I. Love. Fluffy Soap! It’s true ~ I love the foaming suds… but not the price.
Homemade Cleaners are a simple way to save BIG, so one day I decided to make Homemade Foaming Soap! I’ve been doing this trick for years now… and you can too!
What You’ll Need:
- Liquid Hand Soap {Softsoap, Dial, antibacterial or other} *Don’t use the thick & creamy soaps. The clear-based soaps foam best!*
- 1 Empty Foaming Hand Soap Bottle {Bath & Body Works, Dial, etc.}
What You’ll Do:
- Fill the Empty Foaming Soap Bottle with approx. 1 inch of your liquid hand soap
- Slowly fill the rest of the bottle with tap water.
- Put lid back on, and gently tip upside down & side to side to mix.
- Don’t shake {it will get too sudsy ~ just trust me}
Now isn’t that easy??
Give it a try ~ making Homemade Foaming Soap is a cinch! Your hands… and wallet will thank you! 
While you’re at it… you can make some DIY Foaming Dish Soap, DIY Foaming Tear-Free Shampoo, and Foaming Baby Wash too… because, why not?!?
See Also:
BIG List of Homemade Cleaners
Wow…now I’m gonna have to try that! Thanks for such a great tip!
I have been doing this for a while with dish soap, but putting even less than a whole inch of soap in. It makes the dish soap last longer because less soap is wasted down the drain. One bottle of good dish soap like Dawn, because it starts out so think, has lasted me 6 months or more.
Isn’t it amazing …it’s actually LESS soap and yet it costs TONS more at the store.
It’s funny, I was never a fan of foam soap (I felt it went quicker than regular hand soap). But with this trick, it’s cheaper to do it this way. I’ll give it a try!
Thank you so much. I’ve been making my own laundry soap for quite a while now and I love it. I even make it for my sister now and my kids love helping me do it. Can’t wait to try this one!
I have been doing this since you posted it over 6 months ago and LOVE IT. I have told everyone I know about this little trick. THANK YOU THANK YOU!
I’ve refilled the foaming bottles with just plain water before, and have been able to still use it.
ok i need to go get a foaming bottle now…my kid goes thru that softsoap sooooo quickly its ridiculous…sounds like it will last me alot longer this way..thanks
I do this as well, but you have to watch what soap you use because some will separate no matter how much you mix. (Softsoap Aloe soap always separated for me.) Dish soap does work very well, but it was drying my daughter’s hands out.
Very true, about the dish soap. But if you purchase the Dawn Plus Hand Renewal Dish Soap, that will be amazing on your hands, even when washing the dishes! If you’re on a tight budget, like me, Walmart came out with their Great Value brand of the hand renewal for only 2 bucks, and it has the same ingredients, and works just the same, if not better. I have the pomegranate scent so it works well in the kitchen and bathroom!!
Carole, will you please share your recipe for home made laundry soap? Does it make your clothes just as clean? I hate dingy laundry. Thanks so much for any info!
I do this too!
I’m excited to try it! I would also like to have the laundry soap recipe, if you wouldn’t mind sharing. I love these tips, thanks!
What perfect timing! I just finished up a bottle of foaming soap and tried this with my regular soap. It worked great!
I’ve always heard it was one tablespoon per bottle and if I put in too much soap the pump gets gunked up and will get stuck after each press.
Has anyone seen a more decorative, permanent foaming soap dispenser? I’ve been doing this for years and would like something more than just refilling the plastic bottle.
You can always decorate the bottle with the clear backed stickers, or add silk flowers to the bottle.
Try Bath and Body works when I was there the other day I got a Stainless steel cover that fits over the foam bottles. It was 5 bucks but not to bad considering you can us it forever. The semi-annul sale just started last week so you could pick up something on sale or another coupon maybe coming out soon the current on ends in a day or so.
I saw an idea on Pinterest that you can spray paint the soap dispencer in a bronze/ brown spray paint then put a monogram initials on it!
Bath and Body had cute covers for the soap dispensers over Christmas.
We have done this with the foaming dish soap too. Works wonders.
I do the same type of thing to make detangling spray for my daughters hair. Just put enough conditioner in the bottom of a spray bottle to cover the bottom. Then fill with water and shake
I have been doing this for quite a while and love it. I need to get my hands on some more foaming bottles.
If you can’t locate “foaming bottle donations”, Pampered Chef has a bottle that does the same thing. You can use the hand soap or dish soap, the measurement is on the bottle. I have one for both.
This isn’t a plug for business, but just a response!
Use a vinegar/water mixture in the swiffer as well. It will clean & disenfrct your floors great!!
What great ideas!
I will be trying the leave in conditioner as well ;0)
thanks!!!!
Sweet! I’m going to have to try that!
Have a great weekend!
Sherry
Wow! What a great money saving tip…I am going to have to try this!
My girls just finished a bottle of foaming bath soap last night during their bath. Do you think this will work with body wash? I am going to try it. Thanks
I tried it yesterday with a cheap bottle of Suave Body Wash. Worked perfectly.
I posted about this a few weeks ago, and recommend putting the soap in after filling 3/4 with water. This way suds don’t fill the bottle. We use dishsoap instead of hand soap.
YIPPIE! I was just thinking about googling up a recipe for this yesterday! I am trying to make (more) cutbacks around here, but the cheaper liquid soap just slides off my kid’s hands and down the drain, leaving all the dirt with us. Now I don’t have to buy more foamy soap for my girls to use! What an encouragement your website is!
AWESOME!!! Gonna have to try this!
I got my hands on some foam bottles and LOVE it! it’s definitely easier on the checkbook! thanks for sharing!
I finished a bottle of Dawn Direct and was able to reuse the bottle with regular Dawn – just enough to cover the bottom of the bottom, fill with water, gently shape to mix, and VIOLA!
I love these new foamers over the old ones that you had to pump and build pressure in order to get foam.
The best soap I have found for this is the body wash from the Everything’s a $1 store. $1= 20 refills (or more) It’s a great way to save some money!!
Julie: This is the laundry soap recipe I use, I have had good luck with it and my whiny husband can’t tell the difference :]
Also, we spent a little extra on cat litter once and kept the hard plastic bucket it came in to make the soap. Hope this helps!
Oops, forgot to post it :]
http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/04/09/making-your-own-laundry-detergent-a-detailed-visual-guide/
Does anyone know how to unclog the pump?
Hot water will usually un-gunk it . Just fill the sink and let it soak a few min.s and then pick the pump part up and try to pump some of the hot water thru it . This does the trick most times
I tried the foaming soap idea and I love it. I had a practically empty bottle from Bath&Body Works. Got my soft soap wash from the Dollar Tree, followed your instructions, and now I’m in business. Foaming hand soap in an instant. Love your ideas.
I love the receipt but don’t have a foaming soap bottle… Guess I have to buy at least one
Thanks!!!!
I believe pampered chef sells a bottle for just this purpose, but why pay that price for something you can get for so much less with product inside, or free. DENISE – for unclogging I usually run it under HOT water, or in the dishwasher if you have one. If those don’t work it might be time for a new one. I have been doing this for YEARS, both for handsoap and dishsoap. I had to stop for a while when my boys would use a whole bottle of it playing in the sink. Little stinkers!
I use shampoo to make our foaming handsoap. I love the idea of the hair detangler using conditioner.
I use those cheap shampoo like Suave when they are on sale like 42 cents .
I have done this for years! I too use fancy scented dish soaps. I got my last small bottle of Dawn for 25c after coupons. That size makes at least 10 bottles of foam soap.
I do this for dish, hand and kids soap. I use the J&J baby wash and then the kids can squirt as much as they please since there is barely any soap in their bottles and mostly water. Plus I know it’s still tear free. My tips for all – use warm water when making it up and add the soap after the water is in the bottle. I even draw lines on my soap refill bottle and make a huge batch at once then I can just pour it into each bathroom pump and I’m not making it constantly at each sink!!
Here’re 2 helpful hints for making foaming soap. Boil the water 1st, then let it cool in the container before adding it to the foaming soap bottle. By boiling the water you kill any germs, mold spores, etc. that might grow into yucky stuff in your soap. By letting the water cool in the container before adding it to your foaming soap bottle, you avoid ruining your bottle, because the heat of boiling water is enough to deform the plastic bottle.
Love your tips!
I’ve tried making diy foaming soap but the bottles always ended up with yucky black build up inside and around the pump even when I use antibacterial hand soap to make it. Will try this tip. Thanks.
I have made my own syrup for over 45 years, since my MIL taught me. I like it better than store bought and I only buy when I find a sale and coupon so that it almost free. You can thicken it a little by boiling the sugar water a bit longer. I will have to try the brown sugar although I like it the plain way just fine. And it lasts a long time in the frig. My problem was that Mapleine could not be found in any of my local stores so I went online and now order it that way. The Maple extract does not give the same taste that Mapleine does.
Thanks so much for the recipe. I was wondering if the foaming hand soap gets your hands as clean as the store bought brands?
I am a huge germ freak. Any thoughts?
I made the fabric softener this morning with some hair conditioner that I did not like. And I have another full bottle of “not for my hair” conditioner on hand for next time. This is great! No vinegar odor, and washcloths/towels are just as soft. Now if someone can suggest a recipe for homemade cleaner that goes in a swifter mop, that would be great.
We use Simple Green in our Swiffer Wet Jet and it works great! You have to use a bit of force to pry open the old Wet Jet bottle (I used pliers to get a firm grip while I twisted it off – it’s a little tricky, but totally doable). You can use as strong of a solution as you like, but I do about a 1:4 of Simple Green to hot water. Smells much nicer than the Swiffer brand stuff, and the Simple Green is often available in bulk at Costco – cleans lots of stuff indoors and out!
I forgot to come back & thank you for this recipe, it works great. Happy New Year!!
I’m always looking for ways to save money and this is one of my favorite ways to do just that. I actually first measure 2/3 cup water and add 3 tablespoons clear liquid soap to make this recipe. For my kitchen I use Dawn so that when I need a grease cutter especially after making hamburger patties, I know that it will do the job. I have also eliminated all of those half used shampoos for my bathroom foaming hand soap. I get asked quite often what the soap is in my bathroom…..I won’t tell if you don’t. Not really, I love to share this recipe.
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After reading all the comments I am excited to try this! I am actually going to organize this as a craft for my MOPS group. Has anyone used the antibacterial soaps from Bath & Body Works? I am curious if the little beads would clog up the pump. Or if I should just stick with the clear liquid soaps.
yes. those “beads” will clog. I miss the discontinued clear ant-bac soap – it was the best!
Love my new foaming soap!! I used a some bath and body works shower gel to get the same fragrance that we like and I was amazed at how well it worked. My husband noticed and then came around and added a few drops of food coloring to the liquid cause it did just look like water in there!! Thanks for such a great tip!! We’ll be doing this for years to come!
Thats sweet. I tried it and it worked great. Thats going to save like $4 bucks a bottle.
Wow! I’d seen this a few months back, but just tried it.It was SOOOOO easy and it worked! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!
You’re very welcome ~ I’m so glad you’re liking the Homemade Foaming Soap!
~ Heidi
Hello!
I have done this for years, never really had trouble with clogging, seemed like certain bottle worked better or rather pumps. I have one that is already clogged after the first refill. UGH! Can’t find these pumps around all of a sudden. I just read that moisturizing soaps will clog. Odd, that is all I use so I don’t know what happened. I am going to throw it in the dishwasher and hope that unclogs it but I doubt it. any other ideas?
Thanks!
I’ve made foaming soap for years, beginning when I bought two very expensive (and empty) Pampered Chef containers and within two fills they had both quit working. Since then, when one of my refill bottles begins to wear out, I just look for a good price on Soft Soap foaming hand soap, one with a plain white cap and nozzle. Labels will peel off without leaving a sticky residue, so you’ll have a nice clear bottle. The one I bought today didn’t have stickon labels..it was plastic coated and it too peeled off.
The clogging occurs when some of the original soap at the bottom of the bottle is not well mixed and it is suctioned up into the tube. I always put an inch or so of very hot water into the bottle, and then add no more than a 3/8″ layer of the liquid soap and gently swirl it together, then finish filling with hot water and continue to turn the bottle upside down and sideways until it is mixed. You can always add more if not soapy enough. To try to unclog a nozzle, remove it from the container and stick the tube end into a basin of very hot water. You will have two pieces at the pump end that will try to come apart, but hold them together in place and and pump the hot water until the clog breaks loose. You can also try removing the tube, then submerging the separated pump assembly in hot water for several hours. A hand towel laid on top will be sufficient to keep it under water.
Thanks!
I agree, the Softsoap ones seem to work best but I couldn’t find any. I am going to look again. I did get this one unclogged 2 or 3 times last night just trying to pump it and get everything out but every time I tried to use it it just jammed up again. (I did run it through the dishwasher and it didn’t do anything) I tried plain liquid soap and water and that didn’t work. I think it is just shot, idk. Some foam comes out on the bottom and it is very hard to push. bummer….