Bar soap costs almost nothing and can do almost anything
24.4.2025
Translation: Megan Cornish
Pictures: Michael Restin
There’s hardly a stain around that a cheap bar of soap can’t get rid of. This old-fashioned bar replaces half the cleaning shelf – and that’s not all it’s useful for.
Bar soap. Even the term seems outdated. It’s been sidelined by brightly packaged and aggressively advertised miracle cures from the laboratories of Procter & Gamble, Henkel and Unilever. For every solution, a whole new problem’s invented, until your cleaning cupboard’s bursting at the seams. People wash with fancy detergent or mega-pearls, their hands are exclusively cleaned with scented foam, and their showers are filled with rows of gels.
Successful brainwashing
At least for me, the crude lump of soap slipped my mind (no pun intended) once I grew up. Or to put it another way, the advertising brainwashing worked. We were raised as the liquid soap generation. During my childhood, I always used bar soap when things were too dirty or too special for «normal» hand soap, with its fragrances, colours, and nourishing ingredients.
Bar soap helped with dirty hands, aching feet, and grass stains. And of course, it still does. It’s just forgotten about. Partly because bar soap’s long been enjoying a revival as a high-priced lifestyle product. Every trending ingredient is being mixed into it. Coffee or whiskey, anyone?
Do we need it? Of course not. Do we buy it? Of course! Everyone chooses the products they feel most comfortable with. But when it comes to functionality rather than lifestyle, bar soap is still unbeatable. It’s high time to shine the spotlight on this unassuming original and its qualities.
1. Removing stains
My cupboard’s home to powder and liquid detergents for stains from ketchup, pen, grass, rust, coffee, and possibly seven different types of cake. I don’t know for sure. Because I usually look past all of them and reach for the soap when I want to tackle the grease and dirt stains on my children’s clothes.
I’ve really got into to briefly rubbing the stains with the rough bar and then rubbing them with a soft brush. When I’m dealing with mud and grass stains, I like seeing the water slowly turn dark. The results are impressive, and the soap disappears into the washing machine without a trace, even when I’ve used it on coloured items. So far, I’ve never been disappointed.
In a moment of weakness, I still bought the bluu stain removal soap because I use the brand’s washing strips. It does the job, but it’s no more effective. It’s just more expensive and «contains soapwort from the Alps».
Before bluu stain removal soap was available, the brand’s founders offered the following advice in an interview (in German): «We recommend rubbing stubborn stains with bar soap before washing; they’ll come out.» There we have it.
2. Foot baths
Bar soap’s hard and dissolves slowly in water. I remember that some bars would sit in warm water for ages until they gradually became soapy. There’s one thing I used to do often but haven’t for a very long time: the classic foot bath with bar soap. It kills germs and has an anti-inflammatory effect if the nail bed’s inflamed, for example. The soap also loosens calluses and helps when splinters or corns need to be removed.
I didn’t know it’s also considered a home remedy for calf cramps and restless legs syndrome. While there’s no scientific explanation for this, some people report in the comments on Galaxus that taking the soap to bed helps. That’s a step too far for me.
3. Travel detergent and washing-up liquid
This is another one I’m on board with: bar soap is a good option for travel. Until now, I’ve always brought liquid laundry detergent with me. I’ll skip that in the future. It’s just one more tube in the cupboard that I rarely need.
Bar soap shifts individual stains and cleans entire garments. It even gets rid of grease on dishes. With water and a bit of baking soda, it does its job on plates and pans without leaving any streaks. It’s also known as baking soda soap. Baking soda – a miracle household powder – is also what I like to sprinkle in shoes to kill odours.
4. Making liquid soap
I’m too lazy to do it, but I like the idea of making something like liquid soap. As much as I love bar soap, I still prefer the liquid version for washing my hands. Besides grated soap, all you really need is hot water to dissolve it in. Bar soap dries out the skin, which you can counteract with a little coconut oil, for example. If you like, add some scented oil. It’s feel-good DIY.
5. Working with wood
Bar soap can do more than I initially thought: «It’s also brilliant for lubricating antique furniture with drawers,» writes one Community member in a review.
What surprises me is that this seems to be a common method among woodworkers to make drawers slide smoothly again. It can also replace wax or oil on surfaces. This Scandinavian method brightens the wood, making it look silky, not soapy.
6. Cleaning brushes
My colleague Natalie Hemengül uses bar soap to clean make-up brushes, which I’m also clueless about. This household remedy can also be a good solution for anything that ends up on the wall instead of on your face.
7. Brushing your teeth
«Wash your mouth out with soap»? That phrase leaves a bad taste in my mouth. But there are actually people who rely on bar soap for dental hygiene. They rub their toothbrush over the soap with a little bit of water and then get to work. Supposedly, it tastes mild and cleans gently.
I don’t care. This is where I draw the line. And yet I’m fascinated by how versatile this unassuming block is. Bar soap may not be fancy, but it can do almost anything.
Michael Restin
Senior Editor
Michael.Restin@digitecgalaxus.chSimple writer and dad of two who likes to be on the move, wading through everyday family life. Juggling several balls, I'll occasionally drop one. It could be a ball, or a remark. Or both.
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