Ever wonder what would happen if you microwave a bar of soap? We were curious so we did. Spoiler alert: there isn’t much to it!
When we microwave soap bars that contain a lot of air — brands such as Ivory or Dove — all that happens is a physical reaction. The air is pushed out of the bar of soap which creates bubbles.
Two things to remember:
- First, use a disposable container when you microwave the soap, this will make clean up less of a hassle after.
- Second, it will be very hot so I recommend that kids be supervised if you will attempt this experiment.
In all honesty, I wouldn’t recommend doing this experiment. It wasn’t much fun nor was it interactive. If anything, it would only be worth doing to satisfy your curiosity.
It will start to bubble around the 90-second mark (depends on how high you set it in the microwave). Once the microwaved soap cools down, the bubbles that foamed out of the soap will harden to whatever shape you leave it in. Despite it’s weird appearance, the soap will still be usable after so no need to throw it out.
Here’s a video of the microwaved soap science experiment:
Activities for Kids at Home 