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Soap Tub Open or Closed ?

A

AJSharp

Shave Member
I have always wondered - do I keep the soap tub's top open or closed between shaves ? The scent may dissipate when the tub is open all the time by my bar of soap in the shower stays exposed and still works fine. Will my soap evaporate quicker if exposed ? Isn't my shave puck the same as a bar of soap but what about those soft soaps or creams ? What about the water that must be now retained within the soap/puck once it has been used ? I have never known what is the best practice although some soaps make specific claims so any advise for TSC would be appreciated.
 
If you load your brush from the tub common practice is to leave it open til the next day to dry a bit so it doesn’t get moldy when closed up. I don’t see an issue leaving it open if you’re using it frequently. But many of us have enough soaps we won’t return to a particular one for weeks or months so they would dry out and lose scent over that period of time.
 
I am starting today to leave my lid off until it dries. I hadn't used my Stirling Naked and Smooth in a while, opened it up and there is some slight mold/mildew on the lid. Unfortunately, I didn't see the underside of the lid until AFTER I shaved. The soap was clear of any signs before the shave though. I'm not taking any further chances with it and binning the rest of it.
 
Depends on the soap consistency for me. If the soap is very hard, I will close it soon after the shave; if the soap is “normal” and easy to load, I will leave it open a couple hours to dry some, then close; if the soap is or has become super soft, I will leave it open for a number of hours, sometimes most of a day, to harden it up a bit.
 
I had a softer soap (a RazoRock brand I think) that I closed up with plenty of moisture still in it. When I close it and reopen every day no problem. But I didn't open it for 9-10 days as I went away on a family vacation. When I opened the tub 10 days later the lather was too thick and glue-like and no matter how much water or swirling I did the consistency was "goopy" or like slime so I tossed it. The scent was still there and there was no mildew or funk odor which got me wondering.
 
I usually shave before bed and I leave the soap open. When I get up I close the container and put it in the cabinet. Drys out nicely overnight and I haven’t noticed the scents getting weaker.
 
I close mine after my shave and put up. Never had a problem but maybe I should allow it to dry more overnight first ???
 
I load from the tub and close after I have put all of my daily shave equipment away. When home, I use the same soap daily through my 5 brush home rotation and than start all over again with a new soap.
 
From everyone's advise I guess I'll let the soaps/tubs air dry till I return home and only cover if I won't be using it the next morning. Otherwise no harm in leaving it open if I will be using it continuously. Thanks for advise gentlemen
 
AJSharp said:
From everyone's advise I guess I'll let the soaps/tubs air dry till I return home and only cover if I won't be using it the next morning. Otherwise no harm in leaving it open if I will be using it continuously. Thanks for advise gentlemen
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I'm kind of the opposite. If I'm going to use it the next day, I'm going to close it up. Especially for harder/ish soaps. whatever moisture they have absorbed, I want preserved, so they load easier next time. But, if it is the last time I'm going to use a soap befor eI put it away, I'm going to leave the tub open overnight to dry out befor eI put it away so it doens't get stored with excess moisture in it.

Also, someone previously mentioned a loss of scent..... you'd have to leave a sopa open for a very long time for it to lose an appreciable amount of soap. So I wouldn't let that be a factor in anything.
 
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