The hubster has this “thing” for those sea sponges that you can buy in the bath and body section of the grocery store. I don’t think they’re actually sea sponges…more like a faux sea sponge. I have actually witnessed him go to three separate stores in one day in search of his precious sponge. It’s like he doesn’t know how to take a shower without it! ;-) Well, that’s all well and good….except when they start to FALL APART within DAYS of buying them! Argh! It drives me crazy….and I don’t even use it! lol. And they aren’t cheap to replace…especially when you’re buying one a month….or so it seems.
Sorry for the rant….I guess I needed to get that out. lol. But it might explain why I was so TAKEN with this idea of making your own soap pouches! I am HOPING that the hubster will find it a suitable replacement for the annoying sponge. If not, I’m sure myself and the boys will like it! I saw my 16 year old eyeing it tonight while I was sewing it up. He actually commented on what a good idea it was! lol. Teenagers. So unpredictable. :-)
I just love this idea from Nikki at Whimsy Girl. I had a little trouble with the first pouch I made, not realizing that my Dove bars were apparently quite a bit larger than the Dial bars she uses in her tutorial. There was no way those were going to squeeze in that little pouch. So for pouch attempt #2, I just increased the dimensions a bit and VOILA! A Perfect Fit!
Nikki cut up some towels for hers, but I “cheated” a little and just bought some inexpensive washcloths. They were already the perfect length….just had to cut them for width.
I ended up using the dimensions: 12 inches (the size of the washcloth) x 5 inches for the Dove Bars.
Fold up one side 4 inches.
Then fold the other side on top of the first…a total of 3 inches.
The 12 inches x 5 inches size worked perfectly for my Dove Bars.
And what ever became of my first attempt that proved too small?????
If I had more time tonight….I would have made a bunch more! They are fun and easy to make….and I think they would be a fun gift to include in a gift basket or put two together with a pretty ribbon and you have a gift in itself!
Can’t wait to give these a try! :-)
This is such a cute idea and it might be nice to have a ribbon or cord loop on the corner so you could hang it from the faucet or a hook.
oooooh! Now I know what I’ll be giving my hosts this summer when i go on vacay. Thanx!
Brilliant! I use those floofy balls made out of netting but they loosen up and fall apart, too. These look like the perfect solution and I am going to make some soon. I just need some new washcloths, mine are pitiful.
If hubby could find “real” sea sponges, they would last for years. I used to live in FL and we got what was called wool sea sponges (nothing to do with actual wool) in Tarpon Springs where they still dive for sea sponges. They cost about $8 each and last for years and years. When they finally do start to break apart, they make great cleaning sponges.
I saw some of those online. But the ones I saw were a LOT more than $8.00! I wonder why? hmmm
Hi Jillee,
I Stumbled upon this discussion and would love to explain. I am a sea sponge & loofah merchant and lives in Tarpon Springs where we work directly with the sponge divers. The typical bath sized wool sea sponge runs between $10-$14 and the reason they are somewhat expensive is because you have to factor in he cost of having a sponge boat, a diver and usually two additional deck hands harvest them by hand from bottom of the Gulf of Mexico. As you can imagine, since they are not made from plastic in a factory, the cost is somewhat higher.
The good news is that they last at least 6 months and the premium Rock Island wool sponges should last over a year.
PM me, be happy so send you some samples for you and your husband to try out.
thanks,
Marc W. – Sea Sponge & Loofah Merchant
http://www.NaturalBathandBodyShop.com
marc@naturalbathandbodyshop.com
A friend of mine gave me something like this a while ago. I only use body wash so I hadn’t used it but thought it was a great idea. I ended up using it to clean the tub and it worked really well. Scrubbed it well and it was nice and clean. I have no idea what soap was inside it but it worked!
Cool! I love a two-fer! :-)
Just slip your hand in where the soap should go and squirt the body wash onto the cloth on your palm side.
Just curious: It seems like with all the bulk of the folded over towel that this might take a while to dry out in between uses. Is there any concern of mold forming? Do you just take the soap out and wash and dry them at some point? Just wondering on the use and care. Thanks!
Melody…where *I* live stuff dries VERY QUICKLY! So I don’t foresee that being a problem. I’m not sure about humid climates….but I would think if you are using it on a regular basis you wouldn’t have to worry about mold forming.
