Soap Storage Solutions Research. Grundtal Stackability? Truly Air & Scent tight?

[BarbaGnosa]

Now that I have a gaggle of naked, exuberantly fragranced pucks of soap (in ziplock bags), my bathroom smells, as one friend describes, like a French whorehouse. (My one experience in a French whorehouse in Marseilles -- an accident, I swear! it was indistinguishable from any other trashy harbor-side flophouse -- probably would have benefited from some more shaving soap, but that story is perhaps better left to another forum....) The promiscuously mingled scents are a bit much, and more to the point, interfere with my ability to distinguish and enjoy any one at a time. So, I'm researching soap storage solutions.

My DIY soap tub criteria:
water & airtight, locks in fragrance, good for brush loading, waterproof, rustproof, durable, right sized & shape to stack conveniently in my medicine cabinet, cost-effective (low-priced), attractive.

My leading contenders are below. Ikea Grundtal kitchen spice tins are a popular leading contender. But, I've read one or two posts mentioning that they may not stack so well, which is a concern. Does anyone have any experience they can share? I'm also looking for true scent-sealing. Do the Grundtals actually provide a complete air and scent seal? I presume the Glad Lockware does. What about the Anchor Hocking 1 cup glass baking dishes with lids?

IF you've really got more to add on the subject, after you've reviewed the below, do please share!

Soap Storage Research

Anyone have any suggestions for DIY soap tubs? Experience with the below?

• Ziplock Smart-Snap small bowls 5/$5
• Glad Lockware Extra-Small 9oz , 3/$3.50
• Ikea Grundtal Containers are marketed as spice tins, and are clearly more handsome. How well do they stack? Truly airtight? 3/$5
• Anchor Hocking 1 cup glass baking dishes with plastic lids. Truly airtight? 4/$5 + $5 shipping

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/80102919/

http://www.ziploc.com/Products/Pages...tSnapSeal.aspx

http://www.glad.com/food-storage/con...e-extra-small/

http://www.anchorhocking.com/prodd_4...kit_store.html
http://www.shopko.com/detail/anchor-...UHe4AodaU4ABg#

http://www.newdirectionsaromatics.co...-p-1729.html?=

UPDATE:
My brief research yields: the Grundtals are perhaps the most popular, and reports are they perform well, although at least a couple have raised issues with how well they stack. ANYONE have any more on that? Most handsome, masculine, but also opaque: you can't SEE the soap (from the side) and how much there is, and there's something to that. Ziploc has the most popular size and performance discount kitchen storage solution for soap. But, Glad LockWare Extra Smalls have the bonus of being twist-lockable, extra-tight seal, thus are travel-ready! Pyrex comes up, but the prices are quadruple Anchor Hocking. I like glass, as long as it's at least somewhat tempered, which AH is. Apparently there are many artisanal, antique and commercial container vendors online and at amazon and ebay.
One report turned up that Mama Bears gives away used soap tubs for only the price of shipping -- not a bad sales promotion idea.

Suggestions:
Pyrex bowls with lid. 235ml., although Pyrex is much more expensive.
Mama Bears gives away used soap tubs free for cost of shipping
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/archive.../t-330683.html
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/archive.../t-199479.html
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/archive.../t-331714.html


http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=187797&highlight=covering+soap
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=180877&highlight=covering+soap
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=139264&highlight=covering+soap
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=132100&highlight=covering+soap
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=84112&highlight=covering+soap
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=75732&highlight=covering+soap
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=60942&highlight=covering+soap
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=31075&highlight=covering+soap
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=190905&highlight=storing+soap
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=184971&highlight=storing+soap
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=105035&highlight=storing+soap
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=145852&highlight=storing+soap
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=116763&highlight=storing+soap
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=95727&highlight=storing+soap
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=36623&highlight=storing+soap
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=33688&highlight=storing+soap

 

[john parker]

My only comment on those you mention is that I bought some Anchor Hocking-like glass containers with plastic lids at Target, and the plastic lids do not stay on. Since the box was sealed, I had no way of knowing that until I got home. Went with domed sugar bowls from Walmart, but these you cannot stack.

 

[Mick]

For easy to uses easy to stack soap dishes these are the cat's pajamas.

Lock-ups brand. The base of the bowl twists into the lid of another bowl so they lock together in a stack. I only have a couple of them as I now keep my soaps in the manufacturers bowl with the brand label on it instead of in aftermarket containers

 

[CyberJCM]

Half pint wide mouth mason jars. They meet all the criteria. I have about 8 in use currently. Heres a pic:

 

[celestino]

i have had the Anchor containers and agree that they are not the best.
The Pyrex containers are much better as the lid is securely fits onto the container.
Here:
http://www.amazon.com/Pyrex-Storage...yrex+1+cup+glass+storage+containers+with+lids

 

[mctmatt]

The Grundtal have a magnetic bottom. I have a metal strip on my shave den wall that the Grundtals stick. You don't take up any shelf space with these things and they are airtight, stainless steel.

