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Surprising Uses for Soap: Clever Household Hacks

household uses for soap, bar of soap with suds
Written By: Heidi Stonehill Executive Editor

A bar of soap serves more purposes than just cleaning us! Here are some of our favorite uses for soap around the house.

Fixing Furniture and Household Items

  • Stop squeaky hinges: A squeaky hinge gets the soap! Wedge moist soap between the doorframe and hinge, and work the door back and forth; also, rub soap directly onto the hinge.
  • Quiet floorboards: Work a little moist soap into the cracks between squeaky boards.
  • Smooth drawers: A drawer will slide more smoothly and quietly if you rub both sides and the underside with soap.

Clothing and Accessories Hacks

  • Loosen a tight ring: Loosen a tight ring by rubbing soap over the finger. The ring will slide off when the hand is washed.
  • Lubricate a zipper: Rub soap on both sides of a stuck zipper, then unzip and reapply along the teeth.
  • Help pins and needles glide: Stick them into a bar of soap before sewing to make them slide through fabric smoothly.

Painting and Cleaning Tricks

  • Protect surfaces when painting: Protect windowpanes, doorknobs, hardware, glass doors, and switch plates when painting by coating them with soapsuds. Paint spatters will settle on the suds, and both can be washed away together.
  • Make cleanup easier outdoors: Planning to cook outdoors? First, coat the bottom surfaces of pots and pans with soap; soot will wash off with the soap afterward.

Outdoor & DIY Hacks

  • Lubricate tools: To make a saw slide more smoothly and easily, coat both sides with soap. The cutting edge will go through any wood much faster.
  • Prevent watering can drips: Rub moistened soap under the spout or lip.
  • Rub sled runners: Apply soap generously for a slicker, faster ride.
  • Make DIY paper logs: To prepare paper logs for a cozy fire, roll old newspapers tightly into small logs, tie firmly, and soak them in soapy water. Stand them on end to drain and dry.

Freshness & Odor Control

  • Deodorize spaces: Place unwrapped soap in drawers, closets, or suitcases to prevent musty odors.
  • Safe glass cleanup: To pick up bits and pieces of broken glass safely, rub a damp bar of soap over the area where glass has splintered, then shave off the surface of the soap to which the glass has adhered. Wrap these soap “peelings” in newspaper and discard.

Locks and Keys

  • Loosen a stiff lock: Rub soap on your key before inserting it into a stubborn lock.

Personal Care Hacks

  • Prevent foggy glasses: Rub soapy fingers on both sides of your lenses, then polish.

From squeaky doors to foggy glasses, a simple bar of soap can be a lifesaver around the house. Try a few of these soap hacks—you might be surprised how many problems you can solve with something you already have in your bathroom!

Have you tried any of these tricks? Let us know!

Household Tips

About The Author

Heidi Stonehill

Heidi Stonehill

Executive Editor

Heidi Stonehill is the Executive Editor for The Old Farmer’s Almanac, joining the team in 2001. As such, she manages the content development of the Almanac’s line of wall, engagement, box, and special...

Read more from Heidi Stonehill

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Comments

<span>G</span> Tue, 09/15/2026 - 15:40
thr problem with using soap on metal it that soap attracts moisture which will cause rust and corrosion and will make the condition worse in the long run. Instead of using soap on metal use good old candle wax instead. It will actually help to prevent rust
<span>Greg</span> Tue, 09/15/2026 - 08:00
Carpentry: coat nails & screws with soap to help prevent the wood from splitting or splintering. My great-grandfather drilled a hole in his hammer handles to hold the soap. (That was in 1900: Still has some residue to this day.)
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/jennifer-keating">Jennifer Keating</a> Tue, 09/15/2026 - 09:23
Great tip! We love hearing about things that WORK!
<span>Cathrine</span> Wed, 07/07/2021 - 13:05
Soap Brows are now a "thing"! Using a bar of soap to groom brows allows them to stay in place all day and does not interfere with sunblock or makeup. Take a brow brush or spoolie and rub it gently over a bar of soap (I use a glycerin soap like Pears, or a bar of pure castile like Kirks--no perfume)Then brush eyebrows up and into place. If you use brow pencil or powder use the soap first then color where needed. I find that my brows stay well groomed all day without looking "made up" or shiny.
<span>Bobbi L.</span> Wed, 07/07/2021 - 10:24
Soap or shaving cream used for anti- fog purposes can degrade any coatings you have on the lenses. Probably good for plain glass lenses with no coatings on them.
<span>Orange Head</span> Sat, 08/31/2019 - 15:34
Also works on squeaky engine fan belts. Run the bar inside the belt while the engine is off to lubricate and quiet squeaks.
<span>Bertha</span> Sat, 08/31/2019 - 15:30
I have used a bar of soap to do all of the things mentioned in your article. Another use for a bar of soap is when your new shoes rub the back of your heel. Rub the the back of the shoe with a bar of soap. This also works if there is a place in the shoe that rubs your foot painfully. Just reach in with your soap and rub the spot on the shoe.
<span>Robert Carney</span> Tue, 01/10/2017 - 13:44
Place 3-5 old slivers of soap, fully-dried, into a sandwich bag with a zip lock. Puncture some holes in the sandwich bag to allow the soap's scent to escape. Place the sandwich bags in your clothes drawers. This will prevent them from developing any odors except for a clean soapy-smell.
<span>Walt Carter</span> Mon, 10/10/2016 - 18:20
My mother, born in the smokey Mountains in 1917, used a small piece of softened soap covered by a bandage to draw out splinters and to cause boils and pimples to come to a head. IT WORKED!
<span>Evelyn Morales</span> Tue, 04/28/2015 - 16:10
Rub/scrape a wood screw across a bar of soap before screwing it in for a much easier time. Just put that old small scrap of soap in your toolbox instead of throwing it away.