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janeo62

TWO soap dispensers installed in kitchen granite countertop?

last year

Has anyone had a separate dish soap AND hand soap dispenser installed in their granite countertop? I strongly dislike the sight of soap bottles on my counter along with the drips/mess they create. I am remodeling with a Kohler Whitehaven undermount farmhouse kitchen sink and a granite countertop. I imagine a single hole kitchen faucet, a dish soap dispenser and a hand soap dispenser - 3 holes in total. I can not find any images online of such an arrangement. In addition, I have never had a granite countertop and am concerned about the soap/water residue from traditional countertop bottles ruining the surface.

Comments (36)

  • last year

    We can be heathens together, S J ... I use the dawn dish soap for my hands, too ... I guess there is a hand soap at out kitchen sink, but I don't think either of us actually uses it. I do have hand soap in the bathrooms.


    Three holes is fine, just think about placement, so if you decide down the road that you don't want two soap dispensers you can use the hole for something else or cover it in an aesthetically pleasing way without repairs.


  • last year

    Your house, you do what you what. I don't like refilling those things, so I would pass, but I don't live at your house

  • last year

    "...I don't like refilling those things..."

    NeverMT to the rescue!

    Depending on how much you use, you may only have to "refill" once a year or so.

    Since it's just a big bottle of detergent (or soap), just put it in the back of your cabinet and attach the hose - done!

    Thread: https://www.houzz.com/discussions/2684497/after-two-years-of-using-my-nevermt

  • last year

    No garbage disposal with a hole for the air-switch?

    Having septic isn't a reason not to have a disposal .... I hate cleaning out a drain strainer, so those small bits go down the disposal.

    As far as refilling the in counter soap dispenser, many here will remember the famous Never-MT soap dispenser kit!

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ScQfLwlkelo

  • last year

    We have a hand-soap dispenser, because we had to drill a hole for an air gap (WA state code). But it would drive me crazy to have my dish soap in a similar dispenser, and have to get all my pans over to the pump, instead of being able to squeeze a bit of soap into the pan wherever it is sitting. Buy an attractive soap dispenser (I use the EVA SOLO, which is pretty dripless), store it on a pretty dish if your granite is fragile. But if you really want a counter pump, dish soap is a fine hand soap. I did that for years, works great.

  • last year

    I haven’t seen that but think it’s a great idea to keep things neat and tidy on the counter area. You’d have to remember which one is which, and you’d probably want a small bottle of dish soap under the sink for when you need to squirt it somewhere the dispenser doesn’t reach.

  • last year

    I had this in my first kitchen and did not find particularly convenient. The issue of which was which and other people trying to use them to turn the water off and on since there were two.

    I have not repeated it in subsequent kitchens. In the second kitchen which was quite open to the LR I kept the bottles down inside the sink.

    It's not a bad idea, but it really didn't work for me. I am on my third kitchen and I have actually made things less complicated rather than more, each time.

  • PRO
    last year
    last modified: last year

    I dislike holes in my counter for soap I have nice looking non drip stainless dispensers if I want toaatlly clean counter I put them in the cabinet under the sink which might happen once ayear they look nice do the job and when they no longer function I can easily replace them. I too use dish soap to wash my hands in fact for me it makes sense in the kitchen to waskh well. BTW I mention 2 dispensers because I have back to back sinks in my island.

  • last year

    To me, they would look very similar and anyone helping out, would not know which is which. I would only use one soap dispenser for dishes next to the faucet and the other would be a no touch hand soap dispenser sitting next to the faucet.

    I must say, I too use dawn to was my hands at the sink. I feel the smell of hand soap in the kitchen, just doesn’t mix with my tomato sauce:-)

  • last year
    last modified: last year

    I keep my Dawn dish soap in the cabinet under the sink and Bath and Body Works Kitchen Lemon hand soap next to the faucet because everyone I know that had holes drilled in counters for soap dispensers regretted it.

  • last year

    I love my single hole drilled dis soap pump. Another heathen here, I use it to was my hands too.

  • last year
    last modified: last year

    I have a Simple Human sensor pump for hand soap. I love not having to touch anything with my dirty hands, but I have a healthcare background so very acclimated to sensors for sanitizer and water.

  • last year

    I love my soap pump too. Wouldn’t change that.

  • last year

    We did 2 in the new kitchen - if I ever move in, I can tell you if we like it or not. I FEAR that the amount of dish detergent that I use is WAY MORE than the hand soap, so it may annoy me. Or - it might reduce the dish detergent use to something "normal". We've had hand soap dispensers in our counters for YEARS (including master bath) and I really like those. COVID brought the touchless dispenser into the powder room, and that's a great add, too.


    Thanks for the Never MT reminder - just ordered 3!