You get 3 containers for only $4.99.

 

[superkreep]

I have the Anchor Hocking TrueSeal- these are awesome, perfectly airtight and stackable. I found a deal at oneida.com where it worked out to be ~$3 per container.

 

[sroeder]

I have been using the Human Gear GoTubb. It fits plenty of soap, is small enough for travel and has a nice simple pop off lid.

http://www.humangear.com/gotubb/

 

[eblau]

I use some some Pyrex brand 1 cup containers with nice airtight lids that I found at Walmart for 4/$10. It can actually be hard to put the lids on sometimes the are so airtight. You kind of have to angle the lids on to squeeze the air out.

I also use the Ziplock snap-seal containers you have. The Ziploc containers work fine and are airtight. No complaints with them. They're just not as durable as the Pyrex containers and I can see the plastic cracking over time.

 

[BarbaGnosa]

Thanks, everyone, for your suggestions!

Turtle: Wow, those Lock-Ups look great, I like the interlocking feature, and the price is right. Nice find. http://www.containerstore.com/shop/giftPackaging/creativeContainers/boxes?productId=10028612
But, are they really airtight, watertight, and fragrance tight?

I tend to prefer original packaging tubs, too -- when I have them. I've recently acquired some tubless, naked pucks by winning the Jetsons PIF, graciously and ingeniously offered by the shave-punk futurist and Elroy Jetson wannabe grown up to become George, superkreep.

For easy to uses easy to stack soap dishes these are the cat's pajamas.
Lock-ups brand. The base of the bowl twists into the lid of another bowl so they lock together in a stack. I only have a couple of them as I now keep my soaps in the manufacturers bowl with the brand label on it instead of in aftermarket containers.

superkreep: you are the pogonotomist philanthropist whose generous shaving spirit and news-I-can-use lathers forth unabated. The more I look up Anchor Hocking, as John Parker and Celestino confirm, the more the seal of their regular tops is in doubt. You've provided superior solutions -- in avocado green, no less! But, could you provide a link? I can't find them for anywhere near $3/container, even on Oneida.com.

I have the Anchor Hocking TrueSeal- these are awesome, perfectly airtight and stackable. I found a deal at oneida.com where it worked out to be ~$3 per container.

CyberJCM: Very nice: mason jars are compellingly cost-effective, and I'm digging their retro, country, Grandad's Great Depression - Our Great Recession vibe. Designed to be airtight, durable, stackable, take lid labels, they have a universal nostalgia and also sparkle like a dimestore gem! They're perfectly Brooklyn homemade DIY hipster. I'm using these tubs for storage and brush-loading, not lather generation, thus want them to hold a typical puck with as little wasted space possible. I think my sweet spot is ~4-5 oz., ~3-4" in diameter, a size available in Ball jars. At 12 x 4 oz jars/$8 this is by far the low-price leader thus far. https://www.google.com/shopping/pro...a=X&ei=Fmh0UbaNGIma0QHd5oD4DQ&ved=0CG4Q8gIwAA

See also:

1. https://www.thesage.com/catalog/products/4-oz-Clear-PET-Low-Profile-JarSize-70.html
   
   
2. http://www.peakcandle.com/products/4-oz-Jelly-Jars__C1044.aspx (esp pewter tops)
   
   
3. http://www.containerandpackaging.com/item/J048
   
   
4. http://www.wholesalesuppliesplus.co...we5y&cof=FORID:11&num=75&searchtext=4+oz+jars
5. https://www.google.com/search?q=4+o...e.0.57j60l3j0.5851j0&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

Half pint wide mouth mason jars. They meet all the criteria. I have about 8 in use currently.

mctmatt: That's one of the most distinctive den's I've seen. I dub it: SkyDen, in honor of SkyLab, which it kinda reminds me of. Are you an engineer, science teacher, or NASA employee? Thanks for the kewl koncepts.

The Grundtal have a magnetic bottom. I have a metal strip on my shave den wall that the Grundtals stick. You don't take up any shelf space with these things and they are airtight, stainless steel. You get 3 containers for only $4.99.

eblau: Nice find! Best price I've yet seen for Pyrex. Are these they? http://www.walmart.com/ip/Pyrex-8-Piece-1-Cup-Storage/15114589

I use some some Pyrex brand 1 cup containers with nice airtight lids that I found at Walmart for 4/$10. It can actually be hard to put the lids on sometimes the are so airtight. You kind of have to angle the lids on to squeeze the air out.

