Ah, soap.  It cleans.  It smells good.  But depending on what you buy, it can be expensive.

Instead of washing a lot of money down the drain, here are some tips to make your soap last longer.

How to Make Soap Last Longer

Unwrap it.

The simplest way to make a bar of soap last longer is to unwrap it when you bring it home.   Unwrap it and let it sit in your linen closet.  The soap will harden in the air, which will make it last longer when you start using it.  The unwrapped soap will also make your linen closet smell fabulous.

Consider proper placement.

Where you store your bar soap can have a big impact on how fast it gets used up.  I have a theory that the makers of tub surrounds and the makers of soap have conspired to make sure that you use as much soap as possible.  The soap holders always seem to be in the direct path of the shower spray so that you just wash your soap right down the drain.  Put your soap somewhere out of the path of the water in your shower or tub, and  make sure it can easily air dry after each use.

Consider using a pump.

If you’re a liquid soap type of person, consider using a pump bottle.  It is easier to regulate the amount of soap you use each time.  In addition, you can put a rubberband around the base of the pump to prevent a full pump, which will save you even more on soap.

Make your own soap.

You can make your soap last longer by making your own glycerin soap or by making homemade foaming soap. When you control the quality and source of the ingredients, you can stretch your budget and extend the life of your soap.

Use every last bit.

Whether you’re using a bar of soap or liquid soap, you can make sure to make your soap last longer by using up every last bit of it.  That means you can take the tiny leftover slivers of your bar soap and add them to a new bar. Or you can make your own little scrubber by adding the soap slivers to an old clean sock and using it to wash with until the soap is all gone.

If you’re using liquid soap and you’re almost out, add a little bit of water to the container to make sure to get every last drop out of the bottle.

Use less soap.

I’m not saying that you give up personal hygiene in the name of saving a buck, but we often wash too often and use more soap than we need to.   Washing less often is sometimes better for your skin and when you use less soap, you’ll make it last longer.

This cheap trick won’t save you big bucks, but it will help you stretch your budget a little and help you reduce the amount of waste created from soap packaging.

Check out our other cheap tricks to help you save time and money and be sure to share your own cheap trick with us.  You just might see it end up in a future Cheap Trick post!