‘Tab Soap’ Is A Simple, Waste-Free Way To Cut The Cost Of Good Hygiene

While soap may seem like a ubiquitous household item, in certain developing areas of the world, only 1% of homes can afford the luxury. Unfortunately, those who can’t enjoy the benefits of soap are at risk of falling ill and spreading infections to one another more easily.

To address this issue, scientists from the Imperial College London have come up with a single-use, biodegradable “tab soap” that could be an affordable way of bringing up hygiene levels in places that do not have access to regular detergents or running water.

After speaking to residents in the Dar es Salaam and Morogoro regions of Tanzania, the researchers devised a handwashing system that could be scaled up to benefit the masses while making it simple for villagers to clean their hands with soap after going to the bathroom.

Interestingly, the team found that despite soap being the “antidote” to dirt, locals initially perceived it as a contaminated object, making it difficult for them to keep an item near the toilet while feeling assured that the detergent wouldn’t be soiled in the process.

Over the course of the experiment, the researchers allowed households to try five different soap prototypes. This eliminated the soap grater, which was used to recycle leftover soap and personal soaps for each individual in the family.

The Tab Soap—which is made of eco-friendly bamboo-based textiles doused with soap—emerged as the clear winner. Once a tab is used, the remnants can be disposed of in the toilet, where they will decompose on their own.

While feedback was mostly positive, some residents felt that the tabs seemed inefficient, as normal detergent could be used for myriad types of cleaning, whereas the newly-conjured iteration was only meant for handwashing.

However, as the team pointed out, the ease of use is what makes the product difficult to misunderstand. Plus, the single-use tabs ensure cross-contamination doesn’t occur, can be carried anywhere, and don’t require a large amount of water to work.

Could this be the new frontier of handwashing for rural regions around the world? Perhaps, but with such a small sample size, scientists will have to test the product on a larger scale to truly gauge its impact on public hygiene.

[via New Atlas and EurekAlert, images via Edward Brial / EurekAlert (CC-BY 4.0)]