Should I Be Using Bar Soap or Liquid Soap?

Washing your hands is something you should do every time you use the bathroom.

When you reach for the soap to wash your hands — do you typically use bar soap or liquid soap?

In this blog, we’re going to explain the differences of each so you can make the decision of which one you really want to use.

Killing Bacteria

The reason you wash your hands after using the bathroom is to remove any bacteria from your hands. This way you can prevent the spread of bacteria and germs that can spread illnesses and disease.

Liquid soap is known for being anti-bacterial, however, bar soap has gotten some bad press with many people saying bacteria can be transferred using a “contaminated” bar of soap. Luckily, this theory was put to the test and it was determined that this was not true.

So you can rest easy using either bar or liquid soap, just as long as it is an anti-bacterial variety.

Keeping Skin Moisturized

The reason some soap can dry out your skin more than others depends on the pH levels of the soap. The higher the pH level, the drier your skin can become. Many brands of liquid soap have lower pH levels and are good for moisturizing and exfoliation. On the other hand, many brands of bar soaps, have a higher pH level.

With that being said, not all brands of liquid soap are going to leave your skin moisturized and not all bar soaps are going to dry out your skin. If you have drier skin, you may want to lean toward liquid soap. But if you typically have oily skin, bar soap might be best.

Fragrance vs No Fragrance

There are some people that prefer fragrance-free soaps as opposed to others with an easily identifiable scent. This can be due to personal preference OR due to the fragrances aggravating a person’s allergies.

Fragrance-free liquid soap isn’t commonly seen, as most brands focus on creating an extensive line of scents. If you’re looking for a fragrance-free soap, you’ll be able to find bar soap like this more easily.

Wasting Soap

Using liquid soap will require it to be dispensed from a container. A full pump from the soap container will usually dispense a larger amount of soap than is actually needed to lather your hands, which can be wasteful. That means you need to only pump the soap container halfway down to dispense the appropriate amount.

When it comes to bar soap, some of it can be wasted as the bar dwindles to nothing. The last of the bar soap can wind up breaking into pieces as you try to use the last of it or you may end up just throwing it down the drain or in the trash (because it’s annoying to use the last little bit, isn’t it?).

The Overall Cost

On average, liquid soap is more expensive than bar soap. The sticker price is usually more per unit, and you can usually get a great deal when you buy bars of soap in bulk compared to buying liquid soap in bulk. With this pricing in mind, you also have to think back to how much soap you end up wasting. If you end up going through liquid soap pretty fast, you could end up spending more than you’d like.

In addition to the actual cost of the soap, you also have to keep in mind the environmental cost. Liquid soap usually takes almost 25 percent more energy to create than bar soap does. And when you take into account the plastic bottle you have to recycle (and many people throw this away), liquid soap can bethe opposite of environmentally-friendly.

When choosing bar soap or liquid soap, find out what’s most important to you based on these factors.

For more information related to your home’s bathroom or plumbing, don’t be afraid to contact your favorite plumbers at Lancaster PHCE!