Has anyone used a dehumidifier to speed up the curing process

[danielle22033]

What I mean by this is to help the water content of the soap evaporate and get harder? Seems like a good idea if you ask me. However, I have not tried it as of yet. Has anyone else tried this trick? And if so, how'd it work? Also are there any other tricks anyone uses to help dry out your soap?

 

[lpstephy85]

Basically just letting it cure is your best route. I know it is hard to wait but I have found being a newbie it is worth it. If you have one, you can try seeing it works for you. Let us know!


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[gruntedsoaps]

i did it on my first batch, i put it on the exhaust side where the dry air comes from.....it literally dried it over night.

 

[savonierre]

I use a dehumidifier in my soap curing area, it is emptied almost daily. I don't believe it hastens the curing but it does take all that moisture out of the air. I did do an experiment trying to dry soap on the heat register, it really warped and shrank. ( I won't be doing that again)

 

[shunt2011]

It may dry quicker on the exterior but I don't believe it will dry the inside. I let my soaps cure 4-6 weeks period. I do have a dehumidifier on my furnace but still let it do it's own thing.

 

[100%Natural]

I have a dehumidifier running 24/7 in my soap room. It doesn't speed up curing, but it sure does help to dry the bars more quickly. Worth every penny because before I started using it the soap would take forever to harden enough for polishing!

I still cure for 6-8 weeks but the dehumidifier helps me work ahead so I can box up the soap sooner and make room for more batches.

 

[DeeAnna]

"...it literally dried it over night...."

Yes, the outer surface can dry out pretty fast especially in warm, dry conditions, but the center of the bar is still damp.

If you dry soap too fast, the outside surface can "case harden" which means it hardens and prevents moisture in the center of the bar from evaporating. The bar can also warp and distort in ugly ways.

I doubt that is what happened with your soap, but if a person gets really eager to dry soap quickly, it can happen.

 

[LuvOurNewf]

Keep in mind there is a big difference between drying and curing.

If you pour concrete on Monday you can most likely walk on it by Wednesday, it's dry.
If you pour concrete in June it will be mostly cured by July.
The longer it sits the harder it becomes.

Same principal applies to soap.

 

[engblom]

Concrete takes long time to dry, several months easily. It is curing for the rest of your life. Even the oldest concrete houses are still curing and getting harder, just that it is happening very slowly.

 

[Crazy8]

It may be easier and faster to lower the percentage of water in your lye water than to use a dehumidifier. I'm no expert though, just kinda taking a guess on the reading and stuff I have done with such practices. But what you end up doing is using the same amount of lye and a little less water. Thus there is less water that needs to be evaporated and causing a faster cure time. I have heard of people using as little as 33% water in all batches they do. So this practice might be something to play with but I dont think I would jump right to 33%.

 

[Robert]

If you dry soap too fast, the outside surface can "case harden" which means it hardens and prevents moisture in the center of the bar from evaporating.

The same can occur with firework stars.

 

[shunt2011]

Even with a water discount I still cure my bars 4-6 weeks. That's my personal preference and that of many other soapers from what I've seen and read. It totally a personal choice but I prefer to let my bars become the best they can be before using or selling.

 

[danielle22033]

Even with a water discount I still cure my bars 4-6 weeks. That's my personal preference and that of many other soapers from what I've seen and read. It totally a personal choice but I prefer to let my bars become the best they can be before using or selling.

How much can I discount my water? Can I have a 1:1 ratio? (lye:water)

 

[houseofwool]

How much can I discount my water? Can I have a 1:1 ratio? (lye:water)

Yes, you can do a 1:1 ratio, any more concentrated than that and the lye will not dissolve completely. However, it is likely that the recipe will trace quickly.

 

[PinkCupcake]

My soap sits in my utility room to cure, and there is very little ventilation in there. I live in a hot & humid climate, so I have a dehumidifier in the room, but I don't think it makes the air dry enough to cause any problems. It certainly doesn't speed up the cure time.

 

[Zelda Rose]

I've been able to get my soaps to dry better in very high humidity with a wireless dehumidifier I bought from Amazon for around $25. Best money I ever spent. I use a wood linen closet in a bathroom to cure my soaps. The cabinet measures 30in Wide 50in Tall and 24 inches Deep. The humidifier is wireless and I just plug it in to recharge it about every 2 weeks (or sooner depending on the weather) It's called "Eva-dry E-500 Renewable Wireless Mini Dehumidifier" . There are little moisture absorbing balls inside that turn clear/pink when they are fully full of water. Then after it's plugged in for a while the balls will be the color blue and ready to go back to work.

 

[jcandleattic]

Concrete takes long time to dry, several months easily. It is curing for the rest of your life. Even the oldest concrete houses are still curing and getting harder, just that it is happening very slowly.

yes, same principle applies with soap.

 

[dixiedragon]

I do, in that I have a dehumidifier in my house. We don't have it specifically for soap. Generally, though, if you are running the heat or air conditioner, that dries the air enough that I don't think you need a de-humidifier for soap.

 

[pgnz2017]

I use a dehumidifier and a fan at the same time.

 

[shunt2011]

This post is 7 years old. Using a humidifier and fan will not quicken the cure of soap. It may help the liquid evaporate but not cure.