Swiss Nathalie Staempfli designed two ingenious soap dispensers that turn a soap bar into beautiful little soap flakes. One version attaches to the wall and allows you to use it with one hand. The other version is a grater that can stand by itself. It can be placed in the same way as a shower gel or shampoo.
Soap bars are more concentrated than liquid soap which has an ecological benefit: You don’t transport water around the globe and they only use paper for packaging. The solid blocks can easily be piled and allow a greater space efficiency during transportation.
This invention already made my week: Soap Flakes.
(Thank you Jason)
wow, how neat. love it.
Jan 10th, 2011 / 11:16 am
And liquid soap, I am learning, is much better at gunking up pipes. This is important when your pipes are ninety years old. I can’t imagine that means it’s any good for water treatment facilities either.
(Liquid soap is not just dissolved regular soap. One is made with potassium hydroxide while the other is made with sodium hydroxide, though I suspect the problem has more to do with the fact that liquid soap is much, much easier to overuse than the actual chemical difference.)
Jan 10th, 2011 / 11:48 am
This is genius and I will get one: with 5 kids we use the soap! Must be sure to have dry hands with the standalone version, though. Or just add a strip of grippy stuff–whatever that might be.
Jan 10th, 2011 / 11:59 am
Great idea! I could do with one in my bathroom.
Jan 10th, 2011 / 11:59 am
cool!
brutal version: red bar overmoulded with a pink layer which includes a little scared face on the top. Ha!
Jan 10th, 2011 / 12:20 pm
This is much better than bringing the cheese grater into the shower.
Jan 10th, 2011 / 1:17 pm
Pretty cool. I remember something similar in old Eastern German DR wagon. As far as I know there was no liquid soap behind the iron curtain ;)
Jan 10th, 2011 / 2:04 pm
Is anyone selling this yet?
Jan 10th, 2011 / 2:06 pm
Sounds like a great idea for a Kickstarter project.
Jan 10th, 2011 / 2:27 pm
this is SO smart and cute!!
bars of soap are more hygenic too!
Jan 10th, 2011 / 3:02 pm
That first dispenser is boss! Me wanty.
Jan 10th, 2011 / 9:49 pm
Smart
Jan 11th, 2011 / 12:59 am
I just use old Boraxo powdered soap. Same idea, and cheap plus non-antibacterial. Put it in a cool container and there you go.
Jan 11th, 2011 / 1:22 am
It looks like I can use the 2nd one as a fancy cheese grater to impress my dinner guests!
Jan 11th, 2011 / 7:40 am
Now this is really a nice innovation. The idea is so simple – I wonder that no one else had it before!
Jan 11th, 2011 / 7:46 am
Love love love this idea. I am a bar soap user all the time. This will just make it so much easier!
Jan 11th, 2011 / 9:52 am
There were soap dispensers like the first one in my elementary school in the 1970s!! I loved them then, and love the idea now.
Jan 11th, 2011 / 10:12 am
It’s cure an all…but how about just taking the bar and washing your hands? :D
“This will just make it so much easier!” Seriously?…..The end is near.
Jan 11th, 2011 / 2:29 pm
@ Kate
The point of this is clear: You retain the hygienic nature of automatic liquid soap dispensers in public bathrooms all while reducing a massive amount of waste.
Liquid Soap: Plastic bag to hold liquid soap, hard shipping case, hard plastic spout, mechanically complex pumping system to release soap (prone to breakage), diluted soap solution, complex and dangerous chemicals to keep liquid, etc.
Solid soap: biodegradable thin paper packaging, easy shipping, can not be punctured and rendered useless, can not leak. simple and durable grinding mechanism. limited waste. dented or cracked bar soap can still be used. concentrated, therefore less needs to be used. dry shipping. less ingredients used in production.
a system like this has very few cons as opposed to the clearly inferior liquid soap
Jan 11th, 2011 / 3:03 pm
Instead of those tiny bars that get landfilled; hotels take note!
Jan 11th, 2011 / 5:53 pm
http://momsgarage.wordpress.com/2007/08/13/back-to-the-garage-back-to-the-grind/
Jan 12th, 2011 / 10:31 am
A very smart solution to a plethora of problems. Pity it’s only a concept at the moment!
