Cleanup Soap by Hideaki Matsui

The design begins with a powerful idea: what if washing your hands could make a landmine disappear? Designed by Hideaki Matsui in 2006 while studying at Parsons School of Design, the project features three natural soaps moulded into the shapes of real mines.

As the soap is used, its dangerous-looking form slowly melts away. Matsui developed the project with help from Adopt-A-Minefield, turning this everyday ritual into a reminder that real minefields can also be cleared.

Available in coconut and rosemary-mint scents, the soaps donated 25 percent of their selling price to mine removal and survivor support. The project received the Best of Category award in I.D. Magazine’s 2007 Student Design Review.