Cheating
None of this is expert advice. It's what people worked out for themselves, usually the hard way — what actually helped, and what they'd tell someone standing where you are. Take what fits and leave the rest.
If you only read a few
Value your time when being frugal; do not spend excessive time saving trivial amounts of money.
Spending an hour shaving off a small piece of soap implies valuing your time at a very low rate.
2 people, independently
Use a Swiffer instead of a traditional mop for easier, more frequent cleaning.
It is as easy to use as a broom and results in the floor being cleaned more often than with a mop.
- It is not considered essential by all.
one person who lived it
Buy large jugs of bulk liquid soap to refill your own dispensers.
This results in less plastic per ounce.
one person who lived it
Use a flat rock as a soap holder to keep the bar from sitting in water.
It is durable and can last a lifetime.
- It does not contain soapy runoff.
- You may need to apply felt underneath if you are concerned about scratching your surface.
one person who lived it
Be cautious with tea tree oil soap if you have sensitive skin, as it may damage your skin.
One person reported that the tea tree version destroyed their skin.
one person who lived it
bar, soap, water, plastic24
Add water to nearly empty shampoo bottles to extract the remaining product.
Reuse disposable soap pump bottles by refilling them with refill packets or other liquids.
One user reported reusing Method soap pumps for over a year with no mold or rust.
one person who lived it
Consider 'Dr natural soap' as a cheaper alternative to Dr. Bronner's.
It is just as good but costs less.
one person who lived it
If you grew up poor, remind yourself that it is okay to discard small amounts of soap now that you are financially secure.
Habits of not wasting can persist even when no longer necessary.
- Based on one person's personal habit change.
one person who lived it
Make foaming hand soap by mixing 4 oz of Dr. Bronner's soap with 24 oz of water and a little glycerin.
Glycerin helps keep the soap dispenser lubricated; this method saves money.
one person who lived it
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Avoid using mint-scented Dr. Bronner's soap for bathing if you are sensitive to strong sensations.
Things get a bit 'zingy' and can cause intense physical reactions.
one person who lived it
Rotate two bars of soap: when one gets soggy, switch to the other and let the first dry out before reusing.
This prevents sogginess and extends the life of the soap.
one person who lived it
- Store soap bars on a draining rack to avoid leaving them submerged in water between uses.4
- Attach old pieces of bar soap to a new bar by wetting both thoroughly and scoring them with a sharp object to prevent waste.4
Use a mesh bag with a hanging hook to hold bar soap until it is completely used up.
It holds the soap even when it becomes a teensy sliver.
2 people, independently
Set soap fragments onto a fresh bar so they fuse during regular use.
Fragments blend together well and vanish without waste.
3 people, independently
Store collected hotel toiletries in a basket in the guest bathroom for guests to use.
Guests love the selection, and it saves you from buying supplies for them.
one person who lived it
If a child breaks a fixture with a fragile dispenser, switch to refillable plastic bottles.
One person reported that their child shattered a sink by knocking over a fancy soap dispenser.
one person who lived it
Lather soap in a washcloth rather than rubbing the bar directly on your body.
It keeps hair out of the soap, makes it harder to drop, and provides better scrubbing action.
one person who lived it
Boil water and submerge the cap of a soap bottle to soften the plastic if internal ridges prevent removal.
Heating softens the plastic enough to remove the cap despite internal ridges.
one person who lived it
Donate excess purchased soap to community food banks or homeless shelters.
They usually need it.
2 people, independently
Buy dense, handmade local soaps instead of commercial foaming soaps to get more use per bar.
Commercial soaps often contain foaming agents as filler, whereas handmade soap is denser with less filler.
one person who lived it
Score wet soap surfaces with perpendicular lines before pressing slivers to a new bar.
Scoring creates more surface area for the pieces to adhere.
2 people, independently
Do not dilute pre-made liquid hand soaps prior to use.
Diluting preservatives below efficacy levels allows bacteria to flourish over time.
one person who lived it
Donate collected hotel toiletries to local women's shelters or homeless shelters instead of using them personally.
These small bottle sizes are best for people staying for short times, and this philanthropy can make a significant impact on others' lives.
one person who lived it
Order bulk soap online if local bulk stores are unavailable.
Bulk soap is available via mail order even without physical bulk stores.
one person who lived it
Purchase soap refills alongside standard soap at grocery stores.
Most grocery stocks carry both.
one person who lived it
Trust that properly made soap contains no residual lye after saponification.
The process removes all lye once it becomes soap.
one person who lived it
Use foaming soap dispensers to extend the life of liquid soap.
Foaming dispensers stretch out soap usage and compensate for watery hyperconcentrated formulas.
one person who lived it
Add water to nearly empty shampoo bottles to extract the remaining product.
7 people, independently
laundry, dryer, cleaning, vinegar15
Try silicone dryer balls as an alternative to dryer sheets.
Use reusable wool dryer balls to reduce static.
They are reusable and effective for some users.
- Cats may try to eat them.
one person who lived it
Try silicone dryer balls as an alternative to dryer sheets.
They are reported to work well and are less wasteful than sheets.
3 people, independently
Wash hair with baking soda and vinegar as a non-toxic alternative to shampoo.
It may reduce scalp itchiness and leave hair soft, shiny, and tangle-free.
one person who lived it
If you run out of laundry detergent, use a big squirt of Dawn dish soap as a substitute.
It works fine and is seen by others at laundromats.
one person who lived it
11 more on this
Replace disposable Swiffer pads with a flat microfiber mop pad that has a sticky side.
It cleans way better than the original pads.
one person who lived it
Add vinegar to the wash cycle for towels to remove dryer sheet residue.
Residue makes towels less absorbent.
one person who lived it
Check for suds in front-loading washers; if visible, reduce the amount of liquid laundry detergent used.
Visible suds indicate too much soap is being used.
one person who lived it
Make homemade laundry soap using bar soap such as Ivory or Fels-Naptha as a base.
It works well with everything washed so far.
2 people, independently
Offer bulk shampoo to horse owners.
Horse owners go through shampoo very quickly.
one person who lived it
Pretreat organic stains such as blood, grass, or feces with hydrogen peroxide before washing.
It does wonders for removal.
one person who lived it
Consider using a tube wringer to extract more product from tubes.
One person found a 3D printed version extracted more product and was easier to use than cutting the tube open.
one person who lived it
Infuse vinegar with used citrus peels (like limes and lemons) before adding it to cleaning batches.
It smells pretty decent.
one person who lived it
Avoid using dryer sheets for dusting surfaces.
They leave hydrocarbon residues that are effective at collecting dust, creating a negative feedback loop.
one person who lived it
Do not assume suds indicate cleaning power.
Suds do not necessarily equate to cleaning effectiveness, particularly with laundry detergent.
one person who lived it
Keep a pile of dedicated cleaning towels and rags to use for sewage backups or major floods so you do not contaminate regular linens.
one person who lived it