Jan 12th, 2011 / 7:20 pm
where can I buy it?!
Jan 12th, 2011 / 8:55 pm
@Josh
Ok, but people are excited to buy it for themselves (reading the comments). We are not talking about public bathrooms.
So, you are actually buying something that makes the use of a bar of soap more _complex_ :-) Unless you look at it like a toy. And then it’s kinda cool…but only for that long.
Jan 14th, 2011 / 2:55 pm
Actually, I love this idea. So something that keeps the soap hair-free (eww) along with the shower caddy clean and all the other pros to it mentioned…I’m all for it. Where do I sign up?
Jan 15th, 2011 / 1:20 am
@Kate
Of course this complicates things. However, it’s a good complications supported by the listed benefits.
You already understand those for public bathrooms, but their are pros for private use as well.
If you are in a living space with multiple people, you would no longer need to all grasp the same scummy used-soap bar.
Wet soap bars dry and then cling to the surface upon which they’re rested. This avoids that problem.
Rubbing the soap bar directly implants the grunge and grime from the surface you wish to clean onto the bar. This includes dead hair, bits of dirt, etc. This also avoids that problem.
I’m sure you can be creative and see other benefits.
Jan 19th, 2011 / 6:59 pm
Such a great idea! Will definitely be sharing on my blog. Maybe now I can finally buy some pretty soap and actually use it!
Jan 19th, 2011 / 9:06 pm
I think the idea is not new at all.. we had those in German trains for decades and still have them!
This is the company who produces the soap graters: http://www.sapor.de/
The product is called “Trockenseifenspender – Der Trockene”.
The design from Nathalie Staempfli is nice, but I’m not impressed by the idea.
Sorry for my kind of poor english ;)
Jan 20th, 2011 / 7:39 am
@Julia
You’re right! You can buy a dry soap dispenser here:
http://translate.google.com/translate?u=http://www.sapor.de/produkte/trocken_s.html&sl=de&tl=en&hl=&ie=UTF-8
Jan 20th, 2011 / 10:19 am
Very Smart, especially for commercial applications.
Jan 30th, 2011 / 1:37 pm
How can I get one of these? Are they for sale yet?
May 1st, 2011 / 10:49 pm
This really isn’t anything new. I recall my grandmother having a simular product in the 60’s! New design, old idea. I just want to know where to get one.
Jul 6th, 2011 / 1:41 pm
hi
how match is it ?
how can i buy it am in saudi arbia
Jul 9th, 2011 / 7:47 am
Love It!
How can I purchase the soap flakes dispenser?
Dec 10th, 2011 / 9:23 pm
I would really like to find out how to purchase one of these, is there a link I can go to to buy one?
Dec 18th, 2011 / 2:59 am
I would love to purchase several of these as gifts, are they currently being manufactured?
Dec 18th, 2011 / 5:00 pm
You cannot purchase this. The article is discussing two products which were designed as a graduate student project.
Dec 19th, 2011 / 11:24 am
Hello!
very ecological idea
how can i get this product in Portugal?
Thanks
Jul 9th, 2012 / 3:40 pm
Considering last comment – there’s nothing ecological – it will be ecological if the recycled materials will be used – esp. the last one where the glass jar can be used from some food product – not specially made.
But it is economical way to save the natural soap which is not cheap.
May 30th, 2013 / 10:09 pm
I have to thank you for the efforts you’ve put in penning this website. I really hope to check out the same high-grade blog posts from you in the future as well. In truth, your creative writing abilities has motivated me to get my own, personal site now ;)
Jul 19th, 2013 / 7:03 pm
Hi, i’m from Malaysia. I saw the soap grater and love the way it works! How can i get it ? Kindly drop me a personal email. Thank you!
Dec 5th, 2014 / 8:35 pm
I love this idea. And it is a nice looking product. I would love to know if/how I could purchase one or two.Thank you.
Apr 18th, 2015 / 7:48 am
Me ha gustado tu post. Hace al menos 5 años que padezco lo mismo.
Me he sentido identificada.
May 23rd, 2015 / 2:26 pm
Kann man es auch in Frankreich kaufen`?
Sep 2nd, 2015 / 5:42 am