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Casa Verde: New Soap, Old Bottle
We've seen some pretty innovative repurposing of plastic bottles lately, like that self-watering vase and Michelle Brand's ethereal lights, room dividers, and light shades made from the bottoms of soda bottles. But, what's so wrong with reusing them for their original purpose — storing liquids? Absolutely nothing.
Cool Idea: Minimalist Soap Holder
I come across a lot of Cool Ideas that may be innovative, but aren't quite practical, or are simply too expensive to have mass appeal. The Banus Soap Holder definitely does not fall into those categories. It was designed especially for the overflow holes of the bathroom sink.
Steal of the Day: Stainless Steel Soap
Stainless steel has magical deodorizing/odor neutralizing power that can wipe the pungent scents from things like garlic, onion, and fish away from your skin. There isn't a clear chemical explanation for this, but it's been hypothesized that sulfurous compounds are somehow catalyzed by the steel. So, some clever entrepreneur came up with a stainless steel "soap" product, essentially a block of metal in soap shape, to rid your skin of whatever stink ails you.
Nice and New: Mrs. Meyer's Basil Collection
Mrs. Meyer's has just released a new collection of basil-scented aromatherapeutic household cleaners, including shower cleaner, window spray, automatic dishwashing liquid, scent diffusers, bar soap, and toilet bowl cleaner. Prices range from $4.99 to $34.99.
DIY: Eco Liquid Soap
So, it turns out that many cleaning fluids, such as anti-bacterial liquid soap, contain something called methylisothiazolinone, a chemical found to be allergenic, cytotoxic and linked to nerve cell death, as well as Triclosan, another anti-bacterial chemical registered with the Environmental Protection Agency as a pesticide and is believed to destroy fragile aquatic ecosystems. The obvious alternative to using these chemical-filled detergents is simply to use all-natural bar soap. But, waaa, you don't like bar soap because it slips into the sink, looks messy and "dirty" sitting in its dish, and then it gets so tiny that you can't use it anymore.
Love It or Hate It? Baby Hand Soaps
Foliage Baby Hand Soaps ($20) are actual soaps, shaped like infant hands! So, you can "wash your hands with hands." Each is handmade, slightly different, and skin-toned.
Liquid Soap For Home Entertaining
Last week, I shared with you iVillage's list of items that are essential to throwing a good home-based party. One of them was soaps: According to iVillage, "fancy soaps, whether molded or French milled, will make your guests feel pampered." At my recent Feuerzangenbowle extravaganza party, my fancy bar soaps, I have to admit, were pretty icky by the end of the night.
KateD's Dandy Dish Soap Dispenser
KateD wanted to perk up her kitchen sink and save dollars buying soap in bulk, as I did with my olive-oil dish-soap bottle. Instead, she chose to use a lotion dispenser from Bed Bath & Beyond. She said:
It's so much easier than turning the soap bottle over, and the dispenser doesn't get covered in soap like a regular bottle would.
Other Search Results
Rethinking Pink: Pink Ribbon Soaps
Pink isn't necessarily always my decorating go-to color, but since it is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I'm all for it. I'm tickled pink even more so if the sale of the products benefits breast cancer research. So, when I spotted these beautiful Pink Ribbon Soaps from Gianna Rose Atelier, I knew I had to share.
Cool Idea: Vintage French Soap Hook
I just stumbled upon this Vintage French Soap Hook ($40) at Apartment Therapy's shop. It's a solid chrome bracket with a bar of soap screwed on, which spins as you use it. The price AT sells the hook for is kind of absurd, considering that it was originally designed for French public schools.
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