soap question

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made a big batch os soap last year, still have over half of it. Just use it in the shower, starting to use it in the sink for dishes. How do any of you use homemade soap?, Laundry? anything else? I put a piece os it in a jar with water, till it gets soft, and use that for the dishes, any other ways?

-- STAN (sopal@net-port.com), June 11, 2000

Answers

Okay, so I have never made soap and would like to.... but when I looked for lye all I could find was the drain cleaner. It didnt have any directions for making soap, so is that the right kind of lye? This is probably a stupid question, but I just didnt know so I didnt try it.

Anyway Stan, what about grating it with a cheese grater? I would think that would work for laundry or dishes. Seems like adding water it could also be used in a pump for soft soap? Maybe! Good luck Tami

-- Tami Bowser (windridg@chorus.net), June 11, 2000.


Here goes Stan. I checked my listing of articles for Soap and found the following: Page SOAP MAKING 048 7/92 SOAP COUNTRYSIDE HERBAL SOAP BALLS 040 9/92 SOAP COUNTRYSIDE SOAP MAKING - SOFT 012 11/92 SOAP COUNTRYSIDE SOAP MAKING 049 11/92 SOAP COUNTRYSIDE REAL DIRT ON SOAP AND DETERGENT 006 7/94 SOAP COUNTRYSIDE COLD STIRRED, NO COOK LYE SOAP 057 11/94 SOAP COUNTRYSIDE BASIC OF MAKING SOAP 038 3/95 SOAP COUNTRYSIDE SOFT SOAP RECIPE 014 5/95 SOAP COUNTRYSIDE OLD SOAP RECIPE 075 5/95 SOAP COUNTRYSIDE HOW TO MAKE GOAT MILK SOAP 066 7/95 SOAP COUNTRYSIDE SOAPMAKERS SWAP IDEAS 096 9/95 SOAP COUNTRYSIDE NATURAL SOAP BOOK 071 7/96 BOOKS BACKWOODS SOAP RECIPES: SEVENTY TRIED AND TRUE WAYS 076 9/96 BOOKS COUNTRYSIDE LEARN TO MAKE SOAP 051 11/96 SOAP COUNTRYSIDE SOAP: A SATISFYING, CREATIVE ADVENTURE 051 11/96 SOAP COUNTRYSIDE SOAPMAKING AFFECTED BY WEATHER 052 11/96 SOAP COUNTRYSIDE CAN YOU MAKE SOAP WITHOUT LYE 038 3/98 SOAP COUNTRYSIDE BASIC SOAP MAKING 117 7/99 SOAP COUNTRYSIDE HELPFUL HINTS, HOT WATER, NEWSPAPER LOGS, SOLAR DRYER, SOAP 011 1/00 MISC COUNTRYSIDE MAKING SOAP, LAUNDRY 076 1/00 SOAP COUNTRYSIDE

-- Betsy (betsyk@pathwaynet.com), June 11, 2000.

Well I tried, but the computer won't put in spaces and tabs when I pasted from the database. It starts with the title, page #, Issue date, if you can figure it out. Sorry!!

-- Betsy (betsyk@pathwaynet.com), June 11, 2000.

Tami, go back to the store and look for Red Devil lye in the drain cleaner section. Most stores do carry it. Just be careful if you use a recipe that calls for a can of lye-weights have varied greatly over the years and most of these recipes are old.

Stan, grate it, and if you're waters pretty hard, melt it in some hot water before putting it in your washer. Doesn't hurt to add a cup of cheap white vinegar to the rinse to help cut the soap scum. You could also carve it (save the scraps to use) into sculptures. Gerbil

-- Gerbil (ima_gerbil@hotmail.com), June 11, 2000.


Well, soap is good for self, laundry, and sundries in between. You msy want to dry or pulverize it, but it doesn't go bad in general. Good luck.

-- Anne (Ht@Hm.com), June 11, 2000.


I have a question too...I have a recipe for castile soap w/olive oil...can I substitute goat milk for some or all of the water called for?

