Cure Time Question

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LoveOscar

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How long do you cure soap for that is not intended for hand or body use, but intended for cleansing products like laundry or leather soap?

I've recently bought a handmade soap, meant to be a low foam, no residue cleansing saddle soap. After reading the company blog, I'm under the impression they have a 4 week cure before packaging and maybe selling (or atleast selling to a store, who knows how long between shipping out and putting on shelf).

I was thinking of trying my own hand at a saddle soap (and like most of us, saw something cute and handmade and grabbed it up to try it). So the cure question is a curious one if a bastille or castille (probably bastille though) is used.

Thanks in advance.
 
Generally you need a minimum of four weeks of soap. A Castile needs to sit at least six months before it's recommended for use. One of the more science members can probably give you an actual explanation of why. Personally I just assume the four weeks plus whatever until I actually need the soap.

Good luck.
 
^Pretty much what BG said. If you don't actually know the percentage of OO, I would just test weekly to see when it stops improving, then assume it is cured then.
 
I'm curious about the ingredient list. Does it look like it's mostly soft oils? Also, if it says it doesn't leave any residue it's probably zero or -1 SF. When I make laundry soap I don't necessarily cure it for 4-6 weeks, more like 2 weeks, and that's because I shred it and want it to dry out. But this is for personal use and close family, not for sale. Since it's not for use on skin, I'm more lax about cure time.

Is the saddle soap in bar form? I don't know anything about working with leather so maybe they assume people will be using bare hands to clean the saddle using this soap? If so, maybe they want to cure it so it's not so harsh on working hands. Plus, with a proper cure the bar will be harder and last longer. But as I said, I know nothing about the care of leather so this is all guesswork on my part!
 
I have various forms of leather in my household. Leather boots, motorcycle jackets, horseback riding saddles (and all of its associated gear x4). You can get leather cleaning soap (aka saddlesoap) in a can, in a bar, or in a bottle (liquid). It's just a really gentle cleanser that isn't very bubbly, if it bubbles at all. Most that I remember seeing say they are both cleansing and conditioning. You can use a damp sponge or soft cloth to wipe the leather down with.

The soap bar I picked up has an ingredient list including food grade olive oil, purified water, sodium hydroxide, coconut oil, palm oil, and fragrance.

When I have researched making my own saddlesoap, it usually says to grate up and melt down a castille bar, add olive oil, add beeswax, mix, and pour into a container, done.

I really liked the bar I found and it's the first time I have ever used a bar form of saddlesoap. I liked the result, it was very easy to use, and I'm trying to figure out my own recipe. Starting with a bastille soap, 0 or -1 SF, 4 week-ish cure, gives me someplace to start.
 
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