The 5 Best Soap Dishes of 2023

1

Best Overall Soap Dish

Passionier Lofekea Ceramic

$9 at Amazon

Materials: Ceramic, stainless steel, silicone | Includes: 1 dish, silicone pad

REASONS TO BUY

Great drainage system

Keeps soap dry

Cleanest option

Versatile in shape and size

REASONS TO AVOID

Lots of parts

The Passionier Lofekea Ceramic has an intuitive, well-thought-out design that puts the competition to shame. This dish has three parts — a ceramic holding container, a metal rack that holds the soap bar, and a silicone pad that acts as a catchment for excess water and keeps the dish from slipping. These elements work in unison to keep the counter clean and the soap bar dry and allows for easy drainage of excess water whenever the ceramic dish gets full. We especially liked the metal holding rack that sits inside the ceramic container because it stays clean and provides an elevated surface for the bar to rest on. It's also super affordable, adding to the long list of why we love this soap dish.

There was a bit of confusion among our testers about the purpose and usefulness of the included silicone pad. In theory, it keeps the dish from slipping, but in practice, we didn't find the silicone pad to be all that useful.

2

Best Bang for the Buck

Onwon Hawaii Style Wood Soap Dish

$6 at Amazon

Materials: Wood | Includes: 2 dishes

REASONS TO BUY

Inexpensive set of two

Simple design keeps soap dry

Wood is finished

REASONS TO AVOID

Could have durability issues

No drainage system

The Onwon Hawaii Style Wood Soap Dish set is a good choice for a simple wooden set of soap dishes. For the price, it's a fairly durable and well-made product. This set seems to have a more solid finish than the other wooden soap dishes we tested, and the design keeps soap dry and allows for ample drainage.

There are a few issues with this dish design, though. First, there is no catchment system, which means water will drain out onto countertops and create a mess. For this reason, the Onwon dishes may be better suited for the shower. We were also a bit concerned with its overall construction. The slats are simply glued together, so it's possible the dish could come apart after prolonged exposure to water and soap.

3

Best Wooden Dish

AmazerBath Bamboo 2-Pack

$8 at Amazon

Materials: Bamboo | Includes: 2 dishes

REASONS TO BUY

Simple, durable design

Slats make for easy draining

Easy to clean

REASONS TO AVOID

Drains onto counter with no catchment

If you're looking for a straightforward soap dish without any bells and whistles, look no further than the AmazerBath Bamboo 2-Pack. This set is a simple bamboo design made from a single piece of wood. This is an important distinction between the AmazerBath and other wooden options we tested, which are constructed using glue to attach individual slats of wood. Because the AmazerBath is all one piece of wood, it is easier to clean and much more durable. The slats keep the soap bar dry, but excess water drains out onto the counter or side of the sink since this dish doesn't have an integrated catchment system.

Though the AmazerBath keeps the soap dry and fresh, our main gripe is that it doesn't have a great drainage system. If used in the shower, water can just drain out into the tub, but it makes a bit of a mess on a countertop. For these reasons, this dish gets lower scores in both drainage and versatility.

4

Best Ceramic Dish

mDesign Decorative Ceramic

$9 at Amazon

Materials: Ceramic | Includes: 1 dish

REASONS TO BUY

Classic shape

Keeps counter clean, no water leakage

Durable

REASONS TO AVOID

Doesn't drain water

Doesn't elevate soap bar

Aesthetically, the mDesign Decorative Ceramic is one of our favorite soap holders in this review. We love its antique glaze and its timeless shape. This is an excellent option for sink-side use since it keeps excess water off the counter. It can also be used in a shower or bath and will perform similarly. Small ridges keep the soap bar elevated for drying, though they are not high enough to keep the bar entirely out of water.

The biggest design flaw with this dish is there is no drainage. This keeps water contained and off of the counter, but it means your soap can turn into a gummy mess. The only way around this is to drain and clean the dish regularly or to purchase an aftermarket product like a Soap Saver that elevates the soap in the dish and allows it to drain.

5

Best Self-Draining Soap Dish

Yamazaki Self Draining

$13 at Amazon

Materials: Silicone | Includes: 1 dish

REASONS TO BUY

Aesthetically appealing

Keeps soap dry

Extremely durable

Versatile

REASONS TO AVOID

Has to drain into the sink, no catchment

Some soap holders contain excess water and have to be drained frequently. Others are simple designs that allow water to drain from the bottom with no catchment. The final category is the self-draining soap dish, which directs water back into the sink. The Yamazaki Self Draining dish is our favorite of this style. It is subtle, has an intriguing design, and is made entirely of silicone, making it durable and easy to clean. The silicone pegs keep soap elevated and dry, while an angled surface underneath directs water back into the sink or tub.

