Fun with Soap - Experiment in Laundry Soap

[KimW]

For the Sept/Oct soap Challenges, I used single oil soaps with the intention of salting out and processing into laundry soap. Today was processing day and I experimented to find out which had the most suds (bubbles) and dissolved most thoroughly. FYI: When I make soap just for salting out laundry soap I use 100% Olive Oil, the goal being low suds for my HE washer. Plus, when the dishwasher needs cleaning, I run it with some of the laundry soap. Sometimes, but not often, I do have OO laundry soap that doesn't completely dissolve in the washer so I wanted to see if there might be a solution in the single oil soaps.

I tried to be as accurate as possible, but results relied solely on my observation.

Salted out 100% Olive Oil, Corn, Canola and Coconut Oil soaps: Added lye after dissolved to remove super fat. Salted out using pure salt (no iodine, etc, additives).
Three of the salted out soaps dried three weeks, with the Canola dried for four...because it wouldn't dry...!
Grated in food processor to medium powder.

1/2 tsp of each soap into 2 ounces of 58F water - well water triple filtered, no softener, hardness=6gpg, tannins are present (hence the having to wash the dishwasher...)
Shook each for 15 seconds (in order: Olive, corn, canola, coconut), allowed each to sit for 60 seconds, and observed suds.
Pic #1 is after the last one sat for 60 seconds, but I observed no change in suds level in any of the containers. (sorry the Olive Oil is mislabeled as "OO/CO" - changed my mind at the last second there)
I knew the Coconut Oil soap would suds, and thought it would suds the most. But, the Corn Oil soap actually had the most suds.
Olive Oil soap had the least suds. No surprise.
Suds observed, in order of most suds to least: Corn, Coconut, Canola, Olive Oil

Allowed all to sit for an additional 60 seconds, and carefully poured off water to see how each dissolved.
Pic #2 is of the containers turned upside down so you can better see the leftover soap.
Once again, I was wrong about the coconut oil, as it did not completely dissolve. Oddly enough, the only one that did completely dissolve was the Canola Oil.
Dissolved, in order of most dissolved to least: Canola (completely dissolved), Coconut, Corn, Olive Oil

Sooooo, happily, I did find a better solution to my laundry soap in the Canola. Some afternoon time well spent.

 

[violets2217]

SO....

Sooooo, happily, I did find a better solution to my laundry soap in the Canola. Some afternoon time well spent.

I make a 100% CO 0%SF for my laundry detergent. But according to your experiment I should use canola instead so that my detergent is dissolved completely … especially if I hate to wash in hot or warm water? But do I have to salt it out and rebatch it or can I just make a 100%canola 0%SF bar? Cool experiment anyways!!! thanks!

 

[KimW]

I make a 100% CO 0%SF for my laundry detergent. But according to your experiment I should use canola instead so that my detergent is dissolved completely … especially if I hate to wash in hot or warm water?

Exactly why I used cold water for my test - hate wasting energy on using warm/hot water! Not sure what would happen if you just used a grated bar of soap.... Maybe you're up next for an experiment!

 

[violets2217]

Maybe you're up next for an experiment!

OMG! I'm so excited! it will give me a reason to make soap even though I'm running out of room to cure them!!! lol! I'm on it!

 

[earlene]

KimW, did you use HO Canola or regular Canola? I expect it makes a difference.

When I salted out soap, I noticed that it took FOREVER to dry out. For some reason that really surprised me, but I am glad to read it wasn't just me.

I make a 100% CO 0%SF for my laundry detergent. But according to your experiment I should use canola instead so that my detergent is dissolved completely … especially if I hate to wash in hot or warm water? But do I have to salt it out and rebatch it or can I just make a 100%canola 0%SF bar? Cool experiment anyways!!! thanks!

I made & used dry laundry soap for over a decade using grated soap mixed with borax & washing soda. It always dissolved in the washer. I never had any un-dissolved pieces of grated soap left in the washer or in the folds of the clothes after the washer was finished. But I DID and still do double rinse. The grated soap I used was Fels Naptha, and later I used whatever bar soap I had on hand, usually hotel soaps (I travel a lot), or Zote when I couldn't find Fels Naptha, then coconut oils soap that I made once I started making soap.

However, you can make liquid laundry soap with grated soap. My SIL has been making it for years; I don't know the process exactly because I don't like liquid soap. But it's not difficult & if you do a search, you will find several tutorials online.

 

[violets2217]

I made & used dry laundry soap for over a decade using grated soap mixed with borax & washing soda.

That is the laundry detergent I make as well (also add oxi clean and the scent boosters sometimes) and I guess I've never had a problem with it for the last 3 years. My clothes are clean and smell nice. But someone also mentioned in a lye heavy soap post earlier that using homemade soap in powdered laundry detergent you have to wash in hot water for it to dissolve properly. And I started to worry because I never wash in hot water....Also I've made the liquid soap as well.... same ingredients, but a much longer process and I like the powder better as well! I'm just a worrier... I guess

 

[earlene]

I don't wash in hot water, usually warm, sometimes cold, but not hot. And I use an HE machine, so it does not use a lot of water in the first place.

 

[KimW]

KimW, did you use HO Canola or regular Canola? I expect it makes a difference.

