Even The Simple Things - Under Sink Soap Dispenser

My Tiny Lav Sink

    The world is a dirty place. Working on your RV can be greasy. Cooking with meat and poultry requires washing of hands to keep healthy. I used to use a bar of soap and/or squeeze some liquid soap out of a bottle each time I washed my hands and depending on which sink. Mainly, liquid cleanser in the kitchen and bar soap near the lav sink. It's not too bad using the squeeze bottle by the kitchen sink, there's one there for washing pots and dishes so it's easy to get to and it doesn't leave a mess when used. The down side is having to grab and squeeze the bottle with dirty hands. Especially if it's poultry related. Right now I solve that by simply washing the bottle when I'm done with my hands. In the Bathroom/Lav sink it's a different story. Bar soap is great, but when it's wet, it makes a mess no matter what you put it on. In the shower I have a vertical "bar soap drainer" that funnels the water down the drain, but that's not practical in the tiny sink. What to do?

My sticks and bricks house had an under the sink mounted soap dispenser. It has a chrome pump handle/nozzle above the sink and a screw on bottle reservoir underneath. You push down on the handle/nozzle and it dispenses some liquid soap. Easy! You pull the pump assembly out from the top and pour soap down into it to fill. Also very easy. Yes, I know the pump handle will get a bit dirty when pumped, but it's really small and easy to wipe clean. You could even use an anti-bacterial wipe. The best part? They are really easy to install.

Of course, you have to buy the dispenser. They are everywhere (Amazon, Walmart, Online) for around $10.00. When it arrives, unscrew the bottle from it and then disassemble the under-the -counter nut and washer. Pull the pump assembly out of the neck. If you are lucky, you have a pre-drilled hole with a plug or cap already adjacent to your sink. If not, you'll have to drill one in the counter surface. This is usually just a Formica like laminate with wood underneath, so it's easy to drill the hole. I do recommend using a hole drilling kit (cheap at a tool store, around $8.95). It will have lots of other uses for various sizes.

Once the hole is drilled, put some plumbers putty or a thin bead of silicone caulk around the perimeter of the hole. Feed the threaded neck into the hole and reach inside the cabinet to thread on the washer and retaining nut. Tighten hand tight only! It's usually just plastic and could break. The rubber washer will stop it from unscrewing while underway. Now just screw on the bottle underneath, fill with liquid soap and replace the pump assembly into the neck. Pump a few times to prime and you are done!


This is way simple and will work great. No more cleaning up the lav sink from bar soap residue or worse, looking for soap you left on the lav sink that flew halfway across the RV because you forgot to put it away before leaving. (Don't ask!)

Rich "The Wanderman"

www.thewanderman.com