Hacks and shortcuts!

[Michelle0803]

I save the buckets that my hard oils come in. When I want to do something soapy but have limited time I pre measure my hard oils into a bucket.

I pre measure my soft oils into a coffee creamer jug using 1 cup for all oils.

At this point my cleanup is my scoop, a measuring cup, and my flexible cutting mat.
I will also pre measure other additives into the little to go cups with lids.

When it's time to make soap o dump all of my hard oils into a bowl and heat. Then I add my soft oils.

I use the same base recipe for a lot of my soaps so this saves me time, energy and cleanup.

 

[Christa10]

This isn't about measuring oils or butters, but it is a small hack. I soap in my garage on a very long old wood table. I cover the table with a big black garbage bag. When I'm done soaping, I can just roll up everything and throw it away. As for measuring oils and butters, I do it in some glass beakers I got from thrift stores and then pour everything into the melting pot. I do measure small amounts (FO, colorants, etc.) into stainless steel cups and set them aside. I try to not use too many disposable items.

 

[bookworm]

Zing, you can save even more dishes by using, and then reusing, a single measuring container to measure out all your soft oils.

Let's say those include OO, RBO, and SAO.

Use your measuring cup to weigh the OO. Pour that into the mixing bowl.

Tare the scale with the same (now empty but oily) measuring cup on it. Reuse that same measuring cup to weigh the RBO. Pour that into the mixing bowl.

Repeat the same process with the SAO.

Now you have all three soft oils in your mixing bowl, and have only used one measuring cup.

Exactly what I do.

I also line my counter with an old towel....I keep a stack of these, which I call my soaping towels.

I line the counter with old towels when I'm measuring my masterbatches, also when I'm making soap, and cutting soap, so easy to clean up after that.
The counters remain clean.

I also keep an old towel on hand so wipe down each jug/spatula/mixing bucket during soaping, this cleans them out great, then I wash the dishes after a few days.

I wait for a few days & then just throw the towels in the wash.

I melt out all the oils in 2 large pots at once, (though I could use one pot, it gets too heavy) ....I measure about 24kg in a day (so 12kg per pot)....and the same day, measure them into buckets for each loaf.
Once cool, close them.

I keep a kettle next to me and keep a large pyrex jug of boiling water ready, to clean out the stick blender as I'm soaping.

 

[AliOop]

I keep a kettle next to me and keep a large pyrex jug of boiling water ready, to clean out the stick blender as I'm soaping.

Genuis!

 

[Ephemerella]

I use this for my soaping mat: Amazon.com

I love it, I can soap on it, cut loaves on it, pretty much anything, and it's indestructible. It wipes clean easily, but I've put it in the dishwasher too, with no ill effects.

This post reminded me of my very first time soaping. I started with a BB kit and added all the oils, etc., (not lye of course) into the same bowl before heating it. But it didn't occur to me to tare before each addition... I sat there with a scratch pad, pen and calculator doing the math for every.single.ingredient. I was like ohmigod these soaping people must be geniuses to do this math all day.

 

[not_ally]

I need one of those. This is what the countertop looked like today after I made soap (one swipe with the paper towel, it was fine with a few more swipes .)

I always marvel at those youtube soapers who never drip, wipe up immediately if they do, and finish up with immaculate counters and beautiful, glistening, drip-free soap tops and molds after pouring.

 

[Jersey Girl]

I measure my liquid oils into the bowl one at a time, taring after each addition. To avoid over-pouring each oil, I put in close to what I need, stopping a bit short. I keep some of each oil in one of these little dropper bottles I buy at the dollar store, and complete my measurement from these easy to control bottles.View attachment 75228

I do this too. It’s so hard to stop at the exact amount pouring from huge bottles of oil.

 

[Tammyfarms]

@Kcryss that’s a great idea! I have not yet tried hot process because I didsnt want to buy a dedicated crock pot but this solves that problem.

@dmcgee5034, thanks for the stainless steel cup recommendation. I have been using 1/2 cup canning jars but have broken a couple and want to switch to something unbreakable. Ordering these today!
I measure oils the same way several others have mentioned. I melt my solid oils then measure soft oils in the same pot to help cool down the oils.

For clean up, I used to wash everything with Dawn squirted on a paper towel but I went through a lot of paper towels and didn’t like the waste. I recently switched to rinsing everything really well in hot water and using my gloved hands to remove any batter. That is followed by an old wash cloth and straight dawn on damp dishes. It’s much quicker and easier than what I used to do.