-- Michelle (thepieplace@techlne.com), June 12, 2000.

Michelle....Soap is picky, better find a recipie that uses milk in it, and don't substitute stuff, unless you are more experienced! My Mom used to make soap out of the cooking grease that her school cafeteria threw out (it was solid, not the liquid stuff that they use now). It made a light brown soap that she grated into the washing machine; she washed all our clothes in it for years. It worked for her, since they had a water softener. Soap used in hard water forms scummy "curds" that are sometimes hard to get out of the clothes. If you have soft water, go for it! Or maybe get some Calgon additive, to make your water soft?

A funny story about my Mom's soap; the soap came out carmel colored, like the color of brown sugar icing, and really thick textured. My little brother came in from outside, and was in the kitchen for just a minute. He walked into the family room with the strangest look on his face, and said, "That isn't cake in there, is it?" The kid tried to taste it...it's a wonder he didn't burn a hole in his tounge! Un- aged soap is CAUSTIC!But Mom had been after him about sneaking snacks between meals....!

-- Leann Banta (thelionandlamb@hotmail.com), June 12, 2000.


Michelle: Marilyn who posts to this site, makes EXCELLENT goat's milk soap. Don't have her recipe, but when her comupter is back up and running, perhaps she will share it with you. It's wonderful! Jan

-- Jan in Colorado (Janice12@aol.com), June 12, 2000.

Thanks!! :-)

-- Michelle (thepieplace@techline.com), June 12, 2000.

For laundry, grate the soap into the water in the washing machine, let it agitate a bit then add the clothes. I grated some directly onto the clothes once and had bleached spots on the childrens new school clothes I had made. The wore them anyway but, I never made that mistake again. Just found a health food store here that has changed owners and is selling off soap making supplies cheap. I haven't made soap for years but think I will begin again. Anyone know what palm kernal oil should cost? They have other supplies as well because they used to teach soapmaking classes. I was able to purchase the remainde of their stock of tincture bottles for a dollar apiece.

-- Cheryl Cox (bramblecottage@hotmail.com), June 12, 2000.


You can also grate it down, melt it, and add all sorts of scented oils, honey, milk, vitamin e, pumice, oatmeal, rose petals,etc.,etc.......like the fancy ones bought in gift shops. They call it "hand-milled" soap. Unfortunately I haven't had an opportunity to try and the my book is packed away (like most everything else for the last 1 1/1 years!) so I can't give specific guidlines as to amounts or cautions. I do remember that you make sure that the soap has aged a while so you don't have caustic dusts floating around your head, and that at this point the soap is supposed to be less tempermental about what you add.

Does that help? I wish I knew where that book was!

-- Novina (lamb@stellarnet.com), June 15, 2000.


Well, I've never made soap before, but it seems like I read just the other day that you can make lye by running water slowly through wood ash. Is this true? Is it really that easy?

I would love any info on soap making. Does anyone know of any good books I could check out or websites? I want to be able to make sented and herbal soaps (also lotions, shampoos, conditioners and candles if anyone has any info).

Any information that I could get would be greatly appreciated.

-- Linda (botkinhomeschool@yahoo.com), June 15, 2000.


Thanks for the info on the lye. The pbs show 1900 House showed a crock jar next to the sink and had soap mixed with water that they took a handful out to wash dishes. Pretty interesting show, in our area the next part of it will be on Monday at 8pm. Tami

-- Tami Bowser (windridg@chorus.net), June 15, 2000.

Linda, I like "The Soapmaker's Companion" by Susan Miller Cavitch as a good reference. "The Natural Soap Book" is by her also and is supposed to be the beginning book, but I think the "Companion" one is explicit enough to not have to get the first one. Good luck. I haven't made soap much, and not for a couple of years, but I hope to make a few bars or balls this fall for Christmas presents.

-- sheepish (rborgo@gte.net), June 16, 2000.

Making your own lye is tedious and has inconsistent results. Buying it is actually economical, since recipes are guaranteed to remain the same.

-- Anne (HT@HM.com), June 16, 2000.


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