If you purchase a bar of glycerin soap or receive one as a gift, or if you make your own handmade glycerin soap bars, you need to store the bars properly to avoid damage. Glycerin soaps are extremely delicate, soft and susceptible to moisture conditions. Read on to discover several different ways of storing glycerin soaps in order to get the most use from them.

Placing a glycerin soap bar in a soap dish helps keep the soap away from standing water on your bathroom counter, sink or bath surface. Choose a soap dish that's "vented," meaning that it has ridges or holes in the bottom to allow the soap to drain after use. Otherwise, excess water can turn the soap mushy. Soap dishes are made from various materials, ranging from wood to ceramic and any material will work.

If you create your own glycerin soaps, you can use plastic shrink wrap to protect the soaps before selling them or giving them as gifts. Purchase the correct size shrink wrap sleeve to match the size of your soap, then slip the shrink wrap over the soap bar. Use a hair dryer on the low-heat setting to shrink the plastic wrap around the soap bar. Plastic shrink wrap sleeves are available online from soapmaking supply retailers.

Another method of protecting handmade glycerin soaps is wrapping them in regular plastic wrap. Place your glycerin soap bar top down in the center of a small, rectangular piece of plastic wrap. Bring the bottom piece of plastic wrap up over the soap, then do the same for the top piece, stretching it slightly to remove any wrinkles. For the sides, twist the plastic wrap slightly and then let the ends meet in the center of the soap. You can apply clear tape to secure the plastic wrap or affix a product label.

Sometimes glycerin soap bars can sweat due to excess moisture or humidity (such as when you take a bath or shower or if your weather is extremely hot and humid). If you plan to store glycerin soap bars instead of using them right away, place them in an airtight container outside your bathroom.

If you sell your glycerin soaps at a craft show outdoors, make sure to keep them out of direct sunlight. Harsh sun can melt the bars. Choose an easy-up tent to shade your craft booth. If a tent isn't available, construct a "roof" to cover your glycerin soap bars (perhaps out of cardboard). If sweltering temperatures are in the forecast, consider skipping the craft show altogether.