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Weird French Design for Wall-Mounted Bar Soap is Actually Kind of Awesome

By Rain Noe - September 30, 2011

in Object Culture

It looks pretty bizarre, but this idea for wall-mounted soap was apparently once in widespread usage, at least in France. "This was patented in 1950 and used widely in schools, public buildings and by France's state-run railways," writes the retailer. "The manufacturers claim you can wash your hands 1,000 times with a 300 g tablet of this pure vegetable soap."

What I like about it:

- If mounted over the sink to drip-dry, it would eliminate the need to have to constantly drain a soap dish. - Losing the soap dish also means the bar isn't constantly sitting in a puddle of its own filth and getting all mealy at the point of contact. - Suburbanites with room won't care, but this would actually free up some sinktop space. (The sink in my NYC bathroom is about the size of the one in an airplane bathroom.)

What I don't like about it:

- They couldn't use a thumbscrew and it's held on with a hex nut? What, I'm supposed to get a socket wrench every time I've got to put a new bar on? - I'd have to keep buying these special soap bars from the same manufacturer.

Actually, strike that last point, I'd probably try to build a jig that perfectly fits a bar of Irish Spring so I could bore the thing out with a Makita.One question I have about it is, what happens when you get towards the end of the bar? Do you think it cleanly wears away right down to bare metal, or do you think it eventually gets so thin that there's a structural failure and it breaks off in two slivers?

Anyways, anonymous French designer from 60 years ago, I applaud you for thinking outside of the box. I know you probably didn't see liquid soap and wall-mounted dispensers coming, and if it wasn't for those, I'd probably go with your system. Plus then I'd get to make a cool soap bar jig.

o

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Mitch Kolbe

12 years ago

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I bought one just like this in Provence in 2010. Have it mounted in my kitchen and it last about a year of nearly every day use. Only difference is mine says "Marseille" La Maison du Savon 1950 on the metal mount. Cuts even garlic smells. My problem is I need to buy refils. Does anyone know where to order these?
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mario

12 years ago

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I have the new style of this french soap dispenser. It doesn't have the hex nuts,and it the perfect solution to my tiny NYC bathroom sink.
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brittany

13 years ago

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We have one (from France) in our bathroom. To address the "dripping dry over the sink" issue, ours is mounted next to the sink, not over it. The soap doesn't noticeably drip at all, which is the beauty of it. It dries super quickly and doesn't waste the soap.
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PatrikD

13 years ago

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Says this was patented in *1950*, so arguing which country should get "credit" for the idea based on where it is currently still in use seems rather pointless. Anyone care to dig out the original patent?

For what it's worth, I've seen similar soaps growing up in Belgium in the 70's or 80's as well. They weren't terribly common in Belgium - maybe just used in public places like trains stations etc?
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jean biche

13 years ago

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@ powers
Your comment is just sad. learn, travel and then come up with clever comments.did you know french people also wear garlic necklaces and only eat baguette ?

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Aaron

13 years ago

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Like everyone else says, these exist around the world. I've seen them most frequently when I was in Korea, where you find them in schools and subway station restrooms.

Always found it a little disconcerting, would much rather use liquid soap in a public setting.
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Jae

13 years ago

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Went to Korea a few weeks ago and nearly every public restroom in Korea had one of these wall mounted soaps.
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Andrew

13 years ago

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I've seen these both with and without the nut - home v. private use probably. The ones without the nut have threads molded inside the soap to just screw it on.

New Yorkers: you can get these at Moon River Chattel on Grand st in Brooklyn.
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Gauresh

13 years ago

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There was a comparison made by Hipstomp for soap bar and liquid soap. I would like to know the perfect usage of soap for hand washing which one is better Bar soap OR Liquid soap?

Also I would like to know the excess consumption in both the ways of usage. If anyone knows please post the information.
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latouffe

13 years ago

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Every one can google it, and find out that this is definitely a french school and railways station bathroom iconic accessory, from the 50's and maybe earlier.
It is still easy to find new, but you won't see it anymore in public spaces, as it is definitely no so hygienic as a liquid soap dispenser. (think about flu,sars, ...)

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graougraou

13 years ago

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Can found it in France, in every school since the early 50's.
producer: Provendi.
http://www.provendi.net/
=> products => solid soap.
exactly the same design.
Hard to find in public places since the 90's, replaced by liquid soap.
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tom

13 years ago

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cool design, totally valid points.

too bad i can see a lot of our society not wanting to give a wall mounted soap penis a handjob.
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powers

13 years ago

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I was surprised to see this was a French thing seeing as they're not big fans of bathing. Korean tho, can definitely see that.
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Liz

13 years ago

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This was definitely not invented IN France. I've been living in South Korea for the past four years. They are a public subway bathroom staple. And I'm sure they were here before I got here. Hipstomp, you should probably applaud the anonymous Korean ajjumma who designed this bad boy.
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Benrouf

13 years ago

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This is definitely an icon for any 30+ former french schoolboy. Brings back so many memories :-)
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feox

13 years ago

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this is very olded design in korea.
Maybe.. this is copyed from korean thing.

It's SAME exactlry,
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Albano

13 years ago

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Its funny you find it weird, it was the most common soap in public bathrooms here in Argentina for at least 30 years (that's what I can remember, but probably its something like 60 years).
You still find thousands of them, but most were replaced by liquid soap dispensers (always empty of course)
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Julie

13 years ago

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Seems better then all those plastic bottles of watered down soap, maybe 'greener'?
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Pseudopam

13 years ago

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I have had first-hand experience with these (pun totally intended), and as a child I remember thinking I could only see the end of a bar once, maybe twice a school year. It actually does not flake nor suddenly break unless you really mean it to. The ones I knew could resist to cold winters in open, non-heated public schools bathrooms.
There is indeed a metal sleeve in the soap so the bar can freely rotate which is great since you want it to be used evenly.
Thanks for the great childhood memory!
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jo

13 years ago

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I've seen almost same design in south korea 10years ago.
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Danny

13 years ago

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You're willing to use a power drill to bore holes in bars of Irish Spring but you can't be bothered to use a wrench to attach that same bar of soap to the mounting post?
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grace

13 years ago

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Actually, if you look closely at the second photo, it looks like there is some type of sleeve in the soap, similar to a toilet paper roll. Perhaps this prevents it from breaking into pieces when it is used up.

Interesting concept though. Us New Yorkers definitely can use these in our minuscule bathrooms.
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Jeffrey Matthias

13 years ago

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The nut makes it tamper resistant in public uses. And I'm pretty sure the soap clings to the metal cast inside of the soap until the end. I have vague memories of using these once or twice in my childhood.
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