Soap Dishes

A soap dish is a relatively simple household item.  It is usually a square or oval shaped dish that sits at the side of the sink or on a shower ledge.  It is made to hold soap.  Pretty simple.  It would be easy to never think twice about the soap dish you use everyday, but you should take a bit of time to see what choices you have and to figure out what style will complement your bathroom décor.

Recess is out
While most bathroom sinks have a built-in recess to keep slippery soap from sliding away (think back to your first apartment), that area quickly gets caked with soap residue.  And you probably know how difficult, ironically, soap can be to clean up.  Use that space instead to hold a nice looking soap dish.  This will cut down on clean up time and provide a tidier looking sink area.

Let it dry
The main thing to have in a soap dish is significant drainage.  Without this, your soap will not last as long.  Standing water in the dish will dissolve the soap quickly.  This is the reason you have found a bar of soap to be mushy; the right drainage will prevent this from happening.  This is of particular importance if you use fancy expensive soap.  Good drainage allows the soap to dry in between uses and can as much as double the life of each bar.

The look
A quality soap dish can add a subtle touch of style to your bathroom.  If you have a specific aesthetic to your room, then choosing a dish might be an easy task.  Say you have an Asian motif happening, then you might want to go with a simple wood or bamboo dish.  These are often nice in a light finish with clean lines.  Look for a "crate style" dish or "ladder style," where the soap lays across thin wooden bars much like the rungs of a ladder.

For a more traditionally ornate look, check out an engraved nickel dish.  These rich looking accessories look great with dark walls and baroque style fixtures.  Keep in mind, though, that you do not want the metals of your fixtures to clash with the dish.

For an eclectic look, you may want to take a bit more time to find the dish that suits your room.  There are literally hundreds of styles out there to choose from, so don't rush it.  You might like a brushed chrome dish or a mosaic glass one.  There are also plenty of fun dishes for kids' bathrooms-anything from animal shapes to cartoon characters and superheroes.

More information on Soap Dispensers