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Weird French Design for Wall-Mounted Bar Soap is Actually Kind of Awesome
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.
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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?
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 ?
Always found it a little disconcerting, would much rather use liquid soap in a public setting.
New Yorkers: you can get these at Moon River Chattel on Grand st in Brooklyn.
Also I would like to know the excess consumption in both the ways of usage. If anyone knows please post the information.
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, ...)
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.
too bad i can see a lot of our society not wanting to give a wall mounted soap penis a handjob.
Maybe.. this is copyed from korean thing.
It's SAME exactlry,
You still find thousands of them, but most were replaced by liquid soap dispensers (always empty of course)
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!
Interesting concept though. Us New Yorkers definitely can use these in our minuscule bathrooms.