Teach Soap

I have posted on here about homemade laundry detergent. I currently make 4 oz bars of 100% lard, 0 superfat soap, grate it, melt it with water, add borax and washing soda, add more water, and get a liquid soap for the washing machine. That works fine. But I am wondering if I could streamline the process -- skip the step of grating the bar.

What would happen if I made the soap as usual, except at trace, I poured it into a bucket and added a lot of water to it? Would it still saponify? I imagine it would, and that it would just end up very watery and gel-like. Is this crazy talk? Has anyone ever tried anything like this?

I know, if I want liquid soap, I need to use potassium hydroxide, but I only have NaOH.

I would love to hear your thoughts on this before I try it. Thanks so much!

Interesting...! I'm thinking it wouldn't work because the oils need to completely blend with the lye water for the saponification process to start. If you add a lot more water how would you get everything to stay blended?

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Linda
I know the voices in my head aren't real, but they sure have some great ideas!

I agree with LJM, I don't think it will work. I dont think you will get the oils and liquid to saponify properly with such an imbalance. There is a reason that x amount of lye is suggested for x amount of oils and water. While you can decrease water, increasing it will affect the chemical process and destroy your batch. So I dont think you can take this particular short cut. But, if you have the ingredients and dont mind wasting your time or money if you are wrong, you can always try it and see. If, however, you dont have the time or money to give if it doesnt work, then I would try to come up with another short cut. Either way, I wish you much luck in finding your short cut!

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Tammy

I haven't personally tried it, but I read this one on here awhile back. I think it is the last post of the thread. I've contemplated trying it, but the powder works for me so far (except for a blanket the dog threw up on, still smelled like dog puke afterwards and I did rewash it with regular detergent) even with cold water as long as I add it before the clothes (and add vinegar for softener/soap scum stripper). It might be worth skipping the grating part of it though... I apparently have wimpy arms.

Interesting. It looks like in this recipe, the large amount of water is added before trace. Hmmm...

I found this recipe online just now, except I adjusted the very inexact numbers in the original for numbers I ran through Soapcalc with a 0% superfat.

You will need 11 cups of water, 10 ounces of lye, 72 oz. of lard, and 2 cups of borax. Make the lye solution. Heat the fat to 95 until it is melted; when lye is the same temp, pour the lye into the fat and mix well. Put aside for several hours. Stir thoroughly every half hour. Chunks will start to form; break them up with potato masher or whisk. Let sit for 2-3 days, breaking up chunks periodically. After three days, store in plastic container. *Recipe doesn't say when to add borax.

This looks a lot like the other recipe you referenced. What I am wondering is . . . what if we don't add the excess water until after we achieve trace? Then kept stirring periodically as it describes here? Would it gel or be chunks of soap floating in water? I am going to have to try this now with a small amount of lard and lye just to see what happens, keeping the same water ratio. If it makes a gel-like soap to which I can the washing soda and borax, I will be happier than making the bar first and then grating and melting it.

I will post the results of the experiment.

I read on that post you linked here that someone tried making laundry soap with scraps and wasn't happy--gray clothes. That has never happened to me. I wonder if it is because I use 0% super-fat soap in my laundry? I don't think super-fatted soap scraps would be good for clothes; wouldn't it leave oil in them? I also wash whites on hot, lights on warm, and darks on cold, with a white vinegar rinse (1/4 c. per full load). We have hard water. ???

soapcreator, thanks for taking this trial on. I will look forward to seeing your results.

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Susie
Sometimes A Mistake is so much fun, You just have to do it again!

Oh boy I LOVE experiments! Please keep us posted on the results!

I tried something like that when I first started out and it separated the soap from the water and when I lab tested it it was growing bacteria and fungus. Maybe if you use an emusifier it would stay blended together, good luck.

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How long did your soap mix sit before you tested it for bacteria?