How to Make Your Own Foaming Hand Soap from Tablets
By Fillgood | Published: 2026-10-18
Category: How-to Guides
Learn how to turn toothpaste tablets into a zero waste foaming hand soap. This DIY guide gives you a simple, plastic-free recipe using Unpaste tablets.
Quick answer
You can make foaming hand soap by dissolving Unpaste toothpaste tablets in water inside a foaming soap dispenser. The tablets clean hands without plastic waste, and the process takes under a minute. Use 2 tablets per 4 ounces of water for a gentle, effective soap.
Why use toothpaste tablets for hand soap?
Toothpaste tablets are designed to clean teeth, but their ingredients—like gentle abrasives and natural surfactants—also work well for washing hands. Unpaste tablets contain no preservatives or fillers, so they dissolve cleanly in water without leaving residue. This makes them a smart zero waste swap for bottled hand soap.
Using tablets instead of liquid soap cuts out plastic bottles entirely. Each Unpaste package holds 125 tablets, enough for about 60 batches of foaming soap. That replaces multiple single-use bottles over time.
What you need
You need a foaming soap dispenser (glass or durable plastic), filtered or distilled water, and Unpaste Toothpaste Tablets Fluoride Free or Unpaste Toothpaste Tablets with Fluoride. Both flavors—mint and cinnamon—work the same way. The fluoride version adds cavity protection if you also use the soap for brushing, but for hand washing the fluoride-free tablets are perfectly fine.
Steps to make foaming hand soap
- Prepare your dispenser: Clean your foaming soap dispenser thoroughly. Rinse out any old soap residue, then fill it with warm water—about 4 ounces for a standard dispenser. Leave a small air gap at the top. Checkpoint: Don't use hot water; warm tap water dissolves tablets best without damaging the dispenser pump.
- Drop in the tablets: Add 2 Unpaste tablets to the water. Use the fluoride-free version for plain hand soap or the fluoride version if you also plan to use it for brushing. Close the dispenser and shake gently for 10–15 seconds until the tablets fully dissolve. Common mistake: Adding too many tablets makes the soap overly thick and hard to pump. Stick to 2 per 4 ounces.
- Test and adjust: Pump a small amount into your hand. The soap should be thin enough to foam easily but still feel slightly slippery. If it's too watery, add half a tablet more and shake. If it's too thick, add a splash of water. Checkpoint: The soap won't have preservatives, so use it within 2 weeks. Make only what you need.
Product facts
- Unpaste Toothpaste Tablets Fluoride Free: Each package contains 125 tablets, that's a 2 month supply and zero waste replacement for toothpaste. A single package gives you enough tablets for roughly 60 batches of foaming hand soap, drastically reducing plastic waste from traditional soap bottles.
- Unpaste Toothpaste Tablets with Fluoride: Zero waste and plastic free: each package that contains 125 tablets, that's a 2 month supply. If you prefer fluoride for extra cavity protection, this version works the same way in the soap recipe. The tablets dissolve completely and leave no plastic waste.
