What Happens To Your Half-Used Hotel Soap?

Most of us have stayed in a hotel at some point, and we’re all familiar with the complimentary items left for guests. The shampoo, the conditioner, the soap… have you ever wondered what happens when you use some of it, but not all of it? All those bottles of shampoo that were only used once, or bars of soap that only saw a shower or two? What do we do with them?

Well, these days, hotels can pay a nominal fee to recycle those products. And once they’re recycled, they often go to good causes.

The New Life of Used Soap

There are some hotels who still throw away half-used hygiene products. However, that isn’t always the case. In some hotels, when guests leave, their partially used bars of soap are collected by housekeeping. They’re put in a bag and donated to organizations like Clean The World. According to Travel and Leisure, these charities charge a small fee for taking the half-used soap, and then they melt it down, reform it into new soap, and send it to other not-for-profit organizations. So whether it’s the Red Cross or homeless shelters, the newly-minted soap goes to someone who needs it.

Of course, soap isn’t the only product this happens with. Many of these organizations also accept hand sanitizer, shampoo, and other necessities. Since cleanliness and hygiene are the easiest ways to stop disease, it only makes sense that soap would be one of our biggest weapons. The front line supplies just come from a rather unexpected place.