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Foam Soap- Why?

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Old Nov 22, 2008 | 12:00 pm
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I am for foam soap. I love how the stuff covers your hands quickly and leaves it quickly without that quirky soapy feeling! Your hands smell better if you use ENOUGH OF THE STUFF on your hands!

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Old Nov 22, 2008 | 12:13 pm
  #17  
 
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If you look in the basin or on the counter below a traditional liquid soap dispenser, you'll find... a lot of traditional liquid soap. After decades of development, the industry has created a formulation too liquid to stick to your hands, yet somehow able to cling to the sink in defiance of torrential rinse water. A person will typically pump two or three times at such a dispenser, but most of that soap will typically slip promptly between the fingers.

Foam soap eliminates the waste and unsightliness of other restroom patrons' pink splotches in the sink. Pump twice and you'll probably get the same amount of cleanser as one crank of liquid soap, but it'll actually stay in your hand.
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Old Nov 24, 2008 | 8:41 am
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Foam soap seems like a good idea, and certainly feels pleasant on the hands, but I agree that it doesn't tend to clean very well.

A previous poster made a good point, however, that it is less messy than liquid. I hadn't considered that.

While we're on the topic, there are few things I hate more (OK, that's an exaggeration) than those "automatic" soap dispensers that eject a shot of soap when you put your hands underneath. They never work well! I realize that part of the purpose is to ration the quantity of soap that is dispensed, but I am tired of having to move my hand around frantically several times just to get a shot.
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Old Nov 24, 2008 | 8:47 am
  #19  
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In a public restroom, no way do I want bar soap, ew. People don't rinse it and you get all their old dirt and uck.

I like both liquid and foam soap. No complaints on either from me. I only have a bar of soap in the house for when my dad visits (he says he wants "boy soap" and the liquid stuff is too "girly"). Otherwise, all guests have both liquid/foam soap at the sinks and shower gel in the shower.
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Old Nov 24, 2008 | 8:49 am
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Foam soap is infinitely better than the sickly smelling heavy pink soap that is so common. That stuff just reeks!
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Old Nov 24, 2008 | 11:48 am
  #21  
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Originally Posted by mecabq
Foam soap seems like a good idea, and certainly feels pleasant on the hands, but I agree that it doesn't tend to clean very well.

A previous poster made a good point, however, that it is less messy than liquid. I hadn't considered that.

While we're on the topic, there are few things I hate more (OK, that's an exaggeration) than those "automatic" soap dispensers that eject a shot of soap when you put your hands underneath. They never work well! I realize that part of the purpose is to ration the quantity of soap that is dispensed, but I am tired of having to move my hand around frantically several times just to get a shot.
I think the idea is that you don't need to touch the dispenser. I just wish the sensors worked properly.
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Old Nov 24, 2008 | 12:32 pm
  #22  
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Originally Posted by Loren Pechtel
I think the idea is that you don't need to touch the dispenser. I just wish the sensors worked properly.
Add to the existing complaint that I have about foam soap
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Old Nov 24, 2008 | 1:09 pm
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Originally Posted by Loren Pechtel
I think the idea is that you don't need to touch the dispenser. I just wish the sensors worked properly.
Add me as one who likes foam soap.

Sensored dispensers are another matter. I hate the part that one earlier poster mentioned: Having to wave your hand around under the nozzle to get the dispenser to work (same is often true for sensored faucets). And worse, as you're waving your hand back and forth, the squirt finally comes out just after you pulled your hand away. Splat! Try again!

Sometimes, I look around to see if I can spot the hidden camera....
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Old Nov 24, 2008 | 1:39 pm
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Originally Posted by Loren Pechtel
I think the idea is that you don't need to touch the dispenser. I just wish the sensors worked properly.
Yes, I have real issues with the overly sensitive ones that shoot some soap on your wrist when you're actually washing your hands.

The one I'm thinking of was liquid soap, so that's a general issue not due to the foam though.
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Old Nov 24, 2008 | 7:57 pm
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Other issues aside

as far as I can tell, I can spread foam "soap" faster and more thoroughly than I can the gel or bar version.
(I gather we're using the term "soap" here to mean the stuff we use to wash our hands, but technically it's probably really a detergent with suitable chemical properties.)
I'm big on the triclosan version, but I believe it's not really a necessary ingredient given the alternative of time to lather and rinse for a whole minute---but who has time for that--unless you're a surgeon prepping up?
...then there's always the foam party at Babylon...

Last edited by dcutcher; Nov 28, 2008 at 4:33 pm Reason: I just thought of "another Issue"
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Old Nov 24, 2008 | 8:08 pm
  #26  
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I love foam soap! It feels good on my hands, and smells good too.

I remember those old "dot" residue that you pushed to come out of the dispensor. Make sense? That was nasty, and rough on your hands! Rare to find nowadays.

Liquid soap is OK. Antibacterical liquid soap is the worst... strong smelling.

Just my 2 cents.
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Old Nov 24, 2008 | 8:11 pm
  #27  
 
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I personally can not stand foam soap. I always feel like I have to use three or four pumps to get an amount of soap substantial enough to feel clean. With liquid soap, one pump and I'm ready to go.
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Old Nov 24, 2008 | 8:31 pm
  #28  
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Originally Posted by ajax
Every toilet in Heathrow seems to have foam soap (even T5!) and thus every time I visit, I have to wash my hands about three times to get them clean.
Uh ...

Maybe we don't want to know what you're doing in there that requires such industrious hand cleaning.
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Old Nov 25, 2008 | 8:40 am
  #29  
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I too am in the anti-foam soap contingent. I don't understand the point of it, except it's cheaper to make. My friends make their own foam hand soap by putting a dash of dishwashing soap in a standard liquid-hand-soap bottle, filling with water, and shaking vigorously.
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Old Nov 25, 2008 | 4:33 pm
  #30  
 
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I don't care for either foam soap or liquid soap.

Foam soap--too weak, I feel like I need to wash my hands again.
Liquid soap--too strong, hard to wash off.
Bar soap--just right!

That's why I always carry a small bar of soap with me on trips.
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