Think soap’s just for washing up? Guess again! Here are 11 uses for a bar of soap.
1. Loosen stuck zippers
Zipper stuck? Rub it loose with a bar of soap along the zipper’s teeth. The soap’s lubrication will get it moving.
2. Sticky furniture drawers
If your cabinet or dresser drawers are sticking, rub the bottom of the drawer and the supports they rest on with a bar of soap.
3. Lubricate screws and saw blades
A little lube with soap makes metal move through wood much more easily. Twist a screw into a bar of soap before driving it and rub some on your handsaw blade.
4. Remove a broken light bulb
If a bulb breaks while still screwed in, don’t chance nicks and cuts trying to remove it. First, turn off the power. Insert the corner of a large, dry bar of soap into the socket. Give it a few turns and that base will unscrew.
5. Say farewell to bedbugs
Fed up with those fleas? Put a few drops of dish soap and some water on a plate. Place the plate on the floor next to a lamp. Fleas love light! they will jump on the plate and drown.
6. Perfume your car
Want your car to smell nice, but tired of those tree-shaped pine deodorizers? Place a little piece of your favorite-smelling soap in a net bag and hang it from your rearview mirror.
7. Mark a hem
Forget store-bought marking chalk. A thin slice of soap, like the ones left when a bar is just about finished, works just as well when you are marking a hem, and the markings wash right out.
8. Make a pin holder
Here’s an easy-to-make alternative to a pincushion. Wrap a bar of soap in fabric and tie the fabric with a ribbon. Stick in your pins. As a bonus, the soap lubricates the pins, making them easier to insert.
9. Prevent cast-iron marks
Pinch cookout cleanup blues in the bud. Rub the bottom of your cast-iron pot with a bar of soap before cooking with it over a dirty open flame. Look, Ma! No black marks!
10. Keep stored clothes fresh
Pack a bar of your favorite scented soap when you store clothes or luggage. It will keep your clothes smelling fresh till next season and prevent stale odor in your luggage.
11. Save those soap slices
When your soap slices get too tiny to handle, don’t throw them away. Just make a small cut in a sponge and put them inside. The soap will last for several more washings. Or make a washcloth that’s easy for little hands to hold by putting the soap slices in a sock.
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