 

[eblau]

eblau: Nice find! Best price I've yet seen for Pyrex. Are these they? http://www.walmart.com/ip/Pyrex-8-Piece-1-Cup-Storage/15114589

Thanks. Yes, those are the ones. The version I have has green lids, but otherwise they are identical to what I bought.

 

[JerYnkFan]

I bought these snap lock plastic containers at Big Lots 3 for 1.80 and they work awesome. I snap a photo and post when I get a chance.

 

[mistercitizen]

Nice thread with some great ideas guys. I use the Grundtals for quite a few of my soaps. I would agree that they don't stack very well at all..... but they look great.

Ben

 

[alpster]

Because I bought most of them on ebay, they cost me no more than the wooden bowls that some soaps come in. The corks were not expensive about $3 apiece. I am not sure if they sre air tight but I am sure you can't smell the fragrance when they are in place. One criteria that the OP left out is, does the container add to your shaving experience and mine definitely do. Very nostalgic to have all my soaps in an Old Spice mug.



Ronnie

 

[twitch182]

Because I bought most of them on ebay, they cost me no more than the wooden bowls that some soaps come in. The corks were not expensive about $1 apiece. I am not sure if they sre air tight but I am sure you can't smell the fragrance when they are in place. One criteria that the OP left out is, does the container add to your shaving experience and mine definitely do. Very nostalgic to have all my soaps in an Old Spice mug.
Ronnie

Where did you buy the corks? That looks awesome!

 

[alpster]

Where did you buy the corks? That looks awesome!

I got them at widgetco.com, but I remebered wrong on the price, they were about $3 apiece.

 

[BarbaGnosa]

Wow, Ronnie, that's some nice den you've got there! Apparently you and Nemo have a similar Old Spice Mug idee fixe -- he informed me he's got a similar collection of Old Spice Mugs with plugs. A compelling solution for Old Spice Mug lovers, which I am not. And, I suspect my stacking and space saving criteria aren't exactly well suited by this solution. My "attractive" criteria, I confess, is a bit loose.

My UPDATED DIY soap tub criteria:

• water & airtight, locks in fragrance, waterproof, rustproof
• durable,
• right sized & shape to stack conveniently in my medicine cabinet,
• cost-effective (low-priced),
• attractive, kinda sorta somehow cool,
• enabling me to quickly see what I've got (thus clear offers some benefit),
• easy access
• space optimizing
• effective for mostly out of sight soap storage and puck-loading (but not lather generation).

My den, per force of my current situation, remains mostly behind cabinet doors. Not that I'm not dreaming up my steam-punk shaving apothecary imaginarium of Dr. Pogonotomy a la Jules Verne and Tesla, but for the moment function, cost effectiveness, space saving are high on that criteria list.

Clearly if you're an Old Spice Mug lover with an entire bathroom corner to den-out, my criteria won't fit. Thanks for sharing your den, though -- inspiring.

One criteria that the OP left out is, does the container add to your shaving experience and mine definitely do. Very nostalgic to have all my soaps in an Old Spice mug. Ronnie

 

[alpster]

My den, per force of my current situation, remains mostly behind cabinet doors. Not that I'm not dreaming up my steam-punk shaving apothecary imaginarium of Dr. Pogonotomy a la Jules Verne and Tesla, but for the moment function, cost effectiveness, space saving are high on that criteria list.

Clearly if you're an Old Spice Mug lover with an entire bathroom corner to den-out, my criteria won't fit. Thanks for sharing your den, though -- inspiring.

Just to have a right persepctive on "saving space criteria" With the exception of the RB scuttle which is ridiculously huge, I put everything you can see in the previous picture (except excess deodorant which is normally in a closet) in a 18" X 24" medicine cabinet (12" ruler is there for scale). My entire bathroom is less than 8' X6'. The corner with the shelves occupies less than 2 square feet of floor space. The whole corner shelf idea was to cram a lot of stuff into a tiny space.



Ronnie

 

[TheVez2]

Use Pillsbury or Betty Crocker frosting lids for the Old Spice mugs. They are a perfect fit, snap on easily and air tight. Plus they don't add to the height of the mug, making stacking easy, and saves space. Standard color of the lids is red, which makes it look like you have an original Old Spice lid.

 

[alpster]

Use Pillsbury or Betty Crocker frosting lids for the Old Spice mugs. They are a perfect fit, snap on easily and air tight. Plus they don't add to the height of the mug, making stacking easy, and saves space. Standard color of the lids is red, which makes it look like you have an original Old Spice lid.

That's a great tip! I have been trying a lot of lids from various products hoping to find a good fit. Haven't tried the frosting lids yet.

Thanks!

Ronnie