We had one in our last home, and I really miss it. I'm planning on having 2 in the home we're about to build. Ours was just a cheap one from Home Depot. I filled it from the top using a funnel. There is a gadget called Never MT which allows you to use the soap directly from large bottles stored under the sink. I seem to remember (this was a couple of years ago - my memory may be faulty) that certain soap dispensers didn't work so well with this gadget, but would probably be worthwhile looking into it.

I made my own version of the Never-MT with just some vinyl tubing. It works great! I never had a soap dispenser before -- I really like not having the bottle on the counter anymore.

Some brands work well, some don't. I wanted one that filled from the top, had at least a 12 oz. bottle, pumped smoothly, and had a long enough spout so it didn't dribble down the side of the sink. I bought Kohler and it works great.

BTW, you don't need two dispensers. Wash your hands with the dish soap. There's brands mild enough for hands that clean your dishes too. I thought it'd dry my hands out, but it doesn't, and I wash constantly when I cook.

There's brands mild enough for hands

Remember this one?

"My husband wants 2 - one for dish soap and one for hand soap."

We are going to do the same thing, and hubby wants 2, just like yours. I have not found any complaints online about the Kohler brand, so that is the brand we'll most likely get.

One of my sisters has a soap dispenser and the only advice she gave me is to make sure it can be refilled from above, instead of crawling under the sink cabinet.

I've had different ones over the years. Just last week my kohlers one broke, the plastic inside part snapped. This had lasted me about three years. As long as the cheaper brand at HD. I bought a new Danco I think at HD Saturday, 29.00 it has the option of a bottle and a pump from the jug. I've had this one before.

They all last a couple years. I wouldnt put two in both for soap. Just use dish soap for your hands. WIWD

I also have these at each bathroom sink using one of the holes for soap disp. and a cover in middle and an offset
single hole faucet for the faucet. Very handy looks ok much better than the pump bottle soap and regular faucet in my first floor bath.

We love these soap dispensers and have them in the bathrooms and kitchen. The HD cheap one in the kitchen has held up the best and it gets the most use. I recommend setting up a Never MT if you can.

These were the answers I got last year when I asked about dish soap dispensers. I ended up just putting the bottle of soap under the counter.

Friends of mine have, I think, three - they put hand lotion in one.

Here is a link that might be useful: soap dispensers redux

I don't have one in my remodel for asthetic reasons but I do love them.

If you have one I have an awesome tip from my last kitchen. Take the dispenser out and go to HD or Lowes and get 3' of clear rubber hose that will fit over the tube that goes into the bottle. What you do is remove the bottle from under the sink and attach that tube to the hose and drop the hose into the hole on the counter. You then deposit the tube into a Costco size jug of your favorite soap and put it in the back of the cabinet under the sink. It will draw soap directly from the jug and you will have a few years worth of soap without having to fill into a little hole....

Let one dispenser do double duty--put regular dishwashing detergent in the dispenser--1/2 to 1 pump for handwashing & 3-4 pumps for filling the sink with sudsy water. As long as you don't use a detergent like Dawn Power Clean (the one that does the work of an overnight soak in 5 minutes), you should be just fine. You'll save on the cost of the extra dispenser + the cost of additional soap. Plus if you go with 1 now, you can always add a second one later if you decide you really need it--the granite guys often drill the faucet & dispenser holes onsite anyway.

Hope this helps!

soap dispenser

Pro: less clutter and prettier kitchen
Con: have to clean around the dispenser and scrub the hard water stains, extra cost to get a good dispenser, doesn't work well with really thick detergent.

Personally, I see more Con than Pro. A working kitchen is never not cluttered. I can always put the soap in the sink cabinet after use if I really want that uncluttered open house look.

I've said it many times. I adore my soap dispensers. (Well, only one is currently hooked up as I'm waiting for my no-show electrician to show up and finish his 30 mins of work so I can have my final inspection so then my plumber can trade out my air gap at the main sink for my soap dispenser.) I currently use the dispenser at my prep sink with hand soap. I use one of those dish soap/sponge wands for the few things I hand wash. If I didn't use the wand, I would search out a dish liquid that was gentle enough for my hands that dry out quickly in the winter so one liquid could meet both needs.

I, too, have a neverMT. (Again, I have two but still waiting for my sparky to yada yada.) As much as I used to fill my dispenser, the neverMT is a nice timesaver.

We put a dispenser in my old kitchen and used it for more than 10 years without issue. It was from HD, and I think it was a Delta. The ones I have now are Elkay. Very sturdy and well-built. Nine months of heavy use and still going strong.

As to Lily's 'cons', I don't have any problem wiping quickly around my soap dispenser. I had much more trouble in our temporary reno house with the d@mn freestanding hand soap bottle. When cleaning, you have to lift the thing up, wipe the counter, and wipe down the sides and bottom of the bottle. Over and over. Plus, using the bottle gets more water and soap on the counter than a built-in. Inevitably, the bottle slipped around the counter. I wash my hands a few dozen times every day in the kitchen as a SAHM who cooks every meal from scratch. The place and method from which my hand soap comes is a silly yet big deal to me.

I still don't understand the argument that says a working kitchen has to look cluttered. Veggies, dehydrator trays, canning jars, and bread pans on the counter doesn't mean you have to leave other clutter out also.

I agree with Breezy - We only have one but so much easier to clean around then the silly soap bottle - my DH makes a royal mess with the soap bottles and much less with the built in system.
We only have one but it complements the faucet and loving it! Waterstone Parche series soap - It fills from the top - I don't try to overfill but just put some in every couple of weeks based on the "dip" stick (aka the hose)
I have not hooked up the NeverMT. Hoping to snag one or DIY as the shipping is quite high for one!

I remember Madge and that Palmolive ad. I always wondered why this woman was resting her hand in a bowl of ANYTHING, and didn't she see right away that it was bright green? I was too young to notice the nail polish bottles and put that together with a manicure. Of the few manicures I've ever had, nobody soaks my hand in anything.

I know that is totally OT

We have a soap dispenser and I love it! It works fine but the only hitch is that when reloading it you MUST fill it all the way from the top. If you only fill it half-way it won't pump soap. I don't really understand this - but once we figured that out it has been working great for 10 years now.

Do not miss the soap bottle on the counter at all. When we redo our kitchen a soap dispenser is on the list of must haves.

P.ball2--you need a NeverMT!

I had one before and got one with the Delta faucet I am installing with my kitchen upgrades. I like not having the bottle out too.