Every once in a while I pop over the deabath.com website, because those folks always are digging up interesting vintage bathroom treasures from the deep dark recesses of California and other western state warehouses. Sure enough, right there to greet me on the homepage were these very happy New Old Stock (NOS) “Soap ‘Tainers” in a rainbow of happy midcentury pastel colors, as well as black, white and gray. John at deabath (which has been a longtime advertiser here) tells me, “We found two full cases and a part of another in a defunct warehouse in Fresno”.
These were made by Radson Engineering Corp., of Decatur, Illinois. John says that they are made from plastic. I think he told me they are pretty heavy duty, though (confirm if you want to buy one.) It’s great to see the box graphics — they give you a sense of their size, pretty big.
I actually talked to John on the phone about these. I think he told me that the soap sits on a little platform. You turn the rotor knobby thingie and the platform moves down to deliver the soap to you. When you are done washing your hands, the soap goes back on its platform and your knobbie it back up into its hiding place.
Yes, it all seems like a lot of work to keep your soap out in hiding. But, what a wonderful oddity to add to our archive.
And, you can add this woddity to your bathroom, if you move fast: I count a total of 26 Soap ‘Tainers currently available, in a variety of colors, they are $49 each.