How much is inside Dial Complete foam soap?

Misadventures at cockeyed.com have put my hands into some very messy situations that demanded an exceptional cleaning solution.

For example, back in February I was testing out a new kind of butter for NASA. They were excited that this new, manu-adhesive foodstuff could revolutionize eating in weightless environments, eliminating the need for clumsy straws or potentially dangerous space knives.

The testing process lasted more than 21 hours, and when I was done, my hands were covered with peanut goo. This stuff was like edible liquid nails... it wasn't coming off. 

In a panic, I pored over old television commercials, trying to discover the most effective hand cleaning method. I learned plenty.

The most valuable lesson was surprisingly not from one of our nation's leading tele-scientists. It came from a no-nonsense, small-town beautician named Madge.

I was amazed!

Invigorating hand-soaks are great for washing emergencies, but clearly they aren't appropriate for everyday use.

Enter Dial Complete.

While I was in Phoenix last December I discovered Dial foaming soap. This new soap dispenses a nice pile of foam instead of a dollop of liquid soap. It feels better, is easier and faster than normal liquid soap. It spreads better and rinses off easier. To make a long story short, I am madly in love with this hand soap. It rules.

It is the same price as regular liquid soap, $1.99 per bottle. Dial integrated a foaming dispenser called the Airspray Table Top Foamer. 

Their 2001 press release explains it best: Like the F2 Finger Pump Foamer and Mini-Foamer, the new Table Top Foamer further enhances Airspray’s range of proven, precision-engineered, high-performance dispensers that provide instant, perfect foam -- without chemical propellants.

When you first see foaming hand soap, you will probably notice how thin the soap in the foaming dispenser seems. It sloshes around like Windex in the bottle. The thinness of the liquid is vital to the operation of the extraordinary foaming pump.

Years of judging soap by its viscosity has marred my view of hand soaps. Could this thin soap wield the same cleaning power as traditional soap?

Good question.

 An easier question to answer is: How much is inside? On Saturday night, we decided to find out.

Each squeeze of the pump produces about a tablespoon (1.6 grams) of foam, perfect for washing your hands. Tara made little piles of foam, lining up neat rows for easy counting.

Here are the first 40 piles. This is enough for several days, depending on how many surgeries you are performing.

A few more pumps and half the table was covered.

Tara took a break at the halfway point, her arm was becoming fatigued. We were starting to think we should have bought the full-serve pump.

The Dial Complete went dry just as we were running out of table space.

There were a lot of cleaning piles in that bottle!

The final count was 186. For one man washing his hands three times per day, one bottle could last two months.

Not wanting to waste it, I found a funnel and carefully smeared the soap back into the bottle.

I was able to save most of the foam, and it began settling back into liquid.

Now I'll be able to wash my hands throughout May and June without breaking into the Hyatt.

So there you have it, the inside story on my new favorite soap: Dial Complete. I hope you try it soon.

Finally you'll be able to throw your old bars of soap into the trash. No more time-consuming lathering! No more bar-chewing mix-ups or painful soap-slivers!

Seems like a shame to waste all those bars of soap though. Maybe you could carve a chess set out of them or something.

How to Refill Dial Complete foaming dispensers with regular foam soap.