The Spikava: Artisan Cotton Soap Saver

What is a Spikava?

A Spikava (pronounced spike-ava) is a proprietary, heavy-duty cotton soap saver pouch designed by Spiked Handmades. Made from soft, durable cotton mesh, a Spikava acts as a premium washcloth that is custom-sized to hold larger luxury artisan bars—or smaller leftover pieces. It protects the soap, builds thick lather, and allows the bar to hang dry securely between uses to extend its lifespan.

Origin: Spike (the heavy iron anchor of a railroad track) + Ava (from the Latin root lavare, meaning to wash or build lather).

The Daily Wash Cotton Soap Saver A railroad spike drives into the timber to hold the track together. The Spikava is built to do the exact same thing in the shower. It is the anchor that holds your luxury soap together, driving up thick lather with the smooth, familiar feel of a premium washcloth.

This design is a piece of Spiked Handmades heritage. Originally hand-hooked by our family to survive the daily routine of a railroader, the Spikava uses a soft but durable cotton mesh engineered specifically to protect and extend the life of your premium artisan soap while delivering a smooth, comfortable wash.

Why You Need It on the Line

• Built for Heavy Freight: Most generic soap savers are designed for small, standard-cut soaps. The Spikava was custom-designed specifically to easily accommodate the larger, heavier size of our artisan bars without stretching or fighting the mesh.

• The Smooth Wash: The soft cotton weave glides comfortably over the skin like a traditional washcloth. It effectively cleans away daily dirt and grease without the harsh, scratchy feel of an aggressive exfoliant.

• Building the Lather: The thick cotton loops trap air and water, instantly whipping our home-brewed beer and grass-fed tallow soaps into a dense, heavy lather with minimal effort.

• Keep the Tracks Dry: A premium soap with a minimum 8-week cure needs to stay out of standing water to survive its full lifespan. The secure drawstring allows you to hang the Spikava high and dry, ensuring your soap hardens properly between every shift.

• No Wasted Payload: The interlocking mesh is designed to hold everything. Whether you are loading a full, large-format bar or dropping in those final, hard-to-use slivers, the Spikava fuses them together so you use every last ounce.

Operation & Maintenance

1. Load: Drop a full Spiked Handmades bar, or smaller pieces, directly into the pouch and pull the drawstring tight.

2. Lather: Wet the Spikava and wash directly on your skin to create a nice, creamy lather and wipe away the day.

3. Hang Dry: Rinse the suds off the mesh and hang it from a hook or caddy out of the direct stream of water. Leave the soap inside—it will dry perfectly in the open air, ensuring it doesn't melt away between uses.

4. Maintenance: When it's time for a fresh bar, toss the empty Spikava into the washing machine on a standard cycle to keep the cotton clean and reset the weave.

Unique Colors & Patterns Each Spikava is crafted in small batches, meaning every pouch has its own unique color and pattern. Your Spikava will normally be selected at random when your order is packed. Have a color in mind? Drop a note in the Color Preferences (Optional) box above. While we can't guarantee every color is always in stock, we will do everything we can to accommodate your request.

nd reset the weave.