Soap Surprises, tips from Vocalpoint

Soap Surprises Sure, your house is stocked with liquid soap for keeping hands clean—especially in light of the 2009–2010 flu season. But did you know that you can put your liquid soap stash to other good uses around the house? Here are six ways to stretch that soap beyond the sink.

Lubricate a screw. If you’ve ever done handywoman projects around the house, then you know that there are times when, even with a power screwdriver, you just can’t drive that screw into the wall. Enter liquid soap. If you coat the twisty part of the screw with some liquid soap and try again, it should go into the wall much easier.

Hook up a gas grill safely. Attaching a propane tank to your grill is pretty straightforward. You twist a couple of knobs, hook up a hose, and, voilà, you’re ready to start cooking. But don’t fire up the grill just yet—you need to check for any gas leaks. Take a small cup and fill it with a couple of drops of liquid soap and some water. Stir it up and then use a paintbrush to apply the frothy mixture to the place where the gas grill hose connects to the propane tank. Turn on the propane tank and see if any bubbles start to percolate. If they do, you’ve got a leak. Turn off the tank, tighten the hose, then do the soap test again. Once you’re able to turn the propane tank on and there isn’t any “percolation,” you’re good to grill.

Repel bugs naturally. Mix liquid soap and water in a spray bottle, and spritz it onto the leaves of plants that the bugs seem to enjoy feasting on. The soapy “flavor” will repel the bugs and allow your greenery a fair chance of growing bug free. You can use this on plants inside the house or outside in the garden.

Unstick a stuck drawer. Runners seem to be hesitating when you pull out a file cabinet or desk drawer? Liquid soap can work just as well as WD-40. Pump a few squirts of soap directly onto the metal runner, and then open and close the drawer a few times to distribute the soap. You should have smooth-opening drawers in no time.

Ease your husband’s sniffling. If he’s prone to allergies and has a mustache or beard, suggest that he wash the facial hair twice a day with liquid soap. One study found that people who did this used fewer antihistamines and decongestants. Bet you never realized just where pollen can get stuck.

Protect a surface while you paint. Rather than spending time putting blue tape all over your knobs and door hardware before you paint, smear a coating of liquid soap on those items. This will accomplish two things: one, it will create a surface that the paint will have a hard time sticking to; and two, when you’re done painting, you can just use a wet rag to wipe off any splattered paint and the soap, too—instant cleanup!


Thanks Vocalpoint!