Best Way to Clean a Bar of Soap that Fell in the Toilet Bowl
If you have come to a certain point in your life (or just a dilemma) that you need to know how to clean a bar of soap that fell in toilet bowl just to save that bar of soap, then you are currently in the right place (page). We’re here to help you and not judge you why you are saving that bar of soap, or how you dropped it in the toilet.
Let’s start off with what you need:
- Rubber gloves (the ones you use for laundry or home cleaning)
- Liquid soap/detergent
- Water
Retrieving the bar of soap
First off, hope and pray that you have flushed the toilet before the soap fell. If there are remnants of urine (or worse, fecal matter) in the bowl, then things will get a bit more gross than you think it is. If your luck struck out and the soap fell when there are still biological matter in there, do not flush. Wear your rubber gloves and make sure it is long enough that no part of your uncovered arm will touch the water in the toilet bowl. Get the bar of soap and immediately rinse it with water.
Need something cleaned?
Imagine dropping a bar of soap in a toilet bowl like this… gross!
Cleaning the bar of soap that fell in the toilet
After rinsing it, add a drop of liquid detergent or soap and lather it like you’re washing your hands (with the rubber gloves on). Rinse and store in a dry container or soap dish, and that’s it!
If you are not compelled that it is already thoroughly cleaned, bear in mind that you use soap to clean your body (yes, the soap itself is a cleansing agent). Soaps are made of a combination of surfactants, fats and oil, and alkaline chemicals, mixed thoroughly so you get the cleaning effect from the moment you opened the box of soap up to the last few grams of it. Surfactants help separate solid materials from surfaces, be it your skin, on clothes or even on the soap itself (granting there is water – hence the use of liquid detergent or soap). With the help of friction during the time that you lathered the soap in your rubber gloves, you were able to remove at least a millimeter of thickness of the soap and have removed all possible particles or micro-organism stuck on its’ surface.
Antibacterial Soaps
If you happen to dropped an antibacterial soap, then you can have more peace of mind after rinsing it. Antibacterial soaps like Safeguard contains an antibiotic and antifungal chemical named Triclosan. It is widely used as a preservative and antimicrobial agent in personal care products such as soaps, skin creams, toothpaste and deodorants. It may have killed more organisms during its time in the bowl than the time you have rinsed it, so you could be sure that, as long as you have removed the film around the soap after the drop, then you can re-use the soap already.
Letting it all go? Newsflash: DON’T!
If you have decided that you don’t want to go through this “messy” ordeal and thought of just letting the soap go – do not flush the toilet! Depending on the size of soap, there is a chance it will clog your toilet, and may make things messier. Using your rubber gloves, retrieve the soap and throw it straight into your trash bin (together with the gloves if you want to). This way, you are sure your drain pipes will not be congested.
Do you want to learn more on how CMDA Cleaning Services can help you, your family, or your office fight against COVID-19? Send us an email at inquiry@cmdacleaning.com, or call/text us on any number mentioned above.
Let’s all be well and healthy, wear a face mask, wash our hands frequently, maintain a 1-2 meter physical distance to non-family members, and stay at home if we can. Stay covid-free!