An OCMD man is making soap out of leftover bacon grease

Bacon lard is "some of the best soap you can use"

Local diner owner saves a few bucks by using his own bacon grease to make a soap that he sells.

OCEAN CITY, Md. - A diner owner in Ocean City is turning bacon grease into soap and soap into a side hustle.

Sam Delauter, owner of the Sunrise Diner, realized that the wasted bacon grease in his kitchen could be repurposed when he remembered a family recipe.

"My great-grandmother did this during the Great Depression," said Delauter. "It was a really common thing to do back then."

To make the soap, he boils and strains the grease to produce a solid, odorless lard. He then combines it with lye, a common soap ingredient, and slices it into bars. After that, it’s fit to sell in a variety of scents, not including bacon.

"It doesn't actually smell like bacon," he clarified. "The bacon smell and everything gets caught in the water."

Delauter’s "Bumble Soap" can be found in shops around Ocean City and at bumblesoap.com.