Great idea. These would be nice to carry a bar of soap in for traveling. I’m not fond of hotel soaps. Good gift idea. Thanks.
What a great idea! And thank you to Jody for mentioning your dislike of hotel soaps, I think I NEED to make a few of these to take on our family vacation later this month-my family is kind of “soap snobby”.
Soap snobby! I love it. :-)
LOVE this!! And when the soap is gone, it can be WASHED!! My issue with the sponges/scrubbies is, well, they get yucky. Will be making these soon. Thanks.
My younger sister makes felt cases for her homemade soap, same effect. And they are pretty! This idea is also great, and I might try it instead… I am not much of a crafter, but this looks like something I might be able to complete without injuries. ^^
Great idea! Wish I would have thought of it ;)! Thinking about making some of these to give to family and friends for gifts, they look so easy to make.
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http://www.naturalbathandbodyshop.com/Natural-bath-sponges/
http://www.nextag.com/natural-sea-sponge/compare-html
http://natsponges.com/index.htm
Jillie….here are three sites I found that you can purchase Hubby’s sponges for pretty fair prices…most less than 8 and even some less than 5…..Figured if he absolutely refuses then you have some other options!!!
I can’t wit to make with my homemade soap! Thank you for all your great posts! You are a blessing!
This would work great to use up all the little pieces of soap.
Love this idea. My mother-in-law were discussing something similar to this that she purchased years ago to use up the piece of soap that ends up getting tossed. This would really allow you to use up the entire bar! Great money saver. Gotta love that!
I made one tonight and my daughter is using it as I type!
Going to buy new washcloths tomorrow so I can make more!
Thanks for sharing!
You’re welcome Marie! My 16 year old LOVES these! Who knew??? Of course the hubster still uses that dumb sponge. lol.
I swear between you and pinterest im learning how to be a homemaker, cook mom, and wife.
Love this idea, thanks again Jillee!
I just made something similar with an too small basketball tanktop…my kids have the johnson and johnson brand soap you can by premade but they are pricey and bother my daughters sensitive skin…I just took the tank top drew a circle – cut, sew and stuff with soap…I think the athletic material might address an earlier posters concerns about drying time, too…
These would be fantastic to send in a care package to my husband. Whenever he goes on a deployment with a loofah it falls apart and body wash is hard to ship. A few of these with some bars of soap would be perfect!!!
Love this, I’ll make 2 with each of my very inexpensive walmart washcloths and my money will go even further.
Made 10 already for Operation Christmas Child boxes; tried a couple more from fleece scraps and am getting started on the next pile. I’ll also pull out the new washcloths I haven’t used yet and recyle them into Christmas gifts for teachers and family. Yay! I love this idea. Adding the hanging tab (2″ piece of ribbon with cut edges sewn into one side seam at foldover) was easy and they can be adjusted to any size so I’m planning to sew all my fleece scraps into them for crayon or colored pencil…. pouches. Thank you Thank you Thank you for making it so easy for me to bless others. Easy is my speed.
Rhonda, please see my question below :)
Thank you so much for posting this tutorial. I have received free bars of soap and had a few brand new washcloths and was looking for a way to package them nicely for the shoeboxes for school.
Now I know, and the kids can help with the cutting and sewing so it’s not just a store bought item we add.
Even just a small amount of handwork helps the kids feel included in the process.
Rhonda, how are you packaging it for the box? Are you leaving the soap in the package or unwrapping it and putting it in the washcloth and then bagging the whole thing?
TIA, Crystal
Jillee, this is great!! Thanks for sharing!
I did it!! Thanks Jillee!! I made three of these today. I used microfiber cloths (because they’re so SOFT) and used a piece of a shoelace to create a hanging loop. You make me feel successful. :D
Hi! These are so cute, I am making some to accompany my homemade soaps that I am crafting for our local craft fair in April. Can I ask what the dimensions you used for the first smaller pouch? I was going to make both and make them sets :) Thank you! These are ADORABLE!
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Jillee…I love the idea! So much that I gave it a little twist :) have a look: http://virtage-gets-crafty.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/diy-soap-pouch.html