 

[Iveta Pelá]

I also wash with warm water while wearing gloves, but I use a sponge reserved only for washing dishes after making soap. And then I use cloth diapers to wipe dry, to differentiate it from a classic dish towel. Then I simply wash these diapers and I don't have so much paper waste.

 

[Savage Daughter]

I'm lovin' all the tips and tricks. And where's the double smack upside my own head emoji for RE-USING THE SAME MEASURING CUP?!

E

Yeah....I was kinda wondering....you use how many cups??? Why?!? I left the animated GIF up there just because it is so perfectly suiting the situation.... perfectly suits my boneheadedness earlier today too! LOL

For measuring everything out, I put my honking pot directly on my scale & weigh / pour all of my oils & butters into this, melting everything together because I found this greatly reduced the likelihood of ending up with stearic spots. Works very well if you're careful, or employing some of the tips others have mentioned to avoid over-pouring. This means that, at most, I might need to use a tablespoon or a shot glass as an additional measuring tool.

In terms of countertop cleanup: I initially had some rags to the right for my spatulas etc, rags to the left for whatever, bit of this / bit of that and one day went NOPE! Laid an old cotton towel down, and laid everything down on that. This completely eliminates mess on my countertop, I can wipe my slippery hands / whisks / spatulas etc on it so it doubles as a huge rag, and the towel gets reused between 4-6 times, depending on how messy I happen to get. In the meantime, the soap bits build up on it, completely saponify & go directly into the washing machine when I do eventually wash it. This saves me so much time & effort cleaning up, and results in far less laundry from soap making. I use my rags more than once to wipe out pots / pitchers on their second use (first use is for a batch of soap), then give the pot & other vessels a quick wash. Things are far less greasy - I know @Zany_in_CO recommends washing soda but I haven't yet taken her advice, as much as I appreciate it

If I need to make another batch of soap within the next 48 hours or so, I just wipe the pot out really well the next day, wipe again using some alcohol, then make a new batch of soap in it.

 

[KiwiMoose]

I'm lucky in that I don't tend to make a lot of mess. I have my silicone mat down to protect the kitchen benchtop from any drips ( of which I get one or two). I use a maximum of two paper towels while soaping - to wipe oil from the tops of bottles and mica from spoons, and perhaps the odd drip on the side of the mold.
I do have about eight silicone spatulas - and it is these that do the most 'cleaning'. I scrape out every last bit of soap from bowls and jugs and put it into cavity molds. These little soaps get used at the kitchen sink if they are less than perfect looking and the nice ones I sell as cheapies on my market stall.
My well scraped containers get left for a day or two and then I wash them out with dishwashing detergent and dry them with a tea towel as usual.
No mess - no waste.

 

[Zany_in_CO]

In the meantime, the soap bits build up on it, completely saponify & go directly into the washing machine when I do eventually wash it.

Brilliant!

I know @Zany_in_CO recommends washing soda

Actually, I use washing soda for removing waxy residue from making lip balms and candles and such. 1 tablespoon in 16 oz. of boiling water. Soak for 5 minutes and the wax rises to the surface, ready to skim off. I then pour the liquid into the jar-it-came-out-of for future use.

Also, washing soda is fantastic for the sticky/ gummy residue from old labels that I peel off jars, bottles and any other container, glass or plastic. I wash them up with WS and re-purpose. It's amazing how well it removes residue with very little effort.

On the other hand, after soaping, I just gather up all my equipment and set it to the side for a day or two or for whenever I get around to it. Once saponified, add to a sink full of water and wash up. Then I run the dishwasher on a "rinse only" cycle. It's about the most fun a seasoned soapmaker can have! I love the feel of lathering up with newly made soap!
No lye!

 

[Zing]

I'm lucky in that I don't tend to make a lot of mess. I have my silicone mat down to protect the kitchen benchtop from any drips ( of which I get one or two). I use a maximum of two paper towels while soaping - to wipe oil from the tops of bottles and mica from spoons, and perhaps the odd drip on the side of the mold.
I do have about eight silicone spatulas - and it is these that do the most 'cleaning'. I scrape out every last bit of soap from bowls and jugs and put it into cavity molds. These little soaps get used at the kitchen sink if they are less than perfect looking and the nice ones I sell as cheapies on my market stall.
My well scraped containers get left for a day or two and then I wash them out with dishwashing detergent and dry them with a tea towel as usual.
No mess - no waste.

