Soap

Hello there. My name is Soap, and I'm your bubbly friend who helps you get clean. I love making big, fluffy bubbles and washing away all the dirt from a long day of playing. But did you know that a very long time ago, people didn't have me. It was much harder for them to wash their hands and clothes. My story began a long, long time ago, in a place called ancient Babylonia. It was around the year 2800 BCE. I wasn't in a colorful bottle or a fun shape back then. I was a simple, but very helpful, secret that people discovered. I knew right away that I had a very important job to do, and I was excited to get started helping people feel fresh and clean.

My first creators, the ancient Babylonians, were very clever. They figured out that if they mixed ashes from a wood fire with animal fats and water, they could make me. At first, I was used for important jobs like cleaning wool from sheep so it could be made into warm clothes. The Babylonians thought my recipe was so special that they wrote it down on clay tablets so they would never forget how to make me. After a while, my secret recipe traveled all the way to ancient Egypt, around the year 1550 BCE. The Egyptians made a different version of me. They mixed special oils from plants with salts to create a paste. I felt very fancy. In Egypt, I helped people bathe and feel clean, but I also had another important job. I helped doctors keep their tools clean so they could take better care of people. I was proud to help in so many ways.

As hundreds and then thousands of years went by, more and more people learned about me. They discovered that I did more than just wash away dirt you could see. I also washed away tiny, invisible things called germs that can make people sick. I started to change and become even better. People learned to add lovely smells, like lavender and roses, to make me smell wonderful. I started to come in all sorts of fun shapes like stars and animals, and in bright, cheerful colors. Today, you can find me as a solid bar or as a liquid that you pump from a bottle. My most important job is still helping you stay healthy. Every time you use me with water to scrub your hands, you are washing away germs and helping everyone around you stay healthy, too. I’ve had a very long journey, and I’m so happy to be your partner in cleanliness.