Almost everybody has at least one bar of soap at home, and that's what makes this list so powerful. Because not only is soap useful for keeping yourself clean, it's also a most versatile household wonder. Here, we've collected 21 very surprising uses that soap has - we have everything from tidying up broken glass and fixing squeaky doors to making sculptures and removing old wallpaper. This is one list you're not going to wash your hands of!
1. Protect your room while decorating
Prevent paint spills on hardware, windowsills, and other places by lathering them with soap suds beforehand.
2. Tidy up broken glass
After a glass has shattered, wet a bar of soap and run it along the floor to collect all the tiny shards.
3. Make a homemade bug repellant
Mix up some sudsy water into a spray bottle to make your own DIY insect repellant.
4. Stopping that squeaky door sound
Isolate the squeaky hinge and rub some soap over it.
5. De-soot a frying pan
Before you put the pan on the campfire, rub a lot of soap onto the underside of the pan.
6. Clean up tough stains
If you don't have any stain remover in the house, fear not. Just rub a wet bar of soap onto the stain.
7. Soothe itches
Soothe any itchiness caused by all manner of nasty creepy-crawlies by rubbing the area with a nice wet bar of soap.
8. Keep your luggage fresh
Simply add a bar of scented soap to your luggage to keep it smelling fresh.
9. Make soapy models
Instead of modeling clay, why not experiment with making soap sculptures.
10. Prevent gardeners' dirty fingernails
Before you get down and dirty in the garden, rub your nails with soap.
11. Clean fresh produce
Make a perfect home made produce wash with 1/4 cup of soap to 2 cups water, mixed up with a tablespoon of vinegar.
12. Keep nails from splitting wood
Before hammering home, rub your nail with a soap bar. This will prevent the wood from splitting.
13. Unjam stubborn windows and drawers
If you've any jammed draws or windows, grease them up with soap.
14. Keep glasses from fogging up
If you scrub your glasses with soapy water and wipe them clean, you'll prevent them from fogging.
15. Check for gas leaks
To check for a gas leak, generously rub the pipe with soap. This way, if you see any bubbles, you'll know for sure there is a problem.
16. Soften tough leather shoes
Rub the inside of the material with soap to soften up the leather.
17. Remove rings
If you have a particularly fixed ring, lather it in soap and then rinse with warm water.
18. Stop zippers from jamming
To keep the zip from jamming up, just run a bar of soap along the zipper.
19. Make a lubricated pin cushion
A soap bar is perfect for keeping your needles in one place, while also handily lubricating them for better usage.
20. Easily remove wallpaper
Simply add some flakes of soap to a bowl of hot water and apply to the old wallpaper, making it loose and ready to peel.
21. Loosen stiff locks
Give your key a good lathering up to help it unlock the door.
