To find this bizarre? Friend and soap

[SplodgePocket]

A friend came around earlier as I had a half day. Before she left, she said she was just popping to the loo. I then heard her call a minute later, “Splodge? There’s no soap”.

I have a dispenser, so I assumed it had run out and called back that there was some on the side of the bath. There was a pause and she called back, “No, not here”. I knew it was there so replied, “Just against the wall, behind the shower screen”. Again, a pause before a bewildered “No…”

I was completely confused now, as I knew very well it was there. I went through to the hall and she was standing in the doorway looking baffled. I went in, looked behind the screen and sure enough, there it was. I handed it to her and said, “Here, see?”

She burst out laughing and said, “Ohhhhh!! It’s shower gel!!” I was a bit confused and replied, “Well yes; soap, shower gel… whatever”. She was smiling at me a bit like I was a child who’d made a comical mistake. She said, “You said soap. This is shower gel. Show-er gel.” With the last bit really slowly, like she wasn’t sure English was my first language.

I was really taken aback. Who is this bizarrely literal? Surely it’s all pretty much the same thing? I thought maybe she was looking for a bar of soap and this was what had confused her somehow, but surely when you couldn’t see it you’d think “it must be the stuff in the bottle”? And even if you didn’t, wouldn’t you just have used the shower gel anyway?

I’ve never noticed her take things so literally before. Is it me or is this just really odd?!

I can’t believe you think the difference between a wine glass and a mug is the same as the (lack of) difference between liquid soap and shower gel.

It’s the fact that you (and others) STILL think I have some bizarre aversion to buying soap and putting it on the sink.

I.
Had.
Run.
Out!

This 100%. If I was alone in your house and couldn’t find soap I would use the shower gel. But I would not have thought you were referring to the shower gel when I asked for soap.

She didn’t ask you where the liquid soap is though?

I never said it wasn’t a substitute! And I didn’t think an adult would need to be told! Obviously based on this thread a worrying number would…

I assume she, and you, know that soap does indeed come in liquid form though? Unless she thought I’d mashed a bar up to put in the dispenser?

That I entirely agree with. But it's a separate point to the assumption OP never has soap which has bafflingly been made by a lot if people

Thank you. Yeah, I get that. I did get confused a bit at first but they're still different things with different names. Lol. I'll stop now!

She has a very valid point and you know it, I said something similar in an earlier post

Can you not see the point that she is making as it is blatantly obvious to me?

Exactly, I said the same but the OP doesn’t seem to be able to see this at all

I think it’s less of a difference if anything, so I think you’re just very stubbornly refusing to accept it was really weird of you to say there’s some (soap) on the bath when you meant feel free to use the shower gel as an alternative.

I wouldn’t find it odd if a friend grabbed a mug and used that for any drink. I would find it a bit peculiar if they took it upon themselves to wash their hands using my expensive shower gel…?

Before you start “but I told her to! But it’s cheap! It’s all that was there!” yes, I read the thread. I’m just saying it’s not about function, it’s about terminology. It’s not referred to as soap, you refusing to just say “use shower gel then” is what made it confusing. Alternatively, I would have accepted your friend calling back “there’s shower gel here, shall I use that?”

I don’t know it and I don’t agree with it!

A mug is for hot drinks. A wine glass is for wine. Liquid soap and shower gel are both cleansing products that look virtually identical.

Before you start “but I told her to! But it’s cheap! It’s all that was there!” yes, I read the thread. I’m just saying it’s not about function, it’s about terminology. It’s not referred to as soap, you refusing to just say “use shower gel then” is what made it confusing. Alternatively, I would have accepted your friend calling back “there’s shower gel here, shall I use that?”

You would have “accepted” it? You’re not Jeremy Paxman on University Challenge!

And I didn’t “refuse” to say “use the shower gel”. I didn’t think it would need to be said!

Ok. Well, after 16 pages of people saying it did, you’ll know for next time.

A mug is for drinking, a wine glass is for drinking. You can absolutely put wine in a mug. They do look different but they work the same as receptacles; although only one-way – you couldn’t put hot tea in a wine glass.

Shower gel and soap can both be used for cleaning but they look quite different, on account of one being labelled “shower gel” and one being labelled “soap”.

But it’s fascinating that you’re willing to be loosey-goosey with your cleaning liquids yet intransigent on drinking receptacles. It’s almost like you’re now too committed to the shower gel bit to admit they’re called different things, but your feelings on mug use reveal your true perspective: each item/product has one use only.

I've voted YANBU mainly because I have enjoyed your responses so much 😂

Not sure about the actual situation TBH, I can see it from both sides.

I don’t think anyone is rummaging around in the shower looking for handsoap after using the bathroom though.

A mug and a wine glass are both containers that are capable of holding liquid, eg you could drink cold water / juice from either

Her point is valid

I do it all the time but I do decant it into a dispensed by the sinks

Functionally, there is little or no difference between shower gel and liquid soap. But if I was washing my hands after using the loo, I would be a bit unsure about grabbing a bottle out of the shower. I know my hands aren't filthy, but there could be urine or traces of faeces on my hands, and I wouldn't want to leave that on someone's shower gel, to end up on their hands.

When I was a theatre nurse, it was drummed into us that we should touch the bottles with the handwash solution in them as little as possible - we had elbow operated dispensers at the sinks where we scrubbed up for surgery - so maybe I am overcautious in normal, day to day situations, because of years of training on handwashing practices.

I am probably hugely overthinking this, @SplodgePocket - but it's how I'd use the product, not the product itself that I'd worry about.

Can I ask those of you saying you’d never wash your hands with shower gel why it’s different to using it on the rest of your body?

Yes, because how do you shower without washing your hands too!🤔

How the hell has this thread reached nearly 400 replies?! 🤷‍♀️

Yes and what most people have replied over and over again is that unless she specifically said “oh use the shower gel instead” it wouldn’t occur to them to use shower gel when they ask for soap and op says it’s by the bath even though most people will readily accept that they do the same job. It’s the communication that’s the issue, not the idea of using shower gel to wash your hands.

I mean, yeah I know that. I also replied saying that at the start of the thread.
My point here was to correct a poster who kept saying OP used shower gel as a rule, instead of when she runs out of hand soap. Which OP has repeated over and over again.

It is !