I’m curious. When you stay at a hotel for multiple nights and they set out two bars {sometimes 3!} of soap each day what do you do with it? Do you just leave it there, or do you take it home with you?
Over the years I’ve found that one little bar of hotel soap will last on average seven to ten days in our shower at home {yes, I do experiments like that because I’m weird}. So essentially a four night stay will net me 8-10 weeks of free soap. The packaging is minimal and can typically be recycled.
I know people who leave it behind, take it and donate it to homeless and women’s shelters. I also know people who have even bought large bags of soap from the thrift store to use in their guest bathrooms.
But I’m wondering…. what do YOU do with all the hotel soap you come across?
Inquiring minds want to know.
~Mavis
This post may contain affiliate links. These affiliate links help support this site. For more information, please see my disclosure policy. Thank you for supporting One Hundred Dollars a Month.
Rosaleen says
This is one of those “It depends” things. I have sensitive skin so not all soaps work for me. If I like the soap and have room, I probably take it with me. No room, of course, means no soap. I use the small bars that I like in my travel or camping kit, for guests, or to leave in hiker boxes at hostels, etc. When traveling, I use the soaps to do laundry and dishes by hand, too. One of my friends is so well supplied by her parents with hotel soap and shampoo that she rarely buys any.
Tisha says
If I unwrap it, I will take it. One of my life goals is to try to take only what I need in all things. If I want to donate something to a women’s shelter, I can go buy things myself at the store and donate them.
Lynda says
If I unwrap it, I try to take it. I think they would just throw it away.
Cheri says
I used to take everything in the hotel room, but now that I am more aware of my waste, especially plastic, I try not to take anything I don’t need.
Julis says
We use the soap at home. I always take what we have unwrapped in fact I usually take something to carry it home in, travel soap container or ziplock. Sometimes I take extra, it depends if I like it or feel I can use it. What I’m more crazy about are the little body lotions and bath and showe gels!
jennifer says
I take it because I paid for it. I usually bring my own from home so I don’t really use it but we camp often and it is perfect for the kids to use for dirty hands and baths. That’s the only kind of soap, shampoo, conditioner, and lotion that we use while camping. I have a zip lock bag full of them . Also, it’s good to have on hand in case you run out of your soap at home to have a few stashed somewhere. I feel that I am taking what I need because i will use it.
Jaynie says
I used to take the soaps. I will admit to tossing the unopened soap in my travel case and then they would put out new soap the next day and so on. But then I realized that the “free soap” was like “free textbooks”. Not only am I paying for my soap in the bill I was probably paying for other peoples soap and stuff too. Now I leave the unopened soap on the counter so they won’t leave more until that has been opened. I do however take a ziplock with me to bring the opened soap and shampoo home.
I have noticed that a few chains we have stayed in lately are going to the liquid soap & shampoo dispensers in the shower.
Lisa L says
Yes, I take it!
Julie says
It depends. If the soap is nice, like the white tea soap at the Westin then YES. But most of the time I will leave the unopened container/soap on the counter. Can the hotel use them again or do they have to toss them out when I check out?
Cheri says
I have been wondering this, too. If they are going to throw it out anyway, I might as well take it and use it up. It would be more wasteful to leave it.
Lea says
Ask at the front desk when you check in!
Many hotels now collected them and give them to locations that sanatize them an give them to homeless persons or emergency shelters, etc. Some only put out new if there are none unopened. Others only when you use up what they have.
The hotel we most often stay at only replaces what has been opened but they throw away what was opened rather than having someone reuse it so I always take it with me.
Lea
Cheri says
Thanks, Lea, that’s a good idea!
Maria says
Sometimes its a brand we already use and if it is, I take it home and refill my large containers using my Mavis approved spatulas to get every single bit of product and then recycle the empty ones. I take the soaps and lotions and give them to the homeless shelter.
tia in boise says
I take it, and I take it every day we stay, and if we are with someone else in a suite, I take it out of that other bathroom, too. If i like the lotion and shampoo, I take that as well. If we are staying someplace that has a kitchen, I take the little packet of dishwasher soap if we haven’t used it.
Chris M says
I’m glad to read I’m not the only one who takes the opened/used bars of soap AND plans for them by having something with me. Most times, my plan is to save the plastic wrap that comes on the hotel glasses to use with the soap. I just hate the thought of it being thrown away particularly after only 1 days use. There are some things I don’t take, but I take something if I’m going to use it. If it’s a particularly lovely bar of soap, when I use it at home it makes me feel like I’m pampering myself for a little longer — extending the trip/vacation.
Randi says
I will take it if opened and unopened if i like the scent/feel. I purchased a small mesh bag designed to put little bits of soap in (like the slivers that my HH leaves in the shower FOREVER). The mesh bag works like a scrubbie and lathers all types of soap really well! I great way to combine the soaps that accumulate.
bobbi dougherty says
I take it and then I take it to my sisters cabin in the mountains. Extra anything comes in handy up there! 🙂
Laura says
LOL! I grew up using hotel soap – my dad travelled for work and brought home soap every week. I don’t remember using a regular bar of soap until I went to college!
I bring it home these days as well – we are paying for the soap (and other toiletries) when we pay for a hotel room; it’s not really a “freebie.” My husband often uses it for shaving (has an old-fashioned shave mug that he keeps soap slivers and such in).
Emily E. says
Yes, I take the soaps. I have donated them to the local domestic violence shelter and homeless shelter and used them for when my brother and his kids visit so they each have their own individual soaps. I also found a recipe using hotel soaps to make your own liquid hand soap. I feel like hotels generally add in the cost of essentials.
