How far into the future can DOS occur?

[Ephemerella]

I have a dirty little secret... I used filtered well water from the kitchen tap [clutches pearls]!

The only reason I don't use distilled is that I'm trying to generate as little plastic waste as possible, and I don't have a store that offers refills.

On soap calc, I keep my recipes with a Linoleic in the 7-9 range, generally 8, and a Linolenic 0-1, generally 0. I use very high percentages of shea, usually in the 15-30% range, and I superfat in the 5-7% range, usually 7%. My iodine is generally around 52, and INS around 158.

My recipes are vegetable-based fats so far, no milks or animal fats. I don't add any purees, alcohol, or liquids other than water (though I tried a splash of brewed coffee once). I don't add any granulated salt, sugar, or honey. I don't use any of the quick-to-go-rancid oils like hemp or sunflower. I use SL with a heavy hand.

My bars are cured in my basement which has ambient but indirect light, is stable in temperature (thank you radiant heating!), and has a dehumidifier running to keep the humidity below 45%.

• Am I playing a game of Russian roulette using filtered tap water from our very hard well water?
• How far into the future can DOS reasonably show up?
• Does anyone distill their water at home?

So far, my oldest bar is 5 months old without incident.

Thank you!

 

[Zany_in_CO]

Most of how you soap is similar to my preferences except I'm fond of animal fats in soap and I don't use sodium lactate. "Less is more" ethic to improve bottom line profit margin.

I use very high percentages of shea, usually in the 15-30% range, and I superfat in the 5-7% range, usually 7%

shea butter is a good sub for lard and palm in a recipe. Here's one of my all time favorite recipes I made when I needed to use up all the raw shea butter I had on hand:
https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/67-shea-butter-cp-ins-155.85204/
I mess around with SF % -- Currently using 0% to fully saponify as much of the oils as possible.

Am I playing a game of Russian roulette using filtered tap water from our very hard well water?

I use tap water -- from the Rockies! shhh!. No problem.
Since you have hard water, I'd add water softener like Calgon or Borax to a half gallon jug and store it in the fridge.

How far into the future can DOS reasonably show up?

Can't help you there. I've never experienced DOS.

Does anyone distill their water at home?

I have. It took 6 hours of electricity to make a gallon so I don't do that any more.

 

[Obsidian]

I've had DOS show up after 2 years. Could have been the recipe, could have been the storage. As far as water, you can use a britta pitcher and filter your tap water, doesn't have to be distilled.

 

[Ephemerella]

@Zany_in_CO I am officially developing a soap-crush on you I'm overwhelmed by the generosity of your time and information! I did find that shea recipe here a while back and tucked it away for the day I'm ready to play with it. I love shea, and so far I've been really pleased with my shea-heavy bars.

I'll experiment with the borax! I always have plenty on hand. And glad to know home distilling isn't really a thing (of water ... haha, not the good stuff!)

@Obsidian Thank you so much for that. I guess it's a bit of a dice-throw as so many factors can contribute. And, yup, I use a pitcher filter as you suggest, thank you!

 

[KiwiMoose]

I'll experiment with the borax! I always have plenty on hand. And glad to know home distilling isn't really a thing (of water ... haha, not the good stuff!)

"Come see my distillery!"
"Watcha brewing in there?"
"Water."
"Oh"

 

[TheGecko]

Distilled Water is recommend for the best possible result, but it is not always possible or necessary depending on your water source. Living in Arizona, the water is so high in minerals I had a 5-gal water cooler…no way could I have made soap from it. I’m in Oregon and the water isn’t too bad out of the tap, but we do have a filter on it. I should try and make a test soap with it even though we recycle heavily in this house.

And like @Zany_in_CO, I can’t help you with DOS as I’ve never had it. I have used some of my oils past their ‘shelf life’ with know issue. I cure my soaps on cookie sheets cover with freezer paper. I have some old soaps sitting bare on a plastic coated wire rack. And I cure in my garage all year round

 

[lsg]

You can purchase small water distillers from Amazon.com.

 

[cinnamon1916]

I use a small water distiller that I bought on Amazon. It takes about 4 hours to render one gallon of water. I have very hard well water and live 100 miles from town so this has been a godsend to be able to make it at home.

 

[cmzaha]

I have had DOS happen 2-5 years down the road with some soaps.

When I move I am going to go with RODI water. I need to make it for my reptile room anyway, and it should remove most of the minerals from my well water. I also use EDTA and Sodium Gluconate at the rate of 0.5% each which I will probably increase.

 

[Catscankim]

I have had DOS happen 2-5 years down the road with some soaps.

When I move I am going to go with RODI water. I need to make it for my reptile room anyway, and it should remove most of the minerals from my well water. I also use EDTA and Sodium Gluconate at the rate of 0.5% each which I will probably increase.

They make a whole-house RODI system? Sorry to sound like a stupid question, but I have researched RODI systems for water for an aquarium that I plan on setting up.

After reading your post, I looked up RODI just by typing it in, and all I got was aquariums. Or maybe I only get those results because I looked it up in the past for aquariums.

I don't plan on doing a whole house RODI system, I was just curious.

 

[cmzaha]

They make a whole-house RODI system? Sorry to sound like a stupid question, but I have researched RODI systems for water for an aquarium that I plan on setting up.

After reading your post, I looked up RODI just by typing it in, and all I got was aquariums. Or maybe I only get those results because I looked it up in the past for aquariums.

I don't plan on doing a whole house RODI system, I was just curious.

No, I would not want a whole-house RODI system. I will get you the link for the system my daughter uses for her Salt Water Aquariums. I am setting up a separate reptile house. I will be putting in an RO system in my kitchen, but want RODI for my reptiles. Even with a RODI system, I will have to send the water out for testing to make sure all traces of arsenic have been removed, which is a problem in the area I am moving to.

My daughter uses a 6 Stage system setup with a trash barrel from this company for her aquariums. Bulk Reef Supply - Making Reefing Fun and Easy She has 57-75 gallon tanks, fresh and saltwater. She is at the skating rink with her daughter but she thinks hers is a 150-gallon water saver system from them. They have several options. Aquariums are too much work for me, although I had several freshwater ones over 20 years ago. I almost went down the saltwater rabbit hole back then but controlled myself.

 

[Catscankim]

No, I would not want a whole-house RODI system. I will get you the link for the system my daughter uses for her Salt Water Aquariums. I am setting up a separate reptile house. I will be putting in an RO system in my kitchen, but want RODI for my reptiles. Even with a RODI system, I will have to send the water out for testing to make sure all traces of arsenic have been removed, which is a problem in the area I am moving to.

My daughter uses a 6 Stage system setup with a trash barrel from this company for her aquariums. Bulk Reef Supply - Making Reefing Fun and Easy She has 57-75 gallon tanks, fresh and saltwater. She is at the skating rink with her daughter but she thinks hers is a 150-gallon water saver system from them. They have several options. Aquariums are too much work for me, although I had several freshwater ones over 20 years ago. I almost went down the saltwater rabbit hole back then but controlled myself.

I have always had a freshwater aquarium of some type for all of my life. For the past four years I haven't had any.

However, this girl used to use my spare room in the garage as storage when she was between houses. We are not going to talk about the drama it took for her to come get her stuff... But she left about 5, I think, aquariums. She keeps telling me to keep them. All of them at least 20 gallons, one a little bigger, and one that I measured and calculated at about 75 gallons. So I thought I would give a go at doing a saltwater aquarium.

Freshwater fish are so easy. I had a 135 gallon tank once (in addition to all my other small tanks, and the feeder tank and quarantine tank under monstro). My sister had a 100+ gallon tank that she couldn't figure out what was wrong with it and why fish were dying or water was cloudy...it was freaking sterile. I look at white-cloudy water in a freshwater tank like a good thing. Its cycling. Just let it do what it is going to to and its almost a no-brainer from there. I dunno, I guess I can deal with the periods of it going through a cycle. I never tested water unless I knew something was seriously going wrong all at once.

Thats why I started looking up systems, and the RODI, which I am not 100% sure that I am getting one anyway. Actually not sure I am up for a saltwater aquarium either. I would really love one, but never did one only freshwater. If I do it will be a reef tank, I think LOL. That's where the RODI would come in. If all that wasn't as clear as mud LOL.

I am going to make an EDIT here, so as to not further hijack this post LOL..

A few years ago, I stopped at the pool hall after work late at night. As I am walking in, there was this older woman sitting out front on the bench with a chair pulled up to put her feet on. Next to her was like 6 bags of fish, like the ones you get when you buy a fish at the pet store. All cheap fish, like mollies.

I go in and ask my friend the bartender what this lady was doing out there. She tells me she's been out there all night and acting all crazy saying crazy stuff to people walking in. Later I go out to smoke, so I says to the lady "hey, are you ok, and what's with the fish?" "I am trespassing" Ok so blah blah blah fast forward...nothing about this conversation made sense after that LOL

She left the fish all in their own separate baggies. Everybody knew they were cheap fish and wanted to flush them. So I became mom to these fish LOL. I had a bunch of plant cuttings in water, so I dumped all the water in a vase and put the cuttings in like usual, and added the little fish. Next day and about $200 later, they had their own tank.

I told one lady at the aquarium about why I was buying a little fish tank and I became instant superstar among all the other employees lol. Discounts and coupons came flying at me. ROCKSTAR mom to a bunch of mollies LOL.

 

[AliOop]

I use a small water distiller that I bought on Amazon. It takes about 4 hours to render one gallon of water. I have very hard well water and live 100 miles from town so this has been a godsend to be able to make it at home.

We bought a distiller a few weeks ago, and I finally set it up today. I was delighted to get a gallon of distilled water in four hours, too! The fan is a bit noisy so we will keep it in the laundry room.

Between making soap, making lotions, and my husband's CPAP machine, we go through a lot of DW around here. I'd rather spend the few pennies on a couple hours of electricity, than waste all those plastic jugs (not to mention the trips to the store to get them).

I haven’t had DOS very often, and it seems to be fairly random. I’ve not made soap with non-distilled water, but a few other commonalities I’ve seen in my bars that did get DOS are: high lard + higher SF (5 or above for me) + lavender EO or goat milk powder. I suspect the issue with the GMP may have been from not blending it in well enough, as those bars were a bit streaky, too.

A funny little aside: my husband asked, “Whatcha doing?” When I replied that I was setting up the distiller, he responded in his best backwoods twang (which is so dreadful it’s funny),

“Get that still set up, woman! I wanna be drinking by six tonight, no later, ya hear me?”