The self-draining design meant that this dish had to be on the sink itself to drain effectively, which can make the sink area feel overcrowded. Ideally, this dish would probably have its own catchment system, but we liked the aesthetic and materials a lot.

Materials: Stainless steel | Includes: 1 dish, mounting materials

Those who prefer bar soap in the shower will appreciate the chrome-plated, wall-mounted HASKO Suction Soap Dish. This dish suctions onto bathroom surfaces (it works best on tile or plastic shower walls) and holds a single bar of soap, though the basket is rated to hold up to 22 pounds. It is easy to install, even if you aren't incredibly handy. We appreciated the grid pattern of metal that makes up the bottom of the basket, as it can hold a bar of soap until it's paper-thin and almost disintegrating.

As mentioned above, this dish is pretty much only useful for the shower. It also only adheres to specific surfaces, so make sure to check your shower before installing. If the surface it is applied to is porous or uneven (very small tile or wood), then the HASKO won't stick.

Materials: Silicone | Includes: 3 dishes

This fun, flexible, and durable three-pack is an excellent option for a guest bathroom, a kid's room, and other high-use areas. The Aimaiaimai Silicone 3-Pack soap dish is one of two self-draining options in this review. This means it has to be placed on the edge of the sink or tub to drain excess water back into the sink instead of onto the countertop. We liked the shape and feel of this dish, and it is big enough to accommodate large or oddly shaped bars of soap. Since it is both inexpensive and durable, we felt this was a solid option for anyone to outfit multiple sinks with soap dishes.

Perhaps it is the silicone material that the Aimaiaimai is made of, but this dish seemed to attract grime and soap residue. It was the quickest to get dirty of all the dishes we tested, seeming to get covered in soap after only a few rounds of hand washing. Thankfully, it's also one of the easiest to clean since its flexible, silicone body can easily be rinsed off in between uses.

Materials: Stainless steel | Includes: 1 dish, mounting materials

Almost identical in style to our award-winning hanging dish, the HOME SO Suction is a chrome-coated wall-mounted soap dish designed for in-shower use. We appreciate that the suction feature is removable — if you don't like how it was placed initially, it's easy to de-suction and switch up the position. We also like the inch-high wall that holds the soap in and favored the aesthetics of this dish.

Upon installing both hanging soap dishes, we found that one remained in place while the other splatted to the shower floor after about an hour. Unfortunately, we could never resolve this suction issue with the HOME SO dish during our test period. Another notable con of this dish is that the parallel slats allow small slivers of soap to slide out. We found the woven metal bottom on the HASKO's hanging basket to be better than the parallel design of this model.

Materials: Wood | Includes: 2 dishes

The third of the wooden slat-style soap dishes we tested is the Magift 2-Piece Wooden set. These dishes are simple and straightforward in terms of design and construction. Slats are stapled to two longer runners. The middle slats are carved out to create a subtle indentation where the soap bar lies. We appreciated that this wooden set comes with two dishes and a very reasonable price tag. If you are looking for a no-nonsense dish for sink or shower use, the Magift could work for you.

Unfortunately, the tradeoff for affordability is durability. We encountered some issues with the overall quality leaving us less than impressed. One of the dishes failed to hold up as a few of the slats started to come off only after a few days of use. The staples holding them together appeared to detach after very little use/handling. We were also not crazy about the finish of the wood, which was rough and somewhat spotty. It looked like some of the wood had been varnished, while other parts had not. These dishes work decently, but their construction is disappointing.

Why You Should Trust Us

We started this review off with hours of online research to study up on the various types of soap dishes on the market. We then selected the top nine options available online for hands-on testing. Luckily, we've been washing our hands a lot recently, so there were plenty of opportunities to test these soap dishes. Hundreds of rounds of handwashing later, we have selected our top picks and our least favorites among these soap holders.

Our lead soap dish tester, Jane Jackson, has done extensive reviews on household products from bath towel sets to mixing bowls. She has spent almost half a decade assessing the performance of all matter of products. As a trained historian, Jane is no stranger to research. She applies the same attention to detail on her journey through the universe of bathroom products as she does to examining primary documents.

