Small DIY & Crafts

DIY Custom Soap Dispenser

I couldn’t find a fancy soap dispenser to fit in the space I needed, so I made my own DIY custom soap dispenser using a cheap plastic bottle and paint

I couldn’t find a fancy soap dispenser to fit in the space I needed, so I made my own DIY custom soap dispenser using a cheap plastic bottle and paint

When we upgraded our bathroom vanity to include double sinks, I used to have two different soap dispensers in there.  After a while, that didn’t make sense to me – since I always had two different soap dispensers to fill and clean all the time!  I find it’s more cost effective (and less wasteful) to just buy a big tub of liquid hand soap for refilling, rather than always buying new soap dispensers whenever they run out.  This is the story of my DIY custom soap dispenser!

– Note: This post contains affiliate links. See more information about affiliates here

I don’t think I’ve ever bought a “fancy” soap dispenser before, you know something made of glass and/or that matches the bathroom décor (like the one I mentioned here).  I’ve always just gotten the plastic dispensers (and still refilled them – talk about being extra frugal!).

Fast forward a few months after I switched to one soap dispenser, and my Grandpa gave me my Grandmaman’s lipstick holder that he had in his bathroom (he was selling his house and most of his things) and wanted me to have it.  I also inherited/grabbed the two statues on our wedding shelf (and some other things that I have throughout my house).  But anyways, back to the bathroom!

I couldn’t find a fancy soap dispenser to fit in the space I needed, so I made my own DIY custom soap dispenser using a cheap plastic bottle and paint

So I put my plastic soap dispenser in the center part of the lipstick holder, and it just happened to fit perfectly. All the while I would visit stores and check out their soap dispenser options to see if I could get something as narrow as the one I had… but fancier…

It’s actually harder to find a skinny soap dispenser than you might thing!

Finally, I decided that I was going to make this plastic soap dispenser a bit prettier (goodbye fishies!) so I could at least pretend we were fancy people.

I couldn’t find a fancy soap dispenser to fit in the space I needed, so I made my own DIY custom soap dispenser using a cheap plastic bottle and paint

The first thing I did was clean out the bottle and remove one of the labels.  I used Goof-Off to take the sticky residue off, but if you wanted to do this without using a “chemical” I’ve had a lot of success with peanut butter (you slop the peanut butter on, then leave it for a few hours or overnight and wipe it off).

I couldn’t find a fancy soap dispenser to fit in the space I needed, so I made my own DIY custom soap dispenser using a cheap plastic bottle and paint

I kept one of the labels on because I was planning on removing it after I had given it a good coat of spray paint (to have a clear window and see how much soap I had left!).

I couldn’t find a fancy soap dispenser to fit in the space I needed, so I made my own DIY custom soap dispenser using a cheap plastic bottle and paint

I use this copper spray paint a lot!  (For example: on the Christmas balls I painted and the Halloween lanterns too).  Fun Fact: this was actually the reason why I bought this spray paint in the first place – to paint my DIY custom soap dispenser :)

I couldn’t find a fancy soap dispenser to fit in the space I needed, so I made my own DIY custom soap dispenser using a cheap plastic bottle and paint

After giving it a good coating in my spray paint zone (aka the crawlspace) I let it dry for a bit and did any touch-ups if necessary (it looks a lot more gold in this photo than copper).

I couldn’t find a fancy soap dispenser to fit in the space I needed, so I made my own DIY custom soap dispenser using a cheap plastic bottle and paint

Here we go – this colour is more accurate!  Once dry, I took a utility/X-acto knife and carefully traced along the seam left from the label.

I couldn’t find a fancy soap dispenser to fit in the space I needed, so I made my own DIY custom soap dispenser using a cheap plastic bottle and paint

I didn’t want to cut through the bottle of course (that would have been a disaster!); I just wanted to score along the tape to separate the paint so it wouldn’t peel when I removed the label.

I couldn’t find a fancy soap dispenser to fit in the space I needed, so I made my own DIY custom soap dispenser using a cheap plastic bottle and paint

Another quick spritz and wiping of the Goof Off and my DIY custom soap dispenser was ready to be filled!  We normally use clear soap around here, but I’ve known to go “crazy” and add some coloured soap every now and then!  At one point I also had stuck a letter “S” sticker on the front (you know, to tell guests it was soap in case they were confused) but it eventually fell off… hopefully people have figured out it was soap by now?

I couldn’t find a fancy soap dispenser to fit in the space I needed, so I made my own DIY custom soap dispenser using a cheap plastic bottle and paint

And, in case you want a more accurate picture of how our little bathroom display looks, here she is!  I keep my floss in the center and used the lipstick holders for tube shaped things like lipgloss, After Bite, etc.

I couldn’t find a fancy soap dispenser to fit in the space I needed, so I made my own DIY custom soap dispenser using a cheap plastic bottle and paint

We’ve used this DIY custom soap dispenser for well over a year now, and the paint hasn’t really worn off.  There are some water spots/stains, but for some odd reason it makes it look like real aged copper rather than plastic (or maybe I just tell myself that?).  It was only meant to be a temporary solution until I found a replacement, but it does the job and I can’t see myself buying a new soap dispenser anytime soon.

What kind of soap dispensers do you have in your house?  Fancy or thrifty?  Liquid or bar?  Let me know!

Subscribe & Follow

Newsletter

You Might Also Like

4 Comments

  • Reply
    Annette
    January 30, 2016 at 5:05 pm

    very clever re-use of plastic, I like that.

    • Reply
      Nicole
      February 2, 2016 at 4:20 pm

      Thanks! You could use a lot of empty bottles/jars for things all over the house, and jazz them up with paint of course

  • Reply
    The Decor Guru
    March 20, 2016 at 9:44 pm

    Great idea! I love spraypaint but never thought of making over one of those dispensers. That can save a decent amount of money instead of buying one!

    • Reply
      Nicole
      March 21, 2016 at 9:05 am

      I’m going to be attempting this project again soon – it’s a good idea if you have a certain shape in mind that you can’t find in a “fancy style” dispenser

    Leave a Reply

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.