The Rub with Rub-a-Dub-Dub
The matter of guest bathroom soaps has crossed my mind...when I'm not considering things that really matter in the world like relationships, work, money, and taxes.
Giant bars of soap are not ideal because they are intended for multiple uses, and as a houseguest I confess to balking a little at using someone else's bar soap. Especially if I suspect they (or their last house guest) are the type to navigate the bar into all the nooks and crannies to thoroughly scrub up. An admirably detailed approach to hygiene...but you just don't know where that bar's been!
Three solutions are available:
1. Steal soaps from hotels for re-purposing at home. (As an aside, hotel soap humor.) A way to avoid this looking cheap would be to find classic retro soaps like these.
But that might leave my guest standing naked, wet, and hesitant in the shower wondering how well soap ages and if it's still safe for use.
2. Mini soaps. How adorable are these goat's milk soaps? (Yes, yes, they are from etsy. Just consider me your personal etsy shopper.) The hazard here is that a groggy houseguest could possibly mistake that you have kindly placed breakfast out for them and eat the soap.
You also run into the problem of very polite guests who feel that the soap is "too nice" to use. (I might be that guest...but I wouldn't tell you.)
3. Bottled soap and shower gel: works great for the countertop, but in the shower it will require a washcloth, loofah, or shower puff.
That's a whole other post since I was once the guest offered a new, unused shower puff who instead poured the shower gel in my hands because I knew the shower puff would be just thrown away after just one use, and that seemed a waste.
(In case you are wondering, our current approach is mostly stolen hotel shower gels, but I've probably forgotten to offer guests a washcloth...so this is likely not really working so great. But they too have been too polite to point out the shortcoming.)
Giant bars of soap are not ideal because they are intended for multiple uses, and as a houseguest I confess to balking a little at using someone else's bar soap. Especially if I suspect they (or their last house guest) are the type to navigate the bar into all the nooks and crannies to thoroughly scrub up. An admirably detailed approach to hygiene...but you just don't know where that bar's been!
Three solutions are available:
1. Steal soaps from hotels for re-purposing at home. (As an aside, hotel soap humor.) A way to avoid this looking cheap would be to find classic retro soaps like these.
But that might leave my guest standing naked, wet, and hesitant in the shower wondering how well soap ages and if it's still safe for use.2. Mini soaps. How adorable are these goat's milk soaps? (Yes, yes, they are from etsy. Just consider me your personal etsy shopper.) The hazard here is that a groggy houseguest could possibly mistake that you have kindly placed breakfast out for them and eat the soap.
You also run into the problem of very polite guests who feel that the soap is "too nice" to use. (I might be that guest...but I wouldn't tell you.)3. Bottled soap and shower gel: works great for the countertop, but in the shower it will require a washcloth, loofah, or shower puff.
That's a whole other post since I was once the guest offered a new, unused shower puff who instead poured the shower gel in my hands because I knew the shower puff would be just thrown away after just one use, and that seemed a waste.(In case you are wondering, our current approach is mostly stolen hotel shower gels, but I've probably forgotten to offer guests a washcloth...so this is likely not really working so great. But they too have been too polite to point out the shortcoming.)
Comments
1) I can say with certainty that when we stayed with you, we were provided with washcloths...never fear!
2) I read somewhere that it's only in the US where people insist on shower poufs for bodywash--everywhere else they use their hands. So I guess there's that. And if it's any consolation, I keep some Philosophy 3-in-1 (shampoo, conditioner, bodywash)in our guest bath...I'm lazy. :)