How to make Soap on a Rope

Attractive, useful and ethical. Make your very own Soap on a Rope for use at home or to present as a gift.

Have you heard that Soap on a Rope is making a come back?

We're not surprised, it's a practical way of keeping soap out of water, which will help make your soap last longer. It's also a solution to that perennial problem of where to put a slippery soap in the shower.

That said, Soap on a Rope is not just for the shower, you can try them anywhere in the home. We find they work particularly well slung around the taps in the kitchen sink. 

Here's one we made earlier: Peppermint & Green Clay Soap on a Rope from Soap Folk

Here is a very quick and simple activity for you to make your own Soap on a Rope, so simple that we have even run these as workshops with young children.

We like to make these versions of Soap on a Rope from offcuts in the studio for our own use and for our occasional workshops. This is one of the ways, as makers, we try to avoid waste. If you are a school craft club or youth group and would like a pack of offcuts to run your own craft activities, just drop us a line (UK only please)

A glimpse of a Soap Folk craft session in action - these ones made such a nice display!

What you'll need to make Soap on a Rope

Bar soap - any shape or size

Natural soap bars are softer and more pliable than a commercial detergent bar that may contain hardeners. Likewise, you might find that soap with high amounts of palm oil or coconut oil is too brittle. 

Rope

Waxed cotton cord is a good choice because it's relatively water resistent. Also suitable is Hemp twine as its naturally antibacterial. What do you have lying around the house already? You might have wool, twine, ribbon, shoe lace, all of these could work. You will need to match the size of your soap to the weight of your soap.

A screwdriver

Or something sharp and pointy such as a metal skewer or a knitting needle. 

A tapestry needle

You will need a way to thread the rope through your soap. A tapestry needle works well, but you could also try a safety pin, or even tape the end of your rope rather like a shoelace.

Method 1 - Soap Balls

Round shapes are satisfying to make and hold their shape well. You can use more than one type of soap to make these, which means you can make interesting combinations of scents and colour

1. Grate your soap(s) using a cheese grater.

2. If your soap feels very dry, add a few drops of water

3. Mould firmly into shape. The longer you spend doing this, the smoother the finish.

4. Using your screwdriver, make a hole through the centre of your soap

Method 2 - Soap Cuts

This is method is even quicker and easier, but no less effective. It's also a good way to portion out a large bar of soap.

1. Slice your soap using a table knife. Don't be afraid, it's just like cutting cheese!

2. Using your screw driver, make a hole roughly one third from the edge of the soap. 

Finishing off - Threading Your Soap on a Rope

Cut a generous amount of thread. As you will be able to adjust the loop of your soap to fit your taps, it's best to give yourself plenty.

Push your threaded needle firmly though the hole. If it's too much of a struggle, you may need to use your screwdriver once more to make the hole wider.

You can now tie the two loose ends of thread together. 

Or, you can try double threading your needle and pushing through both skeins. This works better with thinner ropes and cord. 

That's it, your Soap on a Rope is now ready to use or to gift. If you want to share your creations on Instagram, we'd love to see them - just tag @soapfolk.com