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Today, we have some fantastic ideas for you with these handy uses for laundry bar soap! We are also sharing why it works!

For years now, readers have asked my opinion of Fels-Naptha. Then, my mom was browsing through the store a few months ago and brought me this laundry bar sap called Zote. She inspired me to write this post today. She inspires many posts 🙂 Thanks mom!

On Chemistry Cachet, we always like to share with you the science behind how products works because it can really help you understand WHY you are even using something. I think it is important to know these things!

I also LOVE handy life hacks because you never know when you might run out of something and need to use something else like if you have a bug bite, but don’t have ointment. Or you need to clean something, but ran out of cleaner. Or a pandemic hits the world, and there are NO products of ANY KIND at the store for months.

Either way, these tips are super important to know in the back of your mind. Bookmark our website or pin this post so you can always have references to these awesome tips!

Let’s get started!

Handy Laundry Bar Soap Uses + Why It Works

Before we talk uses, let’s check out two popular laundry bar soap options. Fels-naptha is probably the most well-known laundry bar soap brand, and it has gotten even more popular online in the recent years. Zote is the other popular brand you will find at the store.

Fels-Naptha vs Zote Laundry Bar Soap

Fels-Naptha ingredients can be found here on SmartLabel. The key ingredients listed are sodium tallowate, sodium cocoate, sodium palmate, tallow acid, glycerin, sodium chloride, coconut acid, palm acid, and alcohol. There are some other ingredients listed on the smart label link, but these are going to be the main ones for how it works.

Zote ingredients are very similar: sodium tallowate, sodium cocoate, citronella oil, glycerin, optical brighteners ( which their website says comes from the beef tallow).

Fels-Naptha is a little more expensive in most stores (cheaper on Amazon)and comes in a smaller bar while Zote is cheaper ,and the bar size is larger. Zote contains less ingredients, so it isn’t as irritating on the skin. Any of our uses below that talk about using laundry bar soap for things on the skin, make sure it is Zote you are using! Fels-Naptha will be too harsh for the skin.

Other than that, they work the same and can bother be used on anything for laundry and cleaning. Laundry bar soap works so well because it is basically concentrated soap with key ingredients to reduce surface tension and clean things well.

13 Amazing Laundry Bar Soap Uses

I have narrowed down thirteen amazing laundry bar soap uses you can try today. You can pick up a bar of laundry soap to always have on hand! Bookmark or pin this article to come back to when you need it. I actually don’t like using this stuff straight in washing machine as detergent, I think it works better in these tips below.

1. Clean Makeup Brushes

This is my favorite tip! I love finding handy ways to clean makeup brushes. We have this DIY makeup brush cleaner that is a reader favorite, but you can also use a bar of laundry soap. I like to shred a few tablespoons of soap and add about 1 cup of hot water. Soak a few brushes in the mixture, then rinse brushes in hot water. Fan out and allow to dry overnight. Like we mentioned above, this works best with Zote because it is more gentle. I got this idea from Women’s Health a few years ago.

2. Clean Paint Brushes

You can also clean paint brushes! Rinse excess paint off paint brushes, then add a few tablespoons of shredded laundry bar soap to a jar, pour hot water on top. Soak for a few hours. Rinse again with hot water and allow to dry.

3. Deodorize Small Spaces Like Shoes or Drawers

Laundry bar soap will do a few things when it comes to deodorizing. It will absorb odor and also leave a mild scent. You can shred some laundry bar soap and add it to something like cheesecloth, satchel, or even a plastic sandwich bag with some holes in it. Leave it in the area for a few hours or long term like a drawer!

4. Incredible Stain Remover for Clothing

One of the best uses for a bar of laundry soap is stain remover. All you do is rub the bar of soap onto the stain until it is completely covered in soap, then put into a regular load of laundry to wash. This works great on sweat stains, grass stains, and food stains!

5. Remove Ink Stains

You can also remove ink stains with this! This can work on ink stains in many types of fabric. Rub the bar soap on the ink stain and lightly rub it around with your finger. Allow it to sit for awhile, then with a fabric brush or tooth brush, rub upward on the stain. You can then wash the clothing or fabric in the washing machine, or wipe it off with a wet microfiber. To enhance the ink stain removal, you can also spray some hydrogen peroxide onto the ink stain after you rub the bar soap on it.

6. Use Laundry Bar Soap for Shaving Soap

This is going to be a better tip for the Zote. I tried this with it for shaving my legs, and it was actually really awesome! Lightly wet the bar soap then rub on your skin for shaving. It leaves a light creamy foam texture which reminds me of shaving soap. Shave normally, then rinse!

7. Soothe Bug Bites

Bar soap in general is very helpful for soothing bites, but laundry bar soap is even better at this. You can cut off a tiny piece of soap and put on top of a bite. It will soothe it quickly!

8.  Repel Bugs

Not only will laundry bar soap soothe bug bites, but it also repels bugs. Especially Zote with the citronella oil they use. You can shave this soap and leave it around areas outside to deter bugs. Around plants, in pots, even around doors (just don’t let it get on the concrete like I did lol, it will definitely need rinsing if it gets wet).

9. Acne

Similar to the soothing of bug bites, you can use little pieces of Zote to put directly onto a blemish. It will soothe the redness and swelling, and also stop any itching or burning. This is actually an old-fashioned skincare tip, but it is great to keep in the back of your mind for future reference.

10. Clean Toilets or Bathroom Tub Surfaces

Porcelain surfaces can be cleaned with laundry bar soap! It is very beneficial for stains or grim! You can shred a few tablespoons of bar soap into hot water, add to a spray bottle for tubs or pour directly into the toilet. Scrub surface as you normally would, then rinse (or flush). I was amazed at how well this cleaned the toilet where there were some hard water stains. It works similar to the way it removes stains from clothes.

11. Grease Squeaky Dishwasher Hinges or Doors

With the grease in soap, it makes a fantastic option for squeaky hinges. Just take the bar of soap and rub it on the hinge. This is especially good for things like dishwasher hinges!

12. Wash Your Hands

One of the simplest things to do with laundry bar soap? Wash your hands! In fact, Zote is gentle enough, it works better for me than liquid hand soap. You can keep a bar of this in your bathroom for hand washing, and then for previous tips like acne or shaving!

13. Cat Fish Bait

Yep, this last tip today is straight from the manufacturer. They said you can use the soap for cat fish bait! I don’t fish a lot, but when I was a kid, we used to go fish in our pond all the time for cat fish. And we never had cat fish bait! So, this is a handy tip to save for any fisherman in your life 🙂

I hope you enjoy this unique laundry bar soap uses and tips! Please share this post with your friends 🙂

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