I remember waaaaaaay back in my childhood (more than half a century ago, if you’re keeping score) my mother saving worn-down slivers of soap in a glass jar, I believe covered in water, to reuse when she had a jarful, somehow making them into new soap bars.
I thought that was a peculiarity of folks who’d grown up during the Great Depression; I mean, who these days would do something like that, when soap is so cheap and bountiful?
Turns out, there are plenty of people who still recycle soap slivers! Many appear to favor starting with dry slivers rather than in water; the recommended methods aim to provide both liquid and solid bar results; but Google “soap slivers jar” and you’ll get many, many hits. Here’s just one.
Huh. Next thing you know, you’ll be telling me people still save leftover bacon grease in tin cans. Or darn socks.
I do both. Bacon grease in gold in this house. Fix socks or I woukd buy new socks weekly for Mr.Wrekker. He’s hard on socks.
I do have a problem with used soap slivers. Skin cells and all. Eewww.
When I start a new bar of soap, at the end of the shower I stick the old sliver on to the new bar. Usually after two or three showers the sliver has completely welded with the new bar.
when I was a kid, my mom had this weird mesh bag that she would put all the soap slivers into. The idea was to use the bag as a bar of soap I guess.
I’m curious what the OP does with their soap slivers. Just throw them away?
I do this. Always have. I sometimes save bacon grease for a while, but we produce it faster than we use it so eventually it gets thrown out. As far as darning socks: I find it easier to cut my toenails than to darn holes in my socks. When they eventually get holey, out they go.
Don’t need diapers in this household (at least not yet :dubious:) but I do use cloth handkerchiefs. I buy old-timey flowered ones from Vermont Country Store–the kind your grandma probably tucked in her sleeve. They’re pretty and feminine and they’re an inexpensive, low-calorie way for me to treat myself.
But I DO throw away soap slivers. I also buy the most expensive toilet paper. Now that I’m old and retired, there are some areas where I just don’t want to economize.
A soap pet peeve: Dial is the soap I like best, but the bars are curved, supposedly to fit your hand or your body parts or something. But this means that they break in the middle when they’re partially used up. VERY annoying. I punish them by throwing them away, cursing them as I do so.
Don’t eat enough bacon to save the grease. Rarely wear socks. When the temp gets over 55, I wear sandals.
I am a cheap bastard. I save soap slivers. When I have a few saved up, I soak them an hour or so in water, knead them together and form them into bars. Sometimes I save bacon grease. There’s nothing like pancakes with bacon grease in the batter, fried in yet more bacon grease. And I darn my wool socks when they get holes in them. But I never darn cotton socks, because that would be ridiculous.
I’ve always stuck the sliver of one soap bar on to the next. It doesn’t take much soaking to soften them enough to make them stick together.
Socks? Not worth darning, in my view. But I do turn fraying shirt collars to get a few more years out of them, and put elbow patches on favourite woollens when I’ve worn a hole through.
The other night in the shower, I was wondering if there’s still some essence–even just a few molecules–of the original bar in there commingled with its successors.
I used to think everyone did this. There used to be a brand of soap that had an oval impression on one side. It was perfect for slipping the remainder of the old bar into. It would stick fast after one drying.
I do it too (sticking the old sliver to the new bar) but I have this psychological tic that makes me dislike that bump on the side of the soap. So I always only rub against that side when I’m using the soap, until the bump is at least mostly gone. Pretty soon after that the new bar is down to a sliver, and it’s the same thing all over again.
I do the sliver-bar melding thing. For other levels of my frugality:
I always buy skin-on bone-in chicken. I skin and bone it and freeze the meat in zip lock baggies. I throw the skin and bones into a pressure cooker, add water, and make awesome chicken broth.
I quit buying trash bags. I built a frame that holds a plastic grocery bag. When the bag is full, I tie it up with its handles and pitch it in the big can with the wheels. Seriously, I never could see the logic in buying stuff just to throw it away!
Almost forgot- for more soap savings, buy bar soap in bulk and take all the bars out of their wrappers. They’ll harden up and last longer!
I use mine to tote the recycling up to the recycling dumpster. Then I use it to pick up dog poop. 3+ uses out of 1 bag. I never did the soap thing. I should try it.
I’m amazed there are so many people using bar soap! I haven’t used bar soap for probably fifteen years. I can’t imagine going back to bar soap. Icky, slimy, with hairs stuck to them. Nope.
I agree. Mr.Wrekker uses bar soap though. I’m always fretting over the slivers. I never am sure when it’s time to toss. I always hope he does it so I don’t have to make that executive decision.
( note to self: Gotta clean his shower while he’s gone)
