20+ Other Uses For Soap

To chemists, soap is what you get when you boil down the sodium salts of fatty acids. To you and I, it’s just soap – known mostly for removing dirt from grimy hands.
Here are a few other uses for soap…


Lubricate nails, screws, and saw blades: Soap on metal helps it go through wood more easily. Nails and screws go in easier and are less less likely to split the wood if they are first stuck in a bar of soap. Rubbing soap over a handsaw blade will help it cut straighter and be less resistant to the wood.

Keep your fingernails clean: While you’re working in the garden or potting plants, scrape your fingernails over a bar of soap to collect slivers underneath them. This will prevent dirt from caking under your nails and the soap washes out easily.

Keep bugs off plants: Soap works as an insect repellent and can protect your plants from being eaten by bugs. Mix soap with water until it’s sudsy, then put the water solution in a bottle and spray the underside of plant leaves.

Relieve itchy bug bites: Rub the bites with a dampened bar of soap for instant itch relief. It also helps keep the bites clean.

Keep your clothes fresh: Place bars of soap in closets, drawers, suitcases, and bins where you store your clothing. It’ll also repel bugs and prevent musty odors.

Remove stains from fabric: Rub a damp bar of white soap over stains, then wash the clothes

Mark a hem: Instead of using store-bought marking chalk, use a sliver of bar soap to draw a line for a hem. It washes out more easily than chalk.

Garden bug repellent: Place a bar of soap in your garden to keep pests away

Household bug repellent: Mix soap and water and place in a spray bottle and spray around your home to rid your house of spiders and bugs

Rid your house of fleas: Place some liquid soap in a bowl mixed with water under a light and it will attract fleas and they will drowned

Zippers: Loosen stuck or rusty zippers by sliding some bar soap up & down the zipper

Detect gas leaks: Mix a solution of water and soap and rub along pipes, if it bubbles, you found your leak.

Soot prevention: If you’re planning a cook out using a cast iron pot, rub a bar of soap over the bottom of the pot before you set it over the open flame. The soap will make for easy cleanup, as the soap will prevent the soot from accumulating.

Halt squeaks in floorboards: work a little moist soap into the cracks between the boards.

Loosen a tight ring: Rub soap over the finger. The ring will slide off when the hand is washed.

Loosen a stiff door lock: Lubricate the key by rubbing it with soap.

Keep eyeglasses from steaming in cold weather: Rub both sides of each lens with soapy fingers, and then polish.

Deer and Rabbit Repellent: Irish Spring Soap makes an awesome (and safe) deer repellant. You can either keep the wrapper on and place bars around plants or trees – or you can cut the soap into pieces or shavings, place them in nylon stockings and hang/hide in strategic areas. For some reasons deer don’t like the strong scent and will stay away.

Smelly sneakers, boots or shoes: Simply place a wrapped bar of the soap in your shoes, sneaker or boots and leave overnight. They will be fresh smelling by morning.

Make your own hydrating shave lotion: Mix together a solution of one part hot water and one part grated bar soap.

Make old-fashioned drawers slide easier: Rub soap on the wood-on-wood surfaces to make drawers slide easier.

Make sliding glass doors slide easier: Rub soap on the bottom track of sliding glass doors.

Helps a sewing needle go through fabric easier: Stick needle into soap.

Quiets squeaky belts on cars: Apply to belts.

Mouse trap bait: They apparently love it…

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