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Editor’s Pick
Keeping It Clean: SOAP Refill Station KC
By now, most everyone has heard about the many studies claiming that a plethora of microplastics are circulating through our environment and our bodies. One recent and widely cited Austrian study found that a credit card’s size worth of plastic particles travel through the average person’s intestinal tract every week.
These revelations have people (including Kansas City magazine editors) looking for ways to reduce their plastic product use. A favorite spot to do just this is SOAP Refill Station in KCMO’s Waldo neighborhood.
Sold from sizable self-serve dispenser containers, the largest as big as an oil barrel, SOAP offers everything needed for cleanliness, from shampoos to toilet cleaner. The less-expensive liquid substances can run a bit over a dime per ounce, which is far less expensive compared to store-packaged brands. The cost savings alone is enough to garner return trips from far outside the Waldo area—like two hours far, says owner Anne Dezort.
“It’s worth the savings for them to refill every few months and drive a long way,” Dezort says. “But we do have folks that blast in from a block away as they run out of laundry soap in the middle of a big chore day.”
Customers bring their own containers, which can be anything from mason jars and ketchup bottles to old shampoo and fancy cosmetic containers to refill, she says.
Although the soap products are inexpensive, their quality isn’t cheap. The store’s standard products are called HOUSEbrand, an affiliated closed-loop manufacturing operation in Springfield, Missouri, that includes all natural and sulfate-free options. Outside brands sold in bulk include Dr. Bronner’s, Oneka and EO Products.
In the summer months, SOAP seasonally sells bulk sunscreen and bug spray.
Asked if there is a customer learning curve at the store, which celebrated its fifth birthday in April, Dezort says sometimes. “You are going to have questions, make messes, break something … We are here to help. Let it be weird once.” -Ian Ritter
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