I picked up an old Old Spice mug that still had a used cake of soap in it. The question is, is that soap ok to use? Should I try to just cut off the used top section of it and use the rest? Or it this just trash?
Old Spice mug with old soap. Ok to use?
- Thread starter OpusX
- Start date
Not knowing where it's been - I'd say your better off tossing it altogether and doing a good clean on the mug. Soap ain't that expensive. Call me paranoid if you like, but I wouldn't use it myself. VDH makes a cheap replacement, as does Col. Conk.
I've wondered this myself. Are there any doctors or other infectious disease experts who want to weigh in here? On the one hand, it's soap after all. On the other hand, we're talking possible blood contamination.
Thanks for posting a question I've been wondering myself. Sorry I don't have an answer. I'd hold on to the soap, but wait to use it until we hear some expert opinions.
Thanks for posting a question I've been wondering myself. Sorry I don't have an answer. I'd hold on to the soap, but wait to use it until we hear some expert opinions.
I would probably just fill the mug with hot water, let it set a bit, and pour it off. That should get rid of the exposed soap and bring fresh soap to the surface. But what the heck, soap is cheap if you just toss it. I like those Old Spice mugs Mine has little fins in the bottom to keep the soap from scooting around when I work it with my brush. Good design.
H
Hanzo
If the soap is a barely used round of the Original Old Spice soap do yourself a favor and rinse it off and use it. Old Spice soap is no longer produced and much desired among wetshavers. Mugs WITH the original soap sell for a lot of money on ebay because forum members are after the soap. I have a used puck and the soap is really excellent.If you want to give it away you can wrap is wax paper and I'll take it. But by all means don't chuck it out.
I guess I should have clarified.
If you know it is vintage Old Spice Soap, it might be worth trying to save.
If this was a purchase from an unknown, then you don't know what the soap is, who used it, what was done to the soap, if it was a home made batch or if any chemicals were added.
If I were you, and It was from an unknown, I'd either toss it, or wrap it in wax paper and send it off.
If it is from an unknown source, it's not like it came from a B&B member, whom you can at least have some semblence of assurance that it wasn't used to shave the goats belly for a c-section, or cause some chemical issue with you.
Just my opinion.
If you know it is vintage Old Spice Soap, it might be worth trying to save.
If this was a purchase from an unknown, then you don't know what the soap is, who used it, what was done to the soap, if it was a home made batch or if any chemicals were added.
If I were you, and It was from an unknown, I'd either toss it, or wrap it in wax paper and send it off.
If it is from an unknown source, it's not like it came from a B&B member, whom you can at least have some semblence of assurance that it wasn't used to shave the goats belly for a c-section, or cause some chemical issue with you.
Just my opinion.
- Thread starter
- #7
Well it isn't "barely used", there is a well formed divot in the soap from use, but there is quite a fair amount of soap left. So, I removed the cake of soap, fully cleaned the mug, and used an old brush to make about 4-5 good heavy lathers off of the puck. It seems to have cleaned off the soap well. This looks good to me, guess I'll be using this in the future.If the soap is a barely used round of the Original Old Spice soap do yourself a favor and rinse it off and use it. Old Spice soap is no longer produced and much desired among wetshavers. Mugs WITH the original soap sell for a lot of money on ebay because forum members are after the soap. I have a used puck and the soap is really excellent.If you want to give it away you can wrap is wax paper and I'll take it. But by all means don't chuck it out.
Edit to Clarify:
This is Old Spice soap. That became quite obvious as soon as I got it wet and lathered a bit
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H
Hanzo
Glad to hear you will use it , hope you enjoy it.
You did exactly what I would recommend. This old Old Spice soap is an amazingly good shave. They made these soaps tallow rich. I have old Old Spice in my regular rotation. The only problem is that these soaps are hard to come by. Let us know how you like the shave.
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- Thread starter
- #10
I'm very much looking forward to using it. After checking some images of Old Spice soap, I think this is a very lightly used puck. I didn't realize that they molded in a divot embossed with an Old Spice ship.
hate to burst your bubble there, but one of the nastiest sources of bacteria in your bathroom is a bar of soap. It takes off the dead skin, which is where most of the bacteria sits, but because your bar is already loaded with it....you're reintroducing it.
antibacterial soap is a whole nother thing.
I recently got a very old soap (c. 1930s) via ebay. It smelled a little, uh, musty...
...so I wound up rinsing it off & then let it sit in direct sunlight for several hours*. Smelled much better after that & worked great! *With a tip of the proverbial hat to the illustrious Jim for that suggestion!
Okay I'm going to render a professional opinion. Bacteria might exist on the surface of soap but they are not going to penetrate it much if any. Wetting rinsing and loading a few test brushes will remove the outer soap layer and leave you with virgin soap to use and enjoy. Plus you really aren't as worried about bacteria as you are about viruses but these will be confined to the outer layers as well. I would worry more about a direct hit by an asteroid on my house than I would about a vintage soap as a disease vector after taking a few minor precautions.
What? What's this about asteroids? Are wetshavers at greater risk?
That's a tough call. The one I am currently using in my rotation had not seen as much use as the one you describe. My approach was the same, removed the puck, rinsed it off under hot water removing around 1/32 of the outer layer of the puck, placed the mug in boiling water for about 5 minutes, then ran it in the dishwasher.
I use it about once a week and so far so good, YMMV. I think you will find it a real joy to shave with, not much scent left in these old pucks (kind of a soapy smell) but still a great performer in my view.
I use it about once a week and so far so good, YMMV. I think you will find it a real joy to shave with, not much scent left in these old pucks (kind of a soapy smell) but still a great performer in my view.
I very much doubt there will be any surviving viruses as viruses tend to die very quickly outside of the body
'I hate to burst your bubble" but that sounded really condescinding and ungentlemanly.
You could have simply said:
I realize that soap may contain bacteria as does the doorknobs in your home or the keyboard you are pounding a way at. In fact your mouth is filthy. What about that pen that your friend was chewing on and then handed you to use? The computer mouse? Your wrist watch? The steering wheel in your car? Your cell phone? Your toothbrush? What about the fecal matter that is likely on your toothbrush? The list can go on and on and on. My point was there shouldn't be anything significant enough in the soap to make it a legitimate concern. I suspect if you properly clean it and wash away what you can (yes I realize this won't/can't be all inclusive) you are probably just as safe using that soap as you are using a public phone.
In fact I asked a Dr. that was in my class today what he thought and he chuckled and said, "It's soap! It can't be any worse than anything else you encounter daily."
- Thread starter
- #19
Well that's good to know, since I used the soap this morning for a shave. I don't feel different, seem to be coming down with a cold, or have contracted some form of the plague either. Wait.....oh no......I do feel something.......a BBS shave
It's a good soap, with a good thick lather about it. As it is older, it has lost much of it's scent, which is a shame since I am an Old Spice fan. To make up for it, I finished with a little splash of some old Shulton I had around. Overall a good shave, but not above and beyond most others.
Well that's good to know, since I used the soap this morning for a shave. I don't feel different, seem to be coming down with a cold, or have contracted some form of the plague either. Wait.....oh no......I do feel something.......a BBS shave
It's a good soap, with a good thick lather about it. As it is older, it has lost much of it's scent, which is a shame since I am an Old Spice fan. To make up for it, I finished with a little splash of some old Shulton I had around. Overall a good shave, but not above and beyond most others.
Congrats on the shave! Cherish that original Old Spice!