Okay, Mary!

 

[VikingChick]

I’m not sure I have any good hacks. But I guess one of my favorite tools are single-use pipettes that I got from Amazon. They’re fantastic for measuring out things for which you only need a tiny or very precise amount, or that are difficult to pour (like EOs/FOs). I’m not crazy about using something once and throwing it away (maybe there’s a way to clean & reuse them?), but I’ll continue to buy and use these bc they’re so useful! Plus I used them for so many years in the lab so they make me happy, especially since I’m no longer in the lab. A little nostalgia.

 

[Savage Daughter]

I’m not sure I have any good hacks. But I guess one of my favorite tools are single-use pipettes that I got from Amazon. They’re fantastic for measuring out things for which you only need a tiny or very precise amount, or that are difficult to pour (like EOs/FOs). I’m not crazy about using something once and throwing it away (maybe there’s a way to clean & reuse them?), but I’ll continue to buy and use these bc they’re so useful! Plus I used them for so many years in the lab so they make me happy, especially since I’m no longer in the lab. A little nostalgia.

I bought some large pipettes as well, thought I would use them more but unfortunately not. They're useful when I need them, though

The way I reuse them - because I refuse to throw them out - is to dip them in alcohol, suck up the alcohol, spit it out....do this multiple times with the same alcohol. Wipe the exterior with alcohol as well They get clean enough that the plastic does not melt or deform from being in contact with the essential oils, and any scent pretty much disappears. I now find them to be a big pain in the bum for essential oil / additive measuring LOL so mostly put them into rotation doing other stuff.

When they are coming more towards the end of their life, you can also cut off the bulb part & use the stems of the pipettes on squeeze bottles if doing pull-throughs in column molds or other soaps which require a squeeze bottle.

They can also be used to texture soap tops, to swirl through thinner traced soap & so on.

Cut the very narrow & bulb end off, then slide them over a piece of stiffer metal wire & make a 'hanger tool' out of the set up, attaching the stems of the pipettes to the metal with something.

I bought 200 of them LOL so they gotta be put to use for something!

 

[Vicki C]

I started masterbatching a while ago - I make 11 kg of my oils at a time and then dispense from a 5 gallon bucket with a spigot onto a low table that has a scale. so much quicker

 

[UnScented Arizona]

I measure my liquid oils into the bowl one at a time, taring after each addition. To avoid over-pouring each oil, I put in close to what I need, stopping a bit short. I keep some of each oil in one of these little dropper bottles I buy at the dollar store, and complete my measurement from these easy to control bottles.View attachment 75228

Me 2, Only I don't tar after each oil for liquid oils, so, if I go over a couple grams on one, it's not a big deal because it's the total that I am after. Not sure if this is clear. 3 oils need to be 250g for example. Havn't noticed any difference in the soap if they are off by a couple grams.

I started masterbatching a while ago - I make 11 kg of my oils at a time and then dispense from a 5 gallon bucket with a spigot onto a low table that has a scale. so much quicker

Sweet setup.

 

[VikingChick]

I bought some large pipettes as well, thought I would use them more but unfortunately not. They're useful when I need them, though

The way I reuse them - because I refuse to throw them out - is to dip them in alcohol, suck up the alcohol, spit it out....do this multiple times with the same alcohol. Wipe the exterior with alcohol as well They get clean enough that the plastic does not melt or deform from being in contact with the essential oils, and any scent pretty much disappears. I now find them to be a big pain in the bum for essential oil / additive measuring LOL so mostly put them into rotation doing other stuff.

When they are coming more towards the end of their life, you can also cut off the bulb part & use the stems of the pipettes on squeeze bottles if doing pull-throughs in column molds or other soaps which require a squeeze bottle.

They can also be used to texture soap tops, to swirl through thinner traced soap & so on.

Cut the very narrow & bulb end off, then slide them over a piece of stiffer metal wire & make a 'hanger tool' out of the set up, attaching the stems of the pipettes to the metal with something.

I bought 200 of them LOL so they gotta be put to use for something!

Thanks for those ideas!

 

[Kaybrantley]

My husband built my soaping table. I bought a piece of plexiglass and mounted it to the tabletop. It can withstand lye and heat. Makes cleanup a breeze