Ash Removal - Looks Promising

dibbles · Apr 19, 2017

I can embrace glycerin rivers when they happen. I just hate ash on my soaps.

Since my whole house is dusty and the bathrooms need to be cleaned, I decided to distract myself by looking at soap pictures and youtube videos. And came across this one [ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzE-86xcASY&t=344s[/ame] Somewhere around the 5:30 mark is where he talks about spraying first with distilled water and then a couple of minutes later with 91% alcohol.

So I had to try. The center bar is not sprayed. The large bar on the left was sprayed first with distilled water, then 2 minutes later with 91% alcohol. The little end cut on the right was sprayed only with 91% alcohol. I'm thinking that might work as well as spraying with both. I'm going to watch these for a couple of days to see if the ash stays off. If it doesn't, I'll update. I also tried this on a salt bar - mine always get thick ash no matter what. It seems to be helping there too. It's cloudy here today, and I can't get a good picture because of the light color of the salt bar. Wouldn't it be wonderful if getting rid of ash was as easy as this?

Susie · Apr 19, 2017

Please keep us updated! I have around 300 bars to package up in the next 5 weeks, most of them to "not immediate family", so the ash has to go.

WeaversPort · Apr 20, 2017

Very fascinating! I am curious to hear how it goes as well!

Guspuppy · Apr 20, 2017

Oooh I need to find some 91% alcohol and try this on my heavily ashed salt bars! Nothing else seems to ash but my salt bars... wow.

dibbles · Apr 20, 2017

Guspuppy said:
Oooh I need to find some 91% alcohol and try this on my heavily ashed salt bars! Nothing else seems to ash but my salt bars... wow.

My salt bars get heavy ash as well. I make mine in individual cavity molds, so the 'top' in the mold is the 'bottom' of the bar, which gets a ton of ash. I tried spraying the heavily ashed side, without much success. My first trial was done on a bar with more minimal ash on the surface, and it worked somewhat. The top of the bar, which was the side at the bottom of the mold, had developed a little light ash which spraying seems to have taken care of. So, my hopes for getting rid of heavy ash on salt bars seems to not be working too well. I did spray a regular bar that had quite a good coating of ash, and spraying removed that.

IrishLass · Apr 20, 2017

dibbles said:
Since my whole house is dusty and the bathrooms need to be cleaned, I decided to distract myself by looking at soap pictures and youtube videos.

Thank you for my first belly laugh of the day! Not that I can relate or anything, of course. :twisted: lol

For heavy ash on my un-gelled bars, I've found there's just no better way than applying some friction in the form of a toothbrush. I turn my faucet on at a very slow/thin stream and gently brush the ash away under the running water.

On my gelled bars, it's very rare that I get any ash at all except for a light sprinkling every now and then, but it wipes right off for me with a damp cloth (dampened with either 70% alcohol or water).

IrishLass

SunRiseArts · Apr 23, 2017

That was a very informative video!

dibbles · Apr 23, 2017

Susie said:
Please keep us updated! I have around 300 bars to package up in the next 5 weeks, most of them to "not immediate family", so the ash has to go.

4 days and no sign of returning ash

Zany_in_CO · Apr 23, 2017

dibbles said:
Since my whole house is dusty and the bathrooms need to be cleaned, I decided to distract myself by looking at soap pictures and youtube videos.

:mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: Too funny! Thanks for the giggle!

SunRiseArts · Apr 24, 2017

So I tried this on a soap, and the top texture got messed up. Not sure if I added too much water?

dibbles · Apr 24, 2017

SunRiseArts said:
So I tried this on a soap, and the top texture got messed up. Not sure if I added too much water?

I've done this on soaps from a few different batches, and haven't had any problems like that. I have a fine mist sprayer for my distilled water and just spray the top lightly - 2 pumps. I let it sit for a bit and then spray with the alcohol. I don't touch it at all. Just let it dry.

If anyone else tries this, I'd like to hear your results.

soaring1 · Apr 25, 2017

I use 99% Isopropyl Alcohol that I order from my pharmacy. Not all pharmacy's can get it. Walgreens was a no win. Medicap could get it in. I decided to try the 99% since I had a bottle of it when I was trying to use the Gel nail polish system with the LED light. It helped so well, I bought some more. I spray the top of the soap after it gets a thin coat over the top before I wrap it up to gel. I sometimes have the look of ash start to show up and I just steam the soaps before I put them on the drying rack to cure out. Steaming my salt bars before the drying rack cure has really helped that thick layer of ash from building up. I steam the salt bars after they are completely cooled.

Nevada · Apr 29, 2017

Seemed to work rather well for my Lavender-Orange-Patchouli Calendula bars.
Treated as prescribed 7 days ago.

jewels621 · Apr 29, 2017

Holy Simplicity, BatSoapers! I finally had a chance to watch the video and, of course, had to try it right away. It's almost too good to be true! I'm so happy right now!

dibbles · Apr 29, 2017

It's been 10 days since I first tried this, and so far, so good. Not a speck of ash has returned to any of the bars I have sprayed. I'm going to call it good. These soaps are earmarked for donation, and I'm going to need to get them packaged up and ready to go. I will keep the one bar I left with ash on the top and one that was sprayed to watch for a bit longer time.

This is seriously so easy I can't believe it works.

DWinMadison · Feb 13, 2019

dibbles said:
I can embrace glycerin rivers when they happen. I just hate ash on my soaps.

