We just use the disposables. It's easier in case something breaks.

Scott I use foaming dispensers. The cheap ones at Walmart. I refill them myself using dish soap. 1 part soap to 5 parts distilled water and about 1/4 teaspoon vitamin E oil.

What I dislike about the regular non foaming hand soap is it always seems jell like and wants to roll off my hand before I actually can lather up.

After fill up and lid is on I run the bottle under warm water because I always make a mess filling it.

I use foaming soap from Wegman's. I refill the bottles 3 or 4 times before they give up. Never thought to add vitamin E oil ... that sounds nice!

Scott, have you seen the ones made from a mason canning jar? I think they are easier to clean and fill, but may not go with your decor.

edited - Currently, I am using bubble bath diluted with distilled water and it works and smells wonderful.

Nickle I think the vitamin E oil helps to keep the pump in good working condition.

I use the mason jars with a black plastic pump top that I bought separately from Amazon. I have a bright blue dish soap in one and pink body wash in the other to use as hand soap. I buy the huge bottles and keep refilling. I clean them out with a bottle brush and hot water when needed.

mamap, I thought E oil was to moisturize your hands.

Tjkeen I think the E oil does both but I've wondered since oil floats the hand soap would probably need to be shook up every time its used which I doubt anyone is going to do. LOL. The E oil isn't my own idea I actually read about it on a blog a long time ago. I remember it was basically used to keep the pump in good working condition as they seem to go bad after so many refills. My bottles are pretty old I can't remember the last time I had to buy one so I suspect the oil works for that. Maybe I'm wrong about needing to shake the doap dispenser maybe E oil stays incorporated. I just don't know.

We use the disposables in the bathroom, but I'm re-thinking this as I am trying to reduce my use of plastics and my contribution of plastics into the environment/landfill. It's either going to be a re-fillable or back to bar soap.

MP, interesting. I think if it has to be shaken each time, I would eliminate the oil as the nice thing about pumps is using it with dirty hands without touching anything. You'll have to do an experiment, in your spare time, and report your findings. lol

Home concoctions and word of mouth approaches as described are usually well intentioned but ineffective. I suspect this one is like that.

Like putting a fox into the hen-house to keep the chickens company, mixing detergent and oil doesn't allow either to remain as is. Think about it - what do detergents do? Yes, they are attracted to oil and grease and they break them down chemically. Put oil into a diluted detergent solution and the detergent will break down the oil. What's left after shaking would be the broken apart pieces of the oil (not the oil intact) and the remaining detergent, if any. Or if not shaken, the oil on top of the water solution with the detergent nibbling away at the bottom part of the oil. Try mixing the detergent with the oil in a glass or bowl to see what happens.

Better to buy hand soap at the store.

I'm with you, Dawn, on the idea that we use way too much plastic. But having said that, though I use bar soaps in the bathroom and the showers, I still use the liquid (TJ or Method,) in the kitchen. I believe liquid soaps have been found to have an ingredient that is not very healthy.

What ingredient is that in hand soaps that is not so healthy? Would that apply to body wash, shampoo or dish detergent ?

I purchased one for my bathroom, and just refill a disposable one in the kitchen. I just regular Dawn dish detergent in them, no dilution. Cuts grease and all manner of other gunk, and I'm buying it anyway for the dishes.

I just use whatever is on sale. My upstairs bath has a built in dispenser, but I seldom use it, as I don't like filling it. Of course can't use the foaming soap in it. Sometimes my daughters pick them out for me and bring them. I seem to always have a good supply on hand.

Sue

My wife likes pretty things to hold soap. When I want to scrub my hands I reach under the vanity and bring out the GOOP regular with pumice. Result: clean, soft hands.

I remember on the kitchen forum, everyone said their built in soap dispenser dripped. I purchased a commercial grade one by Boberick....no drips. So that's what's in the kitchen. I have everything from sugar soap, the crystals of sugar scrub your hands, sort of a grainy feeling.....to cute ceramic dispensers. The liquid soap bottle in the master bath says, Spa: White tea & lemon

I have a pottery soap dispenser in one of the bathrooms. I refill as needed.

The 2nd bath and kitchen have liquid soap dispensers from Thymes and handmade bar soap.

Lots of dispensers on Etsy.

https://www.etsy.com/search?q=soap%20dispensers

Not sure, Elizabeth, but I think it is antibacterial soap that has an ingredient that is considered bad.....not that a lot of ingredients used today are necessarily good.

My pottery one in a bathroom is empty. It's just for pretty.

I use decorative pump bottles that I refill from a bulk-sized container.

Antibacterial soap is best avoided. It's thought to contribute to the development of antibiotic resistant bacteria. The FDA announced a ban for that reason. I don't know if that's still in effect with the new "enlightened" management now installed in Washington DC.

Here's more info

Triclosan, though I don't know whether it's found in non-antibacteria soaps.

from the fda

Tjkeen. I will have to set up a lab first. Lol

Lots of hand soaps on the market with all types of oils.

Anyone remember hexacholophene, another disinfectant that was available for soap some years ago (like Phisohex)? It was removed from over the counter products long ago after being found to be seriously toxic.

I have a refillable automatic soap dispenser mounted on the wall and refill it from large refill bottles. Besides refilling it, you do have the change the batteries every so often.