Analysis and Test Results

We considered the following four metrics when testing these dishes. The first and most important was assessing the drainage capabilities of each model. Next, we assessed the ease of cleaning of each. Finally, we compared their versatility and holding ability since some are designed specifically for shower use or for square soap bars rather than round ones.

Drainage System

Out of the nine different soap dishes we tested, we found four distinct designs when it comes to drainage systems. The simplest is the wooden slat-style dish, which holds the soap and allows water to run off between the slats. Our favorite dish with this design is the AmazerBath Bamboo because it is made from one solid piece of wood rather than several smaller pieces glued together. Next is the container-style dish. These holders keep the soap and soapy water contained as a solution to soapy run-off. Our favorite is the Passionier Lofekea Ceramic. Next is the self-draining style dish, which channels water into a sink or away from a countertop. We liked the Yamazaki best. The final design is the wall-mount style dish, which is designed for use in a shower; we preferred the HASKO Suction.

We tested the dishes in this metric by using them a lot. We noted how much water ran off from each use and how long it took for the container-style dishes to fill up. We also documented how much water ran off from the designs that come without a catchment system. The worst performers here were the wooden slat-style dishes, like the Magift, which seemed to spill water everywhere. Similarly, the Aimaiaimai Silicone was finicky to place since the drain spout is narrow.

Overall Cleanliness

Everyone knows what a messy, grimy soap dish covered in old gooey soap residue looks like. Yuck, not the look we are going for in our bathroom. That is why overall cleanliness is the next metric used to assess the performance of these soap holders. We found the Passionier Lofekea to be the cleanest one in this review. Its stainless-steel rack holds the soap while excess water drains below. This keeps the soap dry and limits residue build-up. The mDesign also stayed fairly clean during our test period since it holds excess water above the countertop.

Like the Onwon and the Magift, the wooden models seemed to get dirty the fastest. They are also the most challenging to clean since the slats create numerous small gaps where grime can collect. The silicone options, like the Yamazaki and the Aimaiaimai Silicone get grimy fairly quickly but are also easy to clean. The hanging metal dishes don't get very dirty because they are constantly draining back into the shower after every use. Be careful where you place it, though, since you don't want water to be pounding on the soap bar all the time.

Versatility

This metric was a bit tricky to test as it's somewhat subjective. Based on design and manufacturer information provided, we had to decide what each dish was intended for — shower-only use, sink-side use, or kitchen use. Some worked well in all washing environments, while others were clearly designed for specific uses. Dishes that worked for showers specifically got lower scores than those that work in a variety of applications. The AmazerBath Bamboo is a great versatile option — we liked using it in both the bathroom sink and the shower. We even placed it in our kitchen for testing and liked having it there too. The award-winning Passionier Lofekea Ceramic is super versatile and looks great in all handwashing settings.

The suction-mounted, wall-hanging holders are less versatile because they are really only designed for use in the shower. Both the HASKO and the HOME SO fall into this category. The self-draining options are versatile in that they work in both settings, but they have to be placed carefully so that they drain back into the sink or tub. The Aimaiaimai Silicone has such a narrow spout that it has to be directed into the sink with care, while the Yamazaki has a wider run-off spout to manage.

Holding Ability

Soap bars come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. This metric assesses how each dish works with varying size soap bars. Many of the dishes we reviewed have an oval-shaped indentation in the middle; this works well for small bars but creates an awkward, teetering situation for round bars and oversized soaps. Like the Passionier Lofekea Ceramic, some are rectangular and can accommodate a wide variety of bar sizes. The Yamazaki also worked well with both our round and square test soaps. The HASKO suction dish is big enough to contain a wide range of soap sizes.

The wooden dishes didn't do as well as their silicone, ceramic, and chrome counterparts. Both the Onwon and the Magift have a very small indentation where the soap is meant to lie. Unless the soap is very small, it doesn't fit in the indentation very well. This isn't a huge problem for some, but for others, the wobbling soap bar is a bit of an annoyance.

Conclusion

If you are tired of soggy bars of soap and gooey soap build-up on your sink, it's an excellent time to invest in a soap dish. This simple object keeps countertops clean and soap dry and preserved. Some are great for showers, while others are perfect for sink-side use. This review is meant to guide you toward the proper dish to suit your bathroom accessory needs. Hopefully, we've shed some light on the differences between the wide variety of soap dishes available for purchase.