"The Many Uses of Ivory"

In my Influenster Mom VoxBox, I received a complimentary bar of Ivory soap to test and review.  I received this item for free from Influenster and Ivory, but the opinions are my own.  At first I thought, "OK. Soap. I guess we will wash with it!"  I opened the package and though the scent was light and fresh, I didn't care for it as a body soap.  I am very sensitive to scents of any kind.  Shortly after, I got online and searched for "Uses of Ivory Soap."  

What I used it for:
The first thing my son and I did was take a sliver of soap and put it in the microwave.  About a minute and a half later, the soap puffed up and made what looked like snow.  There is a lot of science going on here.  If you'd like to read about the physics involved, go here.  We used it as actual snow and played with the lego snowboarder even though it was over 100 degrees outside.

We also used the soap to wash hands.  It felt really clean and I noticed that my ring looked more sparkly afterwards.

I also contacted several friends who make their own laundry detergent like I do.  Remember this post?    I decided to try to make some dry soap instead of liquid soap.  Since I only had about half a bar, I used this recipe:
1/2 c. borax + 1/2 c. super washing soda + 1/4 c. oxyclean + 1/2 bar finely grated soap.  Use 1 to 2 TBSP of mix per load.

What I like about Ivory and Results I saw from the Product
I absolutely love that Ivory has so many uses.  The fact that it is JUST PLAIN SOAP... 99.44% pure makes me very happy as I know I am not using a product with a bunch of fillers I can't even pronounce.  Ivory worked great as soap, as laundry detergent, and as a craft.  It performed as well as other products we've used in its place.  Did I mention how shiny my ring was?!?

Thoughts on Ivory's Value
Ivory is CHEAP!  At less than $0.50 per bar if you pay full retail (or less with a coupon), you can afford it.  For example, the laundry soap mentioned above cost me about $2.00 total to make and will wash over 30 loads.  You can't beat that price.

Recommended Uses for this Product
Are you ready?  As you remember, I started this project looking for "Uses for Ivory Soap."  What I came across was a really cool document from the Procter and Gamble company.  They had a contest on Unusual Uses for Ivory Soap and picked their favorites.  They claim that "Ivory Soap and water will not injure anything that water, alone, will not harm."  You can read the whole document online here.

I read the whole pamphlet and cut and paste my favorites... I hope you enjoy.  I can't wait to try some of these out soon - especially the dust cloths. Those Swiffer brand ones are expensive!  I also thought the "keep your fingernails clean" idea was brilliant.  I also love the quote at the beginning of the book from the Procter and Gamble Company:  "If, at any time, you have a cleaning problem no covered by printed instructions, all that is necessary is to use Ivory Soap and common sense."