Household items for molds which have no smell?

[Serena]

I would like to try using things I might have on hand, or could easily obtain, for soap molds, which have NO SMELL whatsoever. If you have used something which is easy to fill and easy to unmold, could you please post a suggestion? Thanks very much.

I was using quart-sized milk cartons and lining them with freezer paper, or smearing them with petroleum jelly, but am not currently using milk.

All matter outgasses, so things which have hard surfaces are less likely to outgas quickly.

Things from the dollar stores, or any stores where there are fragrances are not possible. Thrift/antique stores are likely to have invisible mold spores.

Thanks for your help!

 

[Todd Ziegler]

I'm not sure what you mean by no smell, could you give a little more detail?

 

[Serena]

No detectable smell of any kind, at all, as with borosilicate glass or stainless steel.

Something made from a substance that would get a very negligible reading with a VOC meter.

I might try using borosilicate loaf pans with freezer paper liner, so that I can lift out the soap.

It would be very nice to have some other options.

 

[artemis]

I use margarine tubs and there is no smell, but I'm not sure I'm following what you're hoping for, since I don't even know what a VOC meter is.

 

[Anstarx]

If you are down for freezer paper lining then pretty much and hard box. I used wooden boxes that you can find at craft stores. Tupperware is another option, and you can unmold eaiser since they are slightly flexible.
I'd be wary of using any sort of glass as mold even with lining.
Not sure what a VOC meter is. If you plan to make soap often I'd recommend getting a silicone moldeventually,the kind that is a wooden box with a silicone liner is my fav.

 

[AliOop]

I used glass bread pans as HP soap molds for years. That was appropriate because there is very little to no active lye by the time the soap batter is cooked and molded.

If you are planning to make CP soap, the active lye in the batter will etch the glass over time, causing it to shatter. It's not a question of if, but when. It could also shatter if dropped or knocked over. Shattered glass + caustic soap batter = safety nightmare.

All that to say, glass bread pans are fine for HP, but ill-advised for CP.

ETA: you could line the pan with trash bags and hope that no batter came in contact with the glass. But you'd still have to worry about tears/leaks, and being dropped.

 

[cmzaha]

Maybe you should just consider getting an HDPE mold and lining it, they are sturdy and last a long time. Much safer than using any type of glass even borosilicate, especially since not all borosilicate is created equal. If I was going to worry about VOC's I am not sure I would make soap and use lye. just saying... I really do not think HDPE molds especially lined would present a problem.

 

[lsg]

You can use Pringles' cans and Velveeta boxes. Both can be lined with freezer paper.

 

[Serena]

Maybe you should just consider getting an HDPE mold and lining it, they are sturdy and last a long time. Much safer than using any type of glass even borosilicate, especially since not all borosilicate is created equal. If I was going to worry about VOC's I am not sure I would make soap and use lye. just saying... I really do not think HDPE molds especially lined would present a problem.

Thanks very much for the HDPE idea. That looks worth checking out.

Thank you all for your kind posts. I appreciate it. I don't eat processed food, so have no such packaging. The milk or cream cartons worked well for many years.

VOC = Volatile Oil Compounds

RE: VOC meters

Here are a couple of companies that sell them, the first has a good explanation of what they are, what they are used for, and why VOCs are a problem:

https://www.gadgetreview.com/what-is-voc-meter
https://graywolfsensing.com/directsense-tvoc-volatile-organic-compound-meter-monitor/

 

[Dawni]

Maybe ask some friends or neighbors for margarine or yogurt tubs, or the milk cartons. That's what I did before I could save enough to buy silicone molds with a wooden box. They were more than ready to give me their junk lol

I've used lined tupperware containers too.. And yes, the Pringles cylinders.

Have you seen that lego mold? Haha lined too of course..

 

[KimW]

There's always stainless steel bread pans too. You can get them at WalMart for under a dollar each and they're made in USA. I used them long ago because that's all I had. I did have to place the mold with the soap in the freezer for about an hour to easily unmold it if it wasn't lined. Just FYI.

Thinking of typical soap materials, like HDPE and wooden molds which would typically be lined, I'm wondering if you'd be able to use them. I'm guessing you're no longer using freezer paper since it's coated with plastic. Parchment paper is coated in silicone, so that won't do either. Ceramic, maybe? But then you have no idea about the properties of the glaze used, even if it's a food grade container. Looking around at our house, which is fairly minimal in plastic containers, I'm wondering about lining a mold with canvas, like painter's canvas. Unbleached cotton. But, of course, there would be seepage and very likely transference between the soap and the mold material. hmmmmm

 

[AliOop]

@KimW The problem with "stainless" pans - esp cheap ones - is that they are often just coated with stainless. If the metal gets compromised at all (think: slight dents in thin metal) you can end up with non-stainless metal in contact with your soap. If it's aluminum, you potentially have not just DOS, but also off-gassing. It sounds like @Serena's issues are severe enough that even minimal off-gassing could be an issue for her.

I agree with Carolyn that working with lye may not be a good idea, unless perhaps someone else can masterbatch it for her, or she can wear an appropriate mask to protect herself from the fumes. And I second the idea of the HDPE molds. @cmzaha given Kim's note that the freezer paper is coated with plastic, would it be possible to grease the HDPE molds with mineral oil or Vaseline instead of lining them? My recollection is that both of those are pretty inert.

 

[CatahoulaBubble]

You can bake anything from thrift stores to kill mold spores.
Otherwise you can line baking pans and pie tins with silicone baking mats and use those.