The only thing I've ever taken was a tiny bottle of shampoo since I'd used part of it. It wouldn't occur to me to help myself to anything else. Since it's not a food item I figure the maids would just leave the unused soaps and lotions there for the next guest. I even remake the beds before we leave, not to look unused but to look like we took care of their property. I always get mad when I see hotel towels on the beach. Several times I've seen them just abandoned. How do motels and hotels stay in business with all the theft and damages done by rude guests? Do they charge things to the guest's credit card?

Jill, I keep a decorative tray of paper handtowels in the guest bath. I have a cloth towel there also, but that's just for dh and I. I think they sell paper hand towels now at Walmart, but online you can buy the most beautiful colors and patterns to match any bath. And as soon as company leaves, almost before they're out the door, I put the cloth towel in the dirty clothes so neither of us uses it. I'm with you, it grosses me out. My DIL does the same now. Cam, I bet it's the perfume in the liquid soap. Most of them are scented so I wonder if you tried scent free it would be okay? I say this because one day my ds (in high school at the time) showe me his hand and they were peeling really bad. Then I saw him sprinkle his cologne in his hands and not washing them afterwards, and we figured out it was the cologne. It was kind of a funny moment. Last year I tried to save money by buying a name brand liquid soap from the grocery store, after using B&BW for so long, and they don't even compare. So I went back to B&BW. With just the two of us, they last quite a while. Except my SIL always begs for a bottle when she comes over. lol

You can shred them and then overpour the shreds with melted and fragranced (if desired)glycerin soap. You can also rebatch the bars by melting them very slowly with added milk or water. You can do a search on how to rebatch and find some instructions. Susan

First home, I too like making things from scratch, cold processed soap and masalas/currys (I get some of my spices from Sri Lanka, for example) are just 2 of them. I prefer cold process to hot. Some soapers prefer hot processed soap, I always struggled to make them look like store-bought, so I make cold processed and hate rebatching. It is economical? For a few bars definitely not. If you like giving as gifts or going retail, then probably, but you may never give up your day job, to pick this soapmaking up to keep food on the table (bin there, done that). It's a tough slog, some do it, but I would never rely on it now. While you are thinking about picking up tools and supplies, then start looking now. I get the stick mixers for example from second hand outlets, and I keep the buckets which the oils and fats come in to mix soap recipes. Good luck with whatever you choose. B.