If you've ever gone into a public restroom and noticed a soap dispenser but had trouble figuring out how to get it to cooperate, we're here to help! In the article below, we'll give you step-by-step instructions on how to successfully operate this contraption. Now go forth with confidence on that next bathroom trip!

This dispenser is found in most public restrooms. It is a large, white boxy thing with a clear plastic window on the front. Inside the casing of the dispenser are bar soap and a lever that you pull down to release some of it into your hands. But when you do this, nothing happens! Everyone else seems to have no trouble getting soap out, so what's wrong with you?

The following are three common reasons why this occurs:

1. The soap needs some agitation.

When you first try to get the soap out, the soap dispenser is not used for a while. Therefore, it is likely rather clogged. Solution: Tap the dispenser with your hand a few times to agitate the soap inside. This makes it more liquid and thus more easily dispensed into your hands when you pull down the lever.

2. The lever is stuck

If you are having trouble getting soap out, that is the most common of the three problems, and it is probably your problem, too. Solution: Pull down on the lever a few more times. If it continues to be hard to release soap, first use one hand on that side of the lever, then the other. And again, pulling down will usually cause the soap dispenser to let go of its pail and release some soap.