4 ms·

It's quite remarkable how successful the marketing campaign against bar soap has been such that it's somehow thought of as unclean. All to get us to switch to f

It's quite remarkable how successful the marketing campaign against bar soap has been such that it's somehow thought of as unclean. All to get us to switch to far, far more wasteful liquid soap.

stinos 7y ago
somehow thought of as unclean To be fair: if your hands are dirty like from gardening or working on a bicycle then some of that dirt will stick to the soap and stay there until after a couple of 'clean' uses. But in my mind that doesn't mean the soap is unclean. After all, the visible dirt is normally a lot less to worry about than the stuff which you don't perceive with your bare eyes. Of which I actually don't know whether it's present on a bar of soap or not - wouldn't be surprised if there are higher levels of bacteria on the surfcae - but whether that actually has a negative effect is something else.
- everdrive 7y ago
  This is all true, but it's not much effort to rinse and lather the soap a bit to make sure it's clear of grime as well.
- Vrondi 7y ago
  Just rinse off the bar of soap under the running water as you finish washing your hand, and problem solved.
  - stinos 7y ago
    I'm well aware, but I find that a waste of soap. Also (maybe should have made that more clear) I don't care if my soap bar looks dirty, that doesn't really hinder it's functionality.
buu700 7y ago
Devil's advocate: is this not a legitimate concern? e.g. can viruses potentially be transmitted via bar soap? I use bar soap in my own shower, but I still prefer not to use someone else's bar soap and I use equivalent liquid/foam soap for washing my hands and face.
- merpnderp 7y ago
  Sure, viruses and bacteria can spread by bar soap. For instance norovirus is a tough husk mostly immune to alcohol, as are many bacterias which have thick cell walls. But the point of soap is to dissolve the oils, dead cells, and particles on your body that the viruses and bacteria have attached, and to wash them away down the drain.
- NeedMoreTea 7y ago
  How is it more likely that the comparatively complex pump mechanism someone else shares does not contain the same germ and virus transmission possibilities? Those pumps often look a little mangy with excess soap remnants by the time the bottle is running low. What of the handle of the shower door? Surely both have the same possibility of germ killing formulation or transmission? I have no memory of mass outbreaks of $disease from all the schools, teams and friends who happily used someone else's bar soap prior to the 1990s. Just those little foot baths between swimming pool and changing areas for the one known transmission...
  - pessimizer 7y ago
    A fear of contamination can often just be a fear of touch. Remember when we found out how filthy hot air hand dryers were? My bet is that most of us don't remember, because no matter how filthy they are, people who are afraid to touch will still prefer them. Some people will always prefer bottled water to tap water, even if the bottle was filled from a tap.
wahern 7y ago
I switched to liquid shower soap after re-grouting the bathroom. I learned that liquid soaps wash off tile far more readily, leaving less scum for mildew and mold. I miss my bar soap (I alternated between Mitchell's Wool Fat and Speick), but it's not worth hastening the day I need to re-grout. One reason I liked bar soap was it was so much more convenient and faster when showering, but that convenience pales in comparison to the inconvenience of shower maintenance and re-grouting. I was blissfully ignorant of the costs of bar soap.
kzrdude 7y ago
Do you ever get your bar soaps to last more than halfway though? When half is left, they are usually dry and don't lather at all, nearly unusable.
- NeedMoreTea 7y ago
  Mostly yes. It does deteriorate if left somewhere they stay damp, or sit in a puddle, but that's a function of the dish. So we always use something that isn't the simple puddle friendly indentation in ceramic often found in bathroom fittings. When they get small enough to be fiddly, I press the remnant of the old bar into the new one, so near zero waste.

It's quite remarkable how successful the marketing campaign against bar soap has been such that it's somehow thought of as unclean. All to get us to switch to far, far more wasteful liquid soap.

stinos 7y ago

somehow thought of as unclean To be fair: if your hands are dirty like from gardening or working on a bicycle then some of that dirt will stick to the soap and stay there until after a couple of 'clean' uses. But in my mind that doesn't mean the soap is unclean. After all, the visible dirt is normally a lot less to worry about than the stuff which you don't perceive with your bare eyes. Of which I actually don't know whether it's present on a bar of soap or not - wouldn't be surprised if there are higher levels of bacteria on the surfcae - but whether that actually has a negative effect is something else.

everdrive 7y ago
This is all true, but it's not much effort to rinse and lather the soap a bit to make sure it's clear of grime as well.
Vrondi 7y ago
Just rinse off the bar of soap under the running water as you finish washing your hand, and problem solved.
- stinos 7y ago
  I'm well aware, but I find that a waste of soap. Also (maybe should have made that more clear) I don't care if my soap bar looks dirty, that doesn't really hinder it's functionality.

buu700 7y ago

Devil's advocate: is this not a legitimate concern? e.g. can viruses potentially be transmitted via bar soap? I use bar soap in my own shower, but I still prefer not to use someone else's bar soap and I use equivalent liquid/foam soap for washing my hands and face.

merpnderp 7y ago
Sure, viruses and bacteria can spread by bar soap. For instance norovirus is a tough husk mostly immune to alcohol, as are many bacterias which have thick cell walls. But the point of soap is to dissolve the oils, dead cells, and particles on your body that the viruses and bacteria have attached, and to wash them away down the drain.
NeedMoreTea 7y ago
How is it more likely that the comparatively complex pump mechanism someone else shares does not contain the same germ and virus transmission possibilities? Those pumps often look a little mangy with excess soap remnants by the time the bottle is running low. What of the handle of the shower door? Surely both have the same possibility of germ killing formulation or transmission? I have no memory of mass outbreaks of $disease from all the schools, teams and friends who happily used someone else's bar soap prior to the 1990s. Just those little foot baths between swimming pool and changing areas for the one known transmission...
- pessimizer 7y ago
  A fear of contamination can often just be a fear of touch. Remember when we found out how filthy hot air hand dryers were? My bet is that most of us don't remember, because no matter how filthy they are, people who are afraid to touch will still prefer them. Some people will always prefer bottled water to tap water, even if the bottle was filled from a tap.

wahern 7y ago

I switched to liquid shower soap after re-grouting the bathroom. I learned that liquid soaps wash off tile far more readily, leaving less scum for mildew and mold. I miss my bar soap (I alternated between Mitchell's Wool Fat and Speick), but it's not worth hastening the day I need to re-grout. One reason I liked bar soap was it was so much more convenient and faster when showering, but that convenience pales in comparison to the inconvenience of shower maintenance and re-grouting. I was blissfully ignorant of the costs of bar soap.

kzrdude 7y ago

Do you ever get your bar soaps to last more than halfway though? When half is left, they are usually dry and don't lather at all, nearly unusable.

NeedMoreTea 7y ago
Mostly yes. It does deteriorate if left somewhere they stay damp, or sit in a puddle, but that's a function of the dish. So we always use something that isn't the simple puddle friendly indentation in ceramic often found in bathroom fittings. When they get small enough to be fiddly, I press the remnant of the old bar into the new one, so near zero waste.