Stop Washing Money Down The Drain With This Soap Dispenser Hack

By Emily | SEO Manager

Jul 26, 2019 @ 10:53 AM MDT

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hair tie wrapped around soap dispense

As someone who goes through a bizarre amount of hand soap (and we’re just a household of two), I was blown away when Hip2Save reader Shanna sent in this tip to reduce the amount of soap dispensed each time you press the pump.

hair tie wrapped around soap dispenser

This tip saves you money just by using a simple hair tie. All you have to do is wrap a hair tie several times around the neck of the soap pump.

Why? This helps to use less soap by only letting you pump the dispenser a short way down, though still getting plenty of soap for washing. It’s a quick and easy way to save a little money!

soap dispenser with hair tie on neck

So simple and so smart!

Will this hack save you hundreds? No, probably not. But it will reduce the frequency of having to buy or refill your soap dispenser. And in the long run, it could save you a little bit of cash as well! Perfect for households with littles running around who like to go a little crazy when pumping soap. 😆

Thank you, Shanna, for sharing your functional and frugal hack with us!

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About the writer:

Emily obtained her Bachelor's degrees from Clarkson University with 5 years of content writing experience specializing in health, beauty, fashion, home, & living frugally. Connect with Emily on LinkedIn

Join The Discussion

onlinements 46

Khadijha Shahid July 26, 2019 at 11:10 am MST

I always did the same.

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Amber (Hip Sidekick) July 26, 2019 at 12:06 pm MST

Awesome to hear that!

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gege1804 July 26, 2019 at 11:14 am MST

The little things that adds up to the big thing.

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Amber (Hip Sidekick) July 26, 2019 at 12:07 pm MST

SO true!

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NikiD July 26, 2019 at 11:19 am MST

How about switching to bar soap? Seems to last a lot longer and there’s no plastic waste.

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5pink1blue July 26, 2019 at 11:23 am MST

I prefer bar soap too but with little ones liquid soap is so much easier. My kids squeeze the bars and they turn “slimey”. As they have gotten older this doesn’t happen as much though.

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Jenn July 26, 2019 at 12:36 pm MST

Mine too!

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Shannon July 26, 2019 at 5:02 pm MST

I’ve Ted that bar soap carries bacteria unlike pumps.

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Jodi July 26, 2019 at 4:46 pm MST

I’ve just done that.

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nikis22 July 26, 2019 at 11:21 am MST

Great idea! Thanks hip2save

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Collin (Mrs. Hip) July 26, 2019 at 11:26 am MST

You are SO very welonlinee! 🙌

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MJ July 26, 2019 at 11:27 am MST

This is such a great idea! I was always wondering why I was constantly refilling handsoap until I saw my seven year old vigorously pump 3 times and wash his hands with a handful of soap. I’ve explained he doesn’t need that much, but this will definitely help!

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Amber July 26, 2019 at 11:29 am MST

I reuse foaming pumps and buy a big liquid soap refill (you could even use body wash). Fill the pump 1/3 with soap and 2/3 water. Works well in our house!

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Ann July 26, 2019 at 11:34 am MST

Body wash doesn’t kill bacteria. At least none of mine have that in them

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Amber July 26, 2019 at 11:37 am MST

Not all soaps do either unless they’re antibacterial.

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Jennifer July 26, 2019 at 11:47 am MST

It’s the friction that gets rid of the most germs anyway.

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Clippy July 26, 2019 at 12:44 pm MST

Hand soaps do not need to be “antibacterial”
Soap and water does the job.
Antibacterial ingredient has not been proven to be safe, and may even be contributing to to antibiotic-resistant bacteria
More info;
https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/antibacterial-soap-you-can-skip-it-use-plain-soap-and-water

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Kathleen July 26, 2019 at 12:52 pm MST

Yes!

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tipaye July 27, 2019 at 3:42 pm MST

Exactly, my family doctor told me regular soap kills just as many germs.

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Jodi P July 26, 2019 at 1:31 pm MST

Antibacterial soaps aren’t necessary at all. Soaps that contain triclosan cause my hands to blister. It’s been banned in the EU and Canada, and I think it’s being phased out in the US. Some plastics contain it as Microban……it’s in shopping cart handles and my hand blister when I touch those, too, even for a second.

Regular soap, water, and friction are all that is needed.

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Matt July 26, 2019 at 6:17 pm MST

I make my own foaming soap and put essential oils in it. Anti bacterial, anti viral, and you can choose summery scents, holiday scents.. It works well!

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Amy July 26, 2019 at 11:47 am MST

I buy the refill too but sometimes the consistency is weird. I buy foaming refill for foaming pump, but it still happens. I didn’t think to add water, so I’m going to see if that helps. Thanks for the tip!!!

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Amber July 26, 2019 at 12:27 pm MST

No problem. I just use warm water, slowly fill it, and I don’t shake it. I just gently swirl it until it gets dissolved.

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Jodi P July 26, 2019 at 1:33 pm MST

If you have hard water it can cause the soap to get cloudy and gummy, especially if the soap is a natural soap like castille. If so, use distilled water to make your foaming soap.

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Figmaup July 26, 2019 at 2:35 pm MST

I use distilled water too in foaming soap dispensers. I fill 3/4 with distilled water and a the rest with 7th generation dish soap (lavendar). Has worked like a charm and the bottle of dish soap lasts forever. Safe cheap soap!

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Juma July 26, 2019 at 11:42 am MST

I buy the big bottles of shampoo or body washes at Ross or Marshall’s and refill my had soap bottles. I am constantly washing my hands and the bath and body work bottles were running out to fast. I also do the same for my office bathroom, it saves me money. I will be passing the tip along to my family and friends about the hair now great idea in kids bathrooms.

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Jennifer July 26, 2019 at 1:19 pm MST

Love that tip!

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Jen July 26, 2019 at 11:42 am MST

Love this for my 3 year old who may as well take a bath too when he washes his hands 😉

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Amber (Hip Sidekick) July 26, 2019 at 12:08 pm MST

LOL! My kids were the same way when they were younger! I SO needed this trick!

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Nubianqueen July 26, 2019 at 11:49 am MST

Antibacterial just a name being over used. What did we use in 70’s a bar of soap. Stop believing the hype wash your hands with whatever makes you happy

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Lori July 26, 2019 at 1:39 pm MST

Amen!

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Gisette July 26, 2019 at 2:10 pm MST

I love the feel of bar soap 🧼 😊

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Pat April 20, 2023 at 5:58 am MST

I totally agree, any soap removes bacteria. In fact you shouldn’t overuse any antibacterial product or it stops working.

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Dee Dee July 26, 2019 at 12:00 pm MST

I use Dr. Bronner’s pure castile liquid soap and the foaming pump (Walmart). You fill it with soap about 1/4 full and the rest is water. Works great.

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Rachel July 26, 2019 at 2:53 pm MST

I use that too!
It’s great and my kids love the foam and smell

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Pat April 20, 2023 at 5:54 am MST

I always use foaming soap dispensers and make my own refills with Castille soap. I love the smell and Castille and makes your skin so soft.

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Colorado Amy July 26, 2019 at 12:37 pm MST

I have the pump shown in the picture above and I have four of them. They do dispense a lot of unneeded soap. I’m so glad you posted this tip. I just added the hair ties.

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Jennifer (Hip Sidekick) July 26, 2019 at 1:13 pm MST

Yay! So glad this is going to work for you, Colorado Amy!

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Beverly July 26, 2019 at 12:52 pm MST

Great idea, thank you for the tip! I use liquid soap in my entry floor bathroom because it is more sanitary and less messy than sharing a bar of soap with all my family members and visitors. Upstairs we all use our own bar soaps.

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Sara July 26, 2019 at 1:09 pm MST

I bought an LSU bathroom set in 2013 from a local off-campus college bookstore(sadly no longer in business). I didn’t start using the soap dispenser until this year. It appears to have built-in resistance. It dispenses far less than a 7.5oz Softsoap dispenser. I only started using the LSU dispenser because the Softsoap dispenser was leaking alot. The LSU dispenser leaks alot less.

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Jill F July 26, 2019 at 4:28 pm MST

Geaux Tigers!!

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Lolie July 26, 2019 at 1:15 pm MST

Definitely a great idea! We use this idea on bottles of hand sanitizer in preschool and kindergarten. With all those tiny hands you don’t need as much.

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SEV July 26, 2019 at 2:05 pm MST

Great idea! Reminded me of the rubber band I put on the giant hand sanitizer I make available for my middle school students.

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Sunny D July 26, 2019 at 2:13 pm MST

I have another tip to add. I have had a hard time finding nice soap dispensers that fit with the decor and that will last over time. I recently blew out the spring on one of my bathroom pumps and was super bummed b/c i was dreading having to look for a new one. Well I happened to be shopping for something else over at Amazon and looked and they actually sell the pump mechanisms in different colors. So you dont have to change out your dispenser now if you find one you really like.

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Pat April 20, 2023 at 5:51 am MST

I always use foaming soap dispensers and make my own refills. But if you want a pretty bottle for your soap, this is a great idea!

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Jessica (Hip Sidekick) April 20, 2023 at 6:01 am MST

Thanks so much for sharing how you extend the life of your soap by making your own foaming refills, Pat! ❤️

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