Teach Soap

Laughing now, but was not laughing at the end of last week. Two major, careless, silly "mistakes." Both are now fixed. I'm even laughing about it.

I'm blaming my crowded space and trying to do too many things at once. I work out of a small railroad kitchen - only 3 feet wide by about 8 feet long. I have about 5 feet of counter space total, broken up into three separate sections. I can get another two feet when I add a plywood board to the top of my stove as an extra work surface.

First, thanks to Anne-Marie for her hint not to add water to the spill (don't remember if I read it or saw it), if you spill lab color. I spilled a full, newly mixed, 8 ounces of Blue Mix. Open plastic bottle fell from my counter when I hit it with my elbow, splattering my entire kitchen, including the ceiling, the appliances, the wood cabinets, the grout in my floor tiles (now blue), and my legs and favorite jeans. I grabbed a bunch of micro-fiber cloths (life-saving) and soaked it up, wherever I could reach easily. The blue grout will have to wait until the Christmas selling season is done and I can devote real time to getting the stains out. The ceiling I'll get to next time I'm on a ladder.

And, the other one. Funny. Truly. I had an order for 40 soaps on a rope (using 3-D, two-part molds). Cleared a section of my counter and set up an "assembly line" of 20 molds so I could pour them all at once. Line was perfect and ready to go. Heated the soap, added mica colorant and fragrance, took out my "warmer" plate to keep the mixed soap at a consistent temperature, and successfully poured all 20 soaps. Took about 40 minutes to pour.

Well, you can imagine what comes next. You know those people who set up dominoes in intricate patterns, then knock one over and trigger a chain reaction until they all fall down? Well, once they were filled, one of the molds fell over, starting the chain reaction. Twenty molds, each holding 6 ounces of soap, tumbled in all directions. Took me hours to clean it all up and start over -- but this time I only did four at once Wasted more than 5 pounds of soap, not "clean" enough to reuse.

Okay. Back to work. The Christmas elves are on strike in my house so I'm doing the Christmas orders myself

Connie

OMG Connie! I gasped when I read your post. Were you able to save some of the soap?

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Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.

Ack! I'd have sat there in disbelief! Do you think you'll be able to get the stains out of the grout?

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~~Heather~~
Mad [soaping] Scientist

I don't know if this will work for you or not but I know when my daughter spilled something (I don't remember what now but I know it stained the crap out of my white grout) years ago, I used powered dishwashing detergent made into a paste. I got an old toothbrush and started scrubbing. My grout had never looked so good. Also works to get red paint off of a white windowsill. Makes you wonder what they put in that stuff.....

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Haven

Can M&P soap be melted to a point it can be strained? Run through cheesecloth? A colander?

I just HATE waste!

Or, add some poppy seeds to camouflage if everything doesn't strain out?

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

Thanks for all the suggestions. I'm not worried about it. The good thing about a small floor is that it's not a really big job. I'll experiment with some of the solutions you've all mentioned. There are a bunch of suggestions online, too. And, I already called the guy who did the floor. He said he can re-grout if all else fails. Said it wasn't a big deal to do.

The good news about Lab Colors is that they are water soluble. My hands, terribly stained from all the wiping up, washed clean in the shower with plain soap. The jeans and the micro-fiber cloths, out of the wash, are perfect - no stains. Appliances are stainless, so they didn't stain. Wood cabinets are only 10 years old and the finish is well-sealed, so those wiped clean for the most part. If I have to paint the ceiling, not a big deal, but I bet I won't have to.

Connie

OH NO CONNIE!! So sorry to read of your dilemma but it seems you have the proper frame of mind. Bless your heart! Glad all is well and you didn't get hurt.

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Lisa
“What soap is to the body, laughter is to the soul” ~ Yiddish proverb

Wow Connie, what a day!! I hope you get that blue out (or like it a lot, LOL).

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Dawn

I am pretty sure that I would have just sat down and had a good 30 minute cry before I could even consider cleaning it up.

I hope your week got better!

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Dawn

Soap Artist and Owner
Bluebirds Bath and Body

Did that same Blue Lab Color spill awhile back. I sat here reading your story, shaking my head, loving the fact that I"M NOT THE ONLY ONE! Sorry for your mess, but I truly can empathize! With the stuff you "wasted" I would make soap bars to fit in terry cloth washcloth wraps and use them at home.

Happy Holidays!

Oh man, I'm sorry, but I had to just ! Totally sounds like something I would do.