- I just received three wooden soap dishes as a gift, and I couldn’t be happier with them. Every time I go to use my bars of soap, they are dry. Not only do they feel cleaner when washing my hands, but it makes my sink and bathtub look 10 times more put together.
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When I was just placing the bar directly on the sink, it didn’t want to stay in one spot and it made everything watery and soapy. When I did the same in the shower, the water would hit the bar of soap and make it disappear faster. Now that I have a holder, I can place it out of the water stream to keep it still and dry until use.
Also, getting a dish that has grates or holes in the bottom eliminates any chance that the bar won’t dry. With sealed bowls, water can get trapped, keeping the bar wet. So you’re looking for something like this:
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Rather than this:
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If you are thinking about purchasing a soap dish, I recommend getting a wooden/biodegradable one! Here is a link to the soap dishes I have and love.
Say No to Microplastics
If you’re still uneasy about using bar soap as your primary body-cleaning form, my last bit of advice involving bottled soap is this: TRY TO ALWAYS AVOID MICRO-BEAD SCRUBS! Unless it is specifically stated that the beads dissolve on contact, these scrubs are dangerous for the environment.
Plastic bottles are one thing. You can recycle them, and when recycled and in the facilities, the size of the bottle makes it more likely to be recycled. Micro beads found in scrubs are just tiny pieces of plastic called microplastics. Because they are so small, the beads go straight into open waters after they enter our domestic drains.
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And although the microplastics are too small to directly affect us, organisms that are small enough will consume the plastics thinking they are algae. Bigger fish then eat those organisms, and then we, humans, eat the fish. All forms of plastic are a detriment.
Here is an interesting and informative National Geographic article on microplastics and how they may effect humans.
Outside of microplastics, if you’re still buying bottled soap, try buying the biggest bottle they offer. This way, the soap inside lasts longer, and when you are done, you can recycle it. In recycling facilities, the bigger the plastic, the more likely it is to be recycled, so buying less but bigger plastic is a move you can make that will eventually start reducing your waste.
Thank You for Reading!
In my last article, I talked about plastic and reusable bags. I said that I could easily carry an entire grocery load from my car to my kitchen in one trip. Here is a picture of me doing just that! One hundred dollars of Walmart groceries in three bags (two shouldered) and then some toilet paper. Buy in bulk when you can!
I hope you liked this article! Let me know what you think. Are there any other tips or tricks I missed regarding soap bars and soap bottles? Let me know in the comments. If you have any questions, feel free to ask!
Until next time!
The Eco Friend 