  • last year

    Here I thought the two holes meant one for lotion!! Why would anyone need special hand soap??? At the moment I have two holes but the one is for water that has not gone through the softener for cooking/drinking.

  • last year

    OMG @chispa - first time I think I've ever seen anyone comment on an air switch for the disposal. YAY! I love mine. When we remodeled in 2015 our electrician suggested it; I had never heard of or seen one before. We have septic also and never have had an issue with the disposal. and we're faithful about having the septic pumped (every 3 years, it's just the two of us with a big 1500-gallon tank for a 4-bedroom house).

    I am a heathen and leave my bottle of dish soap on the back ledge of the sink, and yes, I use it too for handwashing! I dislike those built in dispensers.

  • last year

    Like pal, I keep my dish soap in the sink. Actually, it’s a double sink, one of which has a dish drainer suspended over the top half, and that’s the sink where the soap sits.

    I also have one of those cute chrome holders with the pretty bottles of lotion and hand soap, on the counter. Look completely different from the dish soap bottle. DH cannot pay attention to which of the three bottles he pumps for any given purpose. Oh well.

  • last year

    I had one for hand lotion in a past home... loved it!

  • last year

    Btw, are built-in soap pumps ever used in bathroom sinks?

  • last year

    Bpath, no reason you couldn't use one in a bathroom.


    My kitchen built-in soap pump has hand soap. I keep a small bottle of dawn and sponge in the sink on magnetic holders and refill as necessary from large bottle under sink.

    Keeps the view into the kitchen clean and clutter free.



  • last year

    Not sure if other companies have the same thing, but my husband just installed a new sink and faucet for one of our sons. The faucet is by Price Pfister and came with a matching soap dispenser option. The soap dispenser is filled from the top - our DIL loves it!

  • last year

    Yes, it's great to have two soap dispensers.

  • last year

    Not granite but to your left of the faucet is the dish soap dispenser. The white lump above the cutting board is a wall mounted dispenser for lotion and hand soap. The rare person who needs to know is told what one is what and there has never been a problem.


  • PRO
    last year

    " I have never had a granite countertop and am concerned about the soap/water residue from traditional countertop bottles ruining the surface."


    Your concerns are not misplaced. We are creatures of habit and we put the soap bottles back in the same place again and again. Soap gets trapped between the countertop and the soap bottle bottom and wreaks havoc upon any natural or engineered stone top. The mats under the bottles make matters worse:






  • last year

    I bought a plain ceramic oval try with a small lip. I put it to the right of sink and it holds in a row, my hand soap, dish soap, stainer for sponge, and my sink stoppers.....it sits on nylon spacers and I just move the whole thing to clean the counter of water.....but we are each different.

  • last year

    Honestly just use the same dawn dish soap to clean your hands. Less clutter the better. It wont kill you and it's no big deal. I think having 2 separate ones is overkill.

  • last year

    I keep my dispenser in the sink ever since Joseph C mentioned that approach - no more water splashes or build up on the quartzite by the sink

  • last year

    I keep the dish soap under the counter and have a never MT for hand soap. I buy a gallon bottle of hand soap at a time and it usually lasts 5 months.

  • last year

    I dont like soap dispensers in the counters. I hate refilling them, and would never use them, and its very inconvenient, when you need to squirt dish soap into a pan from a dispenser. I also use dishsoap to clean my hands. Guess, there are a lot of heathens here. LOL

  • last year

    My Delta soap dispenser is very easy to refill and I love it. I ve had it for years. A small part on it broke and it was even very easy to replace.

  • last year

    I have double sink. My husband was going to put the dish soap dispenser my right sink side. I said no to my left where I am doing the dirty dishes. The right sink use for clean water rinse pans and non dishwasher items. Use to commerical kitchen set up. Also have RO system on right already used for drinking and for aquariums.

    Not sure why some have the hole for on the right on double sinks unless your left handed and have dishwasher on the right? Hand soap dispenser nah waste time.

  • 3 months ago

    I have two dispensers: one for hand soap (a quality skin care type of soap) and the other for hand lotion! I keep dish soap separatly under the sink because it needs to be portable. Call me extra but this works perfectly for me.

  • 3 months ago
    last modified: 3 months ago

    I am surprised how many people can use dish soap without any issues on their hands. My hands are so sensitive I have to wash dishes with gloves. My hands are so unhappy and dry if I use dish soap on them even once. I see no problem in multiple pumps mounted in your countertop if you are sure you won't change your mind about them. I prefer to have a regular pump of hand soap by the sink and then easily set my bottle of dish soap under my sink when not in use.

  • PRO
    3 months ago

    "I have never had a granite countertop and am concerned about the soap/water residue from traditional countertop bottles ruining the surface."


    Your concerns are well-founded. Bottle bottoms trap soap and moisture which eats stone.

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