Mama, yes I know, but when it comes to liquids they may have an ingredient added to keep the oils incorporated.

tjkeen, you're right. A mix of oil and water is an "emulsion" and something that helps keep it together and not break is called an emulsifier.

An example in home cooking, when making a vinaigrette, if you add a very small dab (less than 1/2 teaspoon) of mayonnaise to the mixture before beating it together, the mayo acts as an emulsifier and will keep the dressing from breaking apart to vinegar with oil floating on top. Not forever, but for a good 30 minutes. Adds a bit of creaminess too.

I like bath and body works hand soap. So,.the pump it comes with. Trust me,if I could buy some of them by the gallon and get a pretty dispenser I would......

I remember the removal of hexacholophene. The science found it to be unsafe.
However Triclosan was never actually found to be unsafe. It was banned purely on the conjecture that it may not be effective. However this non effective anti bacterial will still be available to hospitals and in prescriptions that have it as an ingredient.. Go figure.

I am saddened by this because I've found the regular Dial Gold bar is absolutely the best for my skin. No more mystery eczema since I started using it. I have a stash left but when it runs out I will be having to use the reformulated version which I hope will continue to help me.

They did not ban all anti bacterial soap. Just the ones containing Triclosan. Companies simply reformulated their anti bacterial soaps. Hope they are as safe as Triclosan.

An explanation of the ruling. Plus even alcohol is under attack.
https://www.aafp.org/news/health-of-the-public/20171222triclosanban.html

had this glass dispenser for a number of years now. I just put the cheap soft soap liquid hand soap in it again, and again.

The Waterfall Dish is a brilliant idea!

TJMaxx sells a lot of hand soaps in super cute dispensers. And huge bar soaps imported from all over the world. I expecially like the Scottish Milk soap from can you guess where. LOL. Cheap. I don't know how they manage to sell these 12 ounce imported bars for 4$.

Currently in the kitchen I have one of those mason jar dispensers with dawn in it for the dishes and me. My DH prefers to use Dial antibacterial. I have a bottle at the sink for him and in each bathroom. We also prefer to refill the same disposable bottles.

I agree, that waterfall dish is a great idea!

I reuse my empty Bath and Body Works foaming bottles to make my own foaming soap with Dr. Bronner's liquid. In the bathroom, my husband loves BBW Twisted Peppermint. I have to use Dr. Bronner's due to allergies...boooooooring...

If you want to make you own foaming soap liquid, all you need to do is add distilled water to any regular liquid soap until it's thin enough to foam. I put about an inch and a half of soap into the bottle then fill it with distilled water. You can use shower gel or Dawn or whatever.

I have NEVER heard of waterfall soap dishes before! BRILLIANT! :)

I never use the built-in dispenser on my farmhouse sink in kitchen. I have a mason jar filled with whatever is on sale.

I have two of those waterfall soap dishes, got them from Miles Kimble at least 15 years ago. Have given some as 'gifts' to family and friends.

I've got 4 on order! The wife says I did good.

About 5 years ago, I bouight three Soft Soap dispensers, I keep them in two bathrooms and by kitchen sink. I buy big refill bottles of whatever cheap antibacterial soap i can find. Just what works for me. need to keep clean because I garden a lot, have two grandchildren around, and i take immonopupprrssants since my kidney transplant 5 years ago.

To those of you who make your own soap...why distilled water?

Distilled water because in a week or so bacteria will grow in the tap water.

mampinky -- I'd never heard that about bacteria growing in the tap water. That is so scarey. I let my tap water stand for several days in glass bottles before drinking because I hate the chlorine taste. I rarely have even a cold these days ...

There's nothing scary about tap water from a commercial or municipal source. Purity and safety monitoring are required to be ongoing. It's very rare for anyone to get sick from water freshly taken from such sources. The Grand Rapids situation is a major exception/aberration.

Water from a private well, different story. Very many of these sources can be chemically or bacteriologically unhealthy, especially those near agricultural areas where commonly tapped aquifers frequently get contaminated with crop chemicals and runoff from animal waste.

Distilled water is cheap but boiling tap water for several minutes will produce the same, nearly sterile result perfectly suitable for use for mixing in hand soap. Whether or not water is added, soap containers can often get moldy anyway and benefit from periodic cleaning.

Oh yes! I DO remember Phisohex! When I had my first baby, 48 years ago, we were sent home from the hospital with a sample bottle and told to use it for bathing our newborn. Same 2 years alter with my 2nd. It does not appear to have harmed them, thank goodness!

I think soap dispensers are messy and germ magnets. Give me a good bar of hard milled soap any day. It lasts and lasts and lasts. Yes, one must clean the soap dish, but it's easy to do when one cleans the sink. And far less messy.

Scott, I like that dispenser- it doesn't look like one from the dollar store! Nice :)

I use one that came with the old dial antibacterial soap in it, but took the labels off and now has palmolive in it. I'm horribly sensitive to so many things these days, and the palmolive still works for me and doesn't dry hands out too badly :(

At the kitchen sink we have one that is built in and love it! (that one has good old dawn) Never trying to figure out where DH wandered off to with the bottle of dish soap...

I love foaming hand soap. I think I am obsessed with scents, although I usually make my own.

I use disposable liquid soap. I tried buying one of those pretty dispensers but it broke after a short time. Never bought another one. It wasn't cheap either.