Peggy says
I take soap and whatever samples they have left for my use. I paid for it in my room rate and I use it at home.
Cass says
I used to take every single thing in the room….then I realized, although it was included in the room rate, the rates would go up slower if the costs of the establishment didn’t keep going up. So now I take what I open or will use (read “mouthwash for the camper” cuz there just isn’t room enough for a full size bottle of mouthwash in a pop up camper. LOL)
When my partner used to travel A LOT he took them all and dropped them in a box at his office for the local domestic abuse shelter. Since many victims of domestic abuse leave their home with the clothing on their back and nothing else…who better to give those fancy, sweet smelling soaps and shampoos to than someone who needs the pick me up?
Cassandra says
I put the unopened bottles and packages in my suitcase each night so we get fresh ones the next day. We tend to accumulate them and then donate them to a local shelter. My husband also travels quite a bit for his job and always brings the extras home.
gina says
My grandmother asked her sister (who owned a motel) to save all the used soap slivers. And then she would use a grater to turn them into powder which she washed her clothes with! A depression era mom til the end!
Em says
That’s interesting. Thanks for sharing!
mandy says
We always save everything. It does all come in handy. And it is part of the bill. When my son went to college he was supplied with bags of soap, shampoo and conditioner. We also use them when we go hunting. Those little bars and bottles are perfect for traveling.
I personally love it when they offer sewing kits. I get alot of use out of those. along with the shoe shining cloths. I use them to oil my wood combs…
Brianna says
I don’t ever take them or save them. I can’t stand the small containers the lotion, shampoo, and conditioner come in! It drives me nuts trying to squeeze such a small hard container to get the conditioner or lotion out. I don’t think a mini spatula would even work. Mainly we stay at Holiday Inn and they have the BBW ‘lime’ line. The scent is very over powering and my kids smell like fruit bowls. By the time 5 of us (2 adults, 3 kids) are done with a hotel room for the night, there is little left over to even both with. My parents are opposite, they take any and all of the toiletries available in their room….coffee packets, tea bags, soap, shampoo, lotion, sewing kit, etc. That is their choice, but when they get home it sits idle and unused and eventually tossed. So I feel if you are going to take it, them make sure you have a plan to use it or donate it and follow through.
Julie C says
I am extremely sensitive to scented products, so I typically bring my own shampoo and conditioner, and if the smell is acceptable, I’ll take the ones from the hotel for my daughter. I’ll bring home anything I’ve opened unless I really hate it, but otherwise, I don’t take anything un-opened unless I just really really like it.
The last few times we stayed at a hotel, we were given an option to skip housekeeping, in lieu of either gift store credit or a little bit off the bill. We chose that option, mainly because we’re weird and don’t like to have people in our room, so there’s only been a few bottles available.
Barrie says
They throw everything out after each guest checks out. Even the unwrapped items are tossed. Why? They don’t want to be held libel if one guest contaminates an item that the next guest uses. Ya, it’s a big waste, but far cheaper than paying a lawsuit for damages. So, take it all and keep it out of landfills. It’s easy to find someone who will use it if you won’t.
Leslie says
I used to. I had a bunch so I ground it up to use in laundry soap. All the hotel soap left a terrible waterproof residue on all my clothes and towels. Now I only use castille soap (for laundry and for hands/body, so I leave it.
Katrina says
I don’t take the bar soap, as use soap gel at home, but I do take the shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, and lotions if I really like them. I will put them in my suitcase so they replentish them daily… they are a great travel size, so we do use them when we visit a hotel with not so great stuff. The housekeepers will even give you extra if you ask them. We always leave a nice tip for them at the end of our stay for being so generous.
Ellen says
We usually take the soap and shampoo with us when we leave and collect them in a plastic container in our linen closet. When we have overnight company, we place them in the guest bathroom (like a hotel would). When we fill up the container, we donate them to a shelter or other charity that can use them.
Libby says
Yes absolutely! I take the little bottles of shampoo and body wash and add them to my hand soap dispensers all around the house. All the different smells come together to make a pleasant combo. My husband thinks I’m coo coo. I leave the bars in my shower and we use them up eventually. My kids love playing with bar soap in the tub so I give them one each. Kind of weird but anything to keep them busy. I sometimes reuse the containers by adding my own shampoo to bring on trips with me.
Louise says
My husband travels a lot for work and our young kids always want to know what he brought them, so he started bringing home the little bottles of body wash for them to have as bubble bath – keeps them happy and limits extra spending. I bring home a product I like every now and again for use when travelling, but not much.
M. says
I usually take it. My family doesn’t travel much, so the soap and other “gratis” items are pleasant reminders of our all-too-infrequent travels. Sometimes, when we return home, we decide it’s better to share the wealth. A family member works at a homeless shelter, so those folks are sometimes the recipients of our soap/shampoo/lotion escapades!
T.J. says
I take it home with me and then we use it when we go camping. Makes things so much easier when everyone can take a little hotel bar to the showers with them instead of taking large regular size bars or bottles.
AlysonRR says
I take it every day, though we usually refuse room cleaning until we’ve been somewhere about 3 days.
If I like the scent (or someone else in the family does), I’ll keep it for our next trip. If no one likes the scent, we’ll put them in the bathroom when there’s a guest and/or give it to the local resources office, which helps people who are homeless, impoverished, or leaving domestic abuse situations.
Anne Johnston says
I take them home with me – either we will use them if it is something we loved or I donate them to our local Project Homeless Connect events. I also sign up for the freebie samples online and do the same thing!
nicola says
I always take the toiletries, they are the perfect size for hand luggage and saves you bringing/buying more when you are going away and staying in a self catering apt/hostel.