Speaking of soap dispensers

[fan-of-fans]

Has anyone ever seen these type of soap dispenser in restrooms? I think they're kind of cute, they look like light fixtures in a way or a gumball.

I've never seen these in real life, but I had seen them on TV. Are these based on an old fashioned soap dispensers, they kind of look like something you'd see in an old building but maybe the container would be glass instead of plastic.

http://https//www.sustainablesupply.com/ASI-0371-Soap-Dispenser-Liquid-Push-up-type-16-oz-Surface-Mounted-C1968191?CAWELAID=120205040002070823&CAGPSPN=pla&CAAGID=43105256098&CATCI=pla-394618408047&gclid=Cj0KCQjwl7nYBRCwARIsAL7O7dF_kBT-tMcuHNME3JepqtnrEfL

 

[countryguy]

OMG you must be a youngster! LOL Those soap dispensers were in every restroom when I was a kid in the 60s and 70s.

Gary

 

[circlew]

The elementary school I attended (built in 1952) had soap dispensers like this in all the restrooms.

 

[gansky1]

Push-Up dispensers

Many of this type dispensed powdered hand soap.

 

[daveamkrayoguy]

Well, that is the dispenser my kitchen sink needs & too bad I never thought of just pulling the nozzle off (well, turning it, if the bottle stays in below) to make simply filling it--I have that maschochist streak in me, endlessly going under the sink to remove & endure the even more futile task to replace & keeping the newly-filled contents, that the tiresome task of pouring in, all stay completely intact...

-- Dave

 

[askolover]

Flashback!!!!   Elementary school had those!  I remember that awful smelling soap we used too...almost had a smoky scent to it.  I may need therapy now.

 

[daveamkrayoguy]

And did you have to use those rough brown paper towels, pretty much of newspaper quality, from those large rolls of, cranked out from those heavy metal dispensers, too? Schools haven't changed much from when you've gone & the years & decades later when our soap, too, left you better off just leaving your hands dirty!

 

 

 

-- Dave

 

[askolover]

Dave I'm guessing we are close to the same age from things you've posted on here.  Yes, we had those metal brown paper towel dispensers (more like brown paper bags), push the button and turn the crank.  Characteristic sound.  My elementary school was built in the 20's and had the porcelain on cast iron sinks with cross handled faucets.  High school was built in 1971 (the year I was born) and had the huge round sinks you step on the bar and they squirted water from a central shower sprayer.

 

[circlew]

The elementary school I attended (K-3) had the continuous cloth towel rolls, but the middle school (4-6) had the tan paper towels that cranked out. Jr. HI also had these, and HS until 10th, then they got multi-fold paper towels.

 

[davidatlas]

Pretty but inefficient!

I installed three of these in our small office a few years ago when I remodeled. The problem si that you've gotta cut your liquid soap with water to lower the viscosity, or else it won't even dispense. Even so, getting the right consistency is an inexact science -- lots of wasted soap and frustrated employees, but, they look damn good.

Maybe they'd be better suited for powder but I've never even seen hand-soap in that form.

 

[daveamkrayoguy]

ASKO: Yes, I'm a '70-model, mid-'69 conceived (& probably an attempted "getting knock-up" in '58)...

 

As for grade-school soap, my li'l sis' called it "throw-up" soap... It was vomit-scented, and I don't ever remember the fragrance all the time I was even in my 12th-grade year, ever-improving--now 40-years-later, the soap & towels, and even plumbing fixtures--the oval-shaped sink was an occasional urinal to the wise-acre peeing in it--sure changed to a "that's more like it!", and "what wasn't anything like THIS back then?"...

 

 

 

-- Dave

 

[fan-of-fans]

The soap dispensers I remember most of my school years had pink soap in them. They were square plastic in beige with a brown cover on top and brown pull lever at the bottom and clear where the soap was. There was a little woodgrain sticker that said "Softcare" on it.

I don't remember the soap smell, but I do remember that weird tasting swish stuff in elementary school. It came in a big bottle with a hand pump and we pumped it into a cup and swished and spit in the sink. Each room had a square sink in the counter with a faucet and water fountain. The restrooms were in the corner of each class with just a toilet in them.

I more enjoyed the lice checks with those sticks, if my hair happened to be long it was an enjoyable scalp massage. If short they just brushed hand through hair and said move along! Fortunately never found lice.

 

[sudsomatic]

I guess they DO still make powdered hand soap

Attached link is to Amazon search for powdered hand soap.

I've been looking at getting one of these dispensers for awhile now. Funny, and cool, how they showed up randomly here on one of my favorite sites. Until this post I never heard of powdered hand soap.. obviously we all know they make powdered detergent for clothing but never heard of it for hands. Makes sense though as powdered detergent is what I always used to clean grease off my hands when I worked on cars.

Considering most of the hits are for a legacy brand called Boraxo that's been around for decades and likely what lived in those old restrooms... no wonder those of you with memories of school bathroom powdered dispensers don't look back on it too fondly.. if the soap was 75% Borax, hah.

 

DavidAtlas If you haven't tried it already you should give SoftSoap hand soap a try. It's a much more basic soap mixture than most high end modern hand soaps that are purposely more 'heavy' with lotions and other thickeners added. SoftSoap is much more thin and easy flowing and you can buy it pretty much anywhere.

 

 

http://https//www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=powdered+hand+soap

 

[askolover]

My daddy used to keep a box of Boraxo soap in "his" bathroom to use after work or when doing oil changes in the cars.

 

[fan-of-fans]

Just something I didn't know about these. I was reading reviews on Amazon and some mentioned that the parts are all metal other than the globe. And that some others are entirely plastic. The ones on Amazon are $13 + shipping.

On eBay there is a seller that has them for $10 with free shipping.

So I am thinking the eBay ones might be all-plastic and not metal like the ones Amazon has. So to me an extra $3 each would be worth it to have a metal base instead of just the plastic. I'd probably just order two at the same time which would get me free shipping.

I've compared the pictures but I can't tell much difference between the two. But there does appear to be a slight difference in the bracket.

 

[fan-of-fans]

Well I finally did it.

I ordered some. The ones I got were the ones from Amazon, I ordered two so I could get free shipping, as I don't have Prime. They are EZ-Flo brand and the parts are chrome plated metal, with a brass fitting inside. They seem quite sturdy.

The plastic ones seem to come from a company called ASI. Cambro uses those for their mobile hand wash stations. The internals on those are also plastic it appears.

Anyway I wouldn't be surprised if these all come from the same factory because they all state "made in Taiwan" on the packages regardless of branding.

They are a bit smaller than I was expecting, and mine actually came in bags. They were actually small enough to fit in my mailbox with the rest of the mail... I knew it was coming yesterday but nothing was left at my step, and when I clicked track package it said it was in my mailbox! So I went out and checked and there they were! LOL

 

[retromania]

Soap Dispenser

Yes!