Curing (space considerations)

[Absinthe]

I have gotten back to this with a passion and now it would seem like I am making a batch every Sunday evening. By Monday or Tuesday at the latest I unmold and let stuff sit under a towel for a week. Then I move it to a piece of cardboard with something over the top to keep critters from landing on it.

However, I have very small space in which to do this and now that I have made a fourth batch, I am considering actually stacking one on another, because I don't want to have the scents mingle. But I also don't want to have plastic or soap impressions on my pretty molded pieces from my brutish loaf molded pieces

I know I need to keep these somewhat open to the air, so bagging them in a zip lock is probably out of the question? What else can I do so they can store and still cure?

 

[whisks]

i place all my soap into shallow cardboard boxes lined with paper towels and stack the boxes on top of each other. the boxes have ventilation holes on the sides to allow air flow and in so doing, i can have many batches of soap (i have at least 20 x 2 1/2 kilo batches curing atm). the boxes sit on a trolley so it makes it easy to move them around if i need to.

 

[Ollieblue]

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[Absinthe]

That's pretty cool looking, but since there is nothing in the picture for scale I have no idea how big it is. It looks, like it might be bigger than the table I keep my stuff on.

 

[Ollieblue]

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[Absinthe]

I can use that, now to find some

I am keeping my eyes open for anything I can find at this point.

 

[artisan soaps]

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[Ollieblue]

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[whisks]

mushrooms in sydney come in cardboard boxes....i've never seen the plastic trays before.

 

[xyxoxy]

I use a taller version of this rack from IKEA to cure my soaps.

The one I have is 6 drawers high. They are stackable so I am getting ready to add another one.

Here are more details:
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/S69867046

 

[Bubbles Galore]

I collect plastic food (mushroom) trays from my local shop - they throw out a tray a day after unpacking their mushrooms. They stack on top of each other and have plentty of holes to allow for airing.

Do they really throw those away? Disgraceful waste if they do. I use chrome shelving units mainly.

 

[RoseMarie]

I was wondering what I could store mine in as the cure. This is good ideas! Thank you all for sharing your ideas with us! NOW to find something like the mushroom tray! lol

 

[reallyrita]

Curiing (Space Considerations)

I am leary of putting my fresh soap on chrome or other metal type shelving.Space has been a huge problem for me. One day, I happened upon a dirty and ripped plastic bread rack that was in a dumpster behind a super market. It had been discarded. I took it 950 miles home...my husband complaining all the way. Cleaned it up and use it to cure my soaps. Well, I make a lot of soap now and I have found two more of these racks right behind my own local market that were being thrown out. Took a bit of scrubbing...but, they stack on top of the original one with wonderful air circulation. I can leave the soap on them as long as I want with no fear of metal contamination. I admit I had to do a bit of outdoor scrubbing and rescrubbing to get these plastic bread racks ready to hold my soaps, but I can stack them on top of each other with no problem of scent transfer. A good solution and free to boot!!

 

[carebear]

wonderful find! once they are grimy enough they are sometimes tossed.

and yes, direct contact with chrome = DOS. I have chrome shelves on which I put that plastic needlepoint canvas from the craft store.

(and no - if those blue plastic trays are out back of the grocery store they are there to be picked up by the supplier. they are not being thrown away. but keep telling yourself they are, ollie, and you won't be stealing...

 

[madartist]

I have a small condo, storage for curing soaps is sparse. I had these crates made to fit above and below my cabinets. (smaller ones are in a bookcase in my bedroom). They keep me organized and scent the entire living space.

 

[honor435]

wow you kitchen must smell, i dont cure soap in living space.

 

[reallyrita]

Curiing (Space Considerations)

Wow, Maddy, that is a very nice set-up! Much more decor friendly than my ratty looking old plastic bread racks. But they get the job done and my house smells pretty nice too. It is true, those bread rack thingys are stacked out behind the store to be picked up by the distributer. Look at or near the dumpster. That is where they throw the old yucky ones. I found mine at Trader Jo's and they have their own racks and occasionally discard a torn one or filthy one. Takes a bit of elbow grease but the corner tears don't seem to impact my curing. I am not trying to lift them with heavy food items on them. I asked the manager at this store if she would ever save a discard for me and she said to keep checking near the dumpster. It took a couple of months, but then, one day, there were 2! Now I have a total of 3...each one sadder looking than the one under it.

 

[pinkduchon]

Very creative Maddy, and very neat looking.

 

[madartist]

Thanks,

In a little over 1000 square feet, even a couple of bars would fragrance the room (and ALL spaces are living spaces ). Each box holds 15-16 bars spaced out. I can have 300 bars drying at one time. So my whole condo smells like bath & bodyworks at the mall.

After a month, I store them closer together, in smaller boxes. Those boxes are in an old bookcase in my bedroom, but when I run out of shelves there, they could appear anywhere I have a spot.