Good catch! I used regular Canola.
I do sometimes use my liquid soap for the wash if I've run out of my powder. I just always wonder about any possible superfat, or extra lye if I make 0% superfat, in my clothes with liquid soap. But...I suppose I could salt out KOH soap paste and then make liquid soap with it....hmmmmmmmmmm

 

[GemstonePony]

Good catch! I used regular Canola.
I do sometimes use my liquid soap for the wash if I've run out of my powder. I just always wonder about any possible superfat, or extra lye if I make 0% superfat, in my clothes with liquid soap. But...I suppose I could salt out KOH soap paste and then make liquid soap with it....hmmmmmmmmmm

Sorry, clueless person here, can you salt out KOH soap? I know you can add salt to it, but I thought KOH just becomes salty liquid soap?

 

[KimW]

Sorry, clueless person here, can you salt out KOH soap? I know you can add salt to it, but I thought KOH just becomes salty liquid soap?

I dunno - I've never tried salting out KOH soap paste. LOL You make a very good point!! ...hmmmmmm...

 

[earlene]

I really don't know, but it makes sense that if you salt out the soap paste, there would still be separation of the same components as happens with bar soap. Why wouldn't it?

Of course in the soap paste, what is there to separate out, besides glycerin? The colors and fragrances are not in the paste, so basically you'd just be salting out the unsaponifiables & glycerin, I would guess. But would it become granular like bar soap does? That I wouldn't venture to guess.

 

[Shellonian]

Earlene, what sort of proportions do you use? Atm I use soda crystals to dilute commercial washing powder & use vinegar for softener, but I've got a grated bastille I haven't got round to using as confetti, plus a bit of borax knocking around.

 

[KimW]

I really don't know, but it makes sense that if you salt out the soap paste, there would still be separation of the same components as happens with bar soap. Why wouldn't it?

I had this same thought whilst pouring my coffee this morning! Bar soap in effect turns into liquid soap during the salting out process, and then separates, so why wouldn't KOH paste do the same thing. I'd think the soap layer would salt out to a paste or gel, rather than a hard crumble, and I'd think a little freezer action would make it easy enough to cleanly remove it from the pan.

As far as my sometimes issue with undissolved laundry soap - I suspect it's due to 1. My hard water, which is why I included that little tidbit 2. Me neglecting to always do a second rinse cycle.

 

[Zany_in_CO]

@KimW Thank you for sharing your experiment.

 

[Obsidian]

Why not just make soap with a small negative SF so you can skip the salting out all together or do you also want the glycerin removed for laundry soap?

It would have been interesting to see your samples used on a greasy stain. Cleaning ability seems to be more important then suds.

 

[KimW]

It would have been interesting to see your samples used on a greasy stain. Cleaning ability seems to be more important then suds.

Good point, @Obsidian. I still have them separated, so perhaps I shall do just that.
I like salting out my laundry soap because 1.) I want as close to zero superfat as possible, so I add extra lye during the process, even if I've calculated a recipe at 0% SF. I can't explain it, but we've experienced that tannins in water really latch on to anything remotely greasy and will redeposit stained "grease" bits onto other articles of clothing. I haven't owned an article of white clothing in years, and hubby usually wears gray undershirts. Imagine washing your clothes in pond water....LOL 2.) I don't want lye-heavy soap on my clothes, which the salt takes care of.

I've posted before that I actually enjoy salting out soap, so there's that too.

 

[Obsidian]

I've posted before that I actually enjoy salting out soap, so there's that too.

That really helps lol. The couple times I tried, it was a disaster. Most all the soap dissolved in the water and what was left felt waxy and wouldn't set up.

 

[doggonegardener]

We are in Wyoming with hard municipal water. I mix 1 bar Fels and 1 bar Zote in my food processor and shred. Then I take 1 1/2 Cups of that mix with 3 Cups Borax and 3 Cups Washing Soda and zip that again with the blade. I use 2 Tbsp in each load. Been doing it for years with no issues in my HE washer. I made 100% Coconut Oil soap yesterday with 0% SF so I could swap it in for the Fels/Zote combo. Interested to see if it's better or not.

 

[AliOop]

We are in Wyoming with hard municipal water. I mix 1 bar Fels and 1 bar Zote in my food processor and shred. Then I take 1 1/2 Cups of that mix with 3 Cups Borax and 3 Cups Washing Soda and zip that again with the blade. I use 2 Tbsp in each load. Been doing it for years with no issues in my HE washer. I made 100% Coconut Oil soap yesterday with 0% SF so I could swap it in for the Fels/Zote combo. Interested to see if it's better or not.

We lived in Buffalo, WY for about four years. The well water was so hard that the inside of the dishwasher in the house we bought was caked with white solids. After a few months of using citric acid in the rinse cycle, the caked stuff was coming off in huge chunks! We still ended up getting a softener because I couldn’t stand the ever-spotted dishes, nor the flaky skin and hair build-up from showering in that stuff.

Meanwhile, my homemade laundry soap did just fine in the washer, first with the uber hard water and then with the soft water. But I do wash and rinse in hot water, which I believe helps a lot with rinsing out the residue about which so many others complain. I’m just a big believer in using a combination of heat and soap to kill and/or rinse away the nasties.

 

[KimW]

@AliOop - Jealous!! Oh how I wish my washer would rinse in hot water. I typically wash in cold, but sometimes heat really is needed after mucking about. Our washer will do a hot wash, but will only do a cold rinse. I know I could swap the hose, but then I also know there'd be some sort of mess to clean up because that seems to just be how I roll. LOL