Q: Now that we're even more obsessed with hand-washing than usual, which is better for the planet: old school cakes of soap or liquid soap?
A: Simply put, cakes of soap (I prefer to call them bars - seems less old-school) are best.
Practically, liquid soap can be wasteful. A person will use far less product when caressing their hands around a bar of soap compared to a pump because liquid soap gives us less control over the amount of soap we're using per wash - if you have children, you'll know just how true and expensive this statement is! A soap bar loses a few gold stars as people generally require more warm water when using a bar, which uses more energy, however, this is minimal and outweighed by other factors like packaging.
Liquid hand soaps come in thick bottles with fancy pumps that are often non-recyclable. Bars of soap are likely to come in a cardboard box or if you're lucky, unpackaged completely. Are you ready to get even more serious about the comparison? Let's consider a soap's carbon footprint.
All soaps need to be shipped from a factory, to a store, and transported to your home. A liquid soap contains water, more ingredients than a bar, and the packaging is heavier too. A soap bar is a concentrated product. Liquid soap has a greater carbon footprint and the humble bar of soap wins again.
You may be screwing your nose up at the thought of ditching your liquid pumps, and that's okay; I respect your personal preference. My home is full of different soaps including liquid soaps that I refill at refilleries (there are hundreds across the country). If you're a fan of liquid soap but don't have a local refillery, you can try a liquid hand soap concentrate; purchase a hand soap concentrate bar, add water, and refill a soap dispenser!
No matter what, the best thing to do, for people and the planet, is to wash your hands with soap.
