Because leftover soap often can’t be used up properly, many soap scraps are thrown away. Yet you could recycle the fragrant mass and make something else from the leftover bits. Here are five ideas how you can use your soap scraps.

Whether you use it as a substitute for shower gel, to wash your hands, to remove stains from clothes, as a laundry detergent or even for cleaning around the house, bars of soap are a plastic-free alternative to traditional cleaning products that reduces waste and is less harmful to the environment. The problem: there is often a soap residue left over that we can no longer use properly  unless you know these ideas and recycle the soap scraps.

Idea 1: Recycle soap scraps in a soap bag

The small bag made of cotton, sisal, nylon, wool or linen in which you collect the leftover small pieces of soap can be used as a support for washing hands, as a kind of washcloth for daily care or even in the shower. Through the fabric, the soap foams up better on contact with water than without the sachet and can be recycled without residue as, for example, hand soap or shower gel.

Idea 2: Use bars of soap to combat bad odors

Your shoes are smelly? There are funny smells wafting out of your gym bag. The linen closet lacks a fresh breeze. Stick a bar of soap in there. It’s important that the soap has dried well, so don’t use a wet bar of soap. Put the bar of soap on a piece of cloth, put it in a small cotton bag or make a little bag out of a piece of kitchen paper and a kitchen rubber and recycle the soap by putting it in your shoes, sports bag or closet. Better, of course, would be several bars of soap, so that the fine fragrance is more intense and even more effective in fighting bad odors. After a few days you will smell the difference.

Idea 3: Recycle leftover soap and turn it into liquid soap

Have several bars of soap left over? Turn them into liquid soap for your soap dispenser. It’s easier than you think. You will need the following ingredients and equipment if you want to recycle your soap scraps:

  • ¼ lb. of soap scraps
  • 1 tsp of glycerin
  • 1 quart of water
  • Kitchen grater
  • Pot
  • Hand blender

And this is how you recycle your soap scraps into liquid soap:

Grate the soaps into fine, small pieces on the kitchen grater and add them to the pot. Stir in the glycerin and water and heat the mixture slowly on the stove, stirring – do not heat it in the microwave. Be careful not to let the mixture boil. Once the soap has melted, remove the pot from the stove top and allow the liquid soap to cool overnight. Do not put the mixture in the refrigerator, just leave it in the kitchen. The next day, mix vigorously through the liquid soap with a hand blender. If you like the consistency, simply pour the recycled soap scraps into your soap dispenser. If the liquid soap is too solid, carefully add a little water and whisk it all together again with the hand blender.

Idea 4: Make a new soap from the old soap scraps

If a few bars of soap have accumulated, then you could make several bars of soap into a new bar of soap. You will need these ingredients and equipment to make use of the soap scraps:

  • Soap Scraps
  • Larger pot
  • Smaller pot for water bath
  • Molds for the new soap

Here’s how to make the new soap from soap scraps:

Chop up the soap scraps with a knife and put the pieces in the small pot. Heat water in the large pot and place the small pot in the water bath. Stir occasionally through the melting soap scraps to mix them better and get them to melt faster. Once all the soap scraps are dissolved, pour the liquid mixture into the molds, let it cool a bit, and place the molds in the refrigerator. Leave the new soap there for at least one night, better several days, and carefully take it out of the mold. Now you should leave the new soap in the cupboard for a few weeks, preferably wrapped in a piece of cloth, and let it infuse before washing your hands with it.

Idea 5: Make solid sugar scrub from soap scraps

A creative way to use up leftover soap is to make solid sugar scrub. By the way, this is also a great DIY and zero-waste gift idea: the soap cleanses the skin, the sugar takes away old skin flakes with and the oil provides the skin with fresh energy.

These ingredients and equipment you need to make the solid sugar scrub:

  • 2 ounces of leftover soap
  • 1/3 lb. of sugar
  • 2 Fl oz of vegetable oil (olive oil, almond oil, jojoba oil – it depends a bit on your skin)
  • kitchen grater
  • pot
  • Molds for the sugar scrub

This is how you proceed to use the soap scraps and make sugar scrub from them:

Grate the soap scraps into small pieces and add them to the pot. Pour the oil into it and heat the mixture on the stove. The microwave is not suitable for this. Once the soap pieces have dissolved, let the mixture cool briefly, but do not let it get completely cold.  Then add the sugar. Stir it in completely and pour the mixture into the molds. Let the sugar scrub set overnight in the refrigerator. Your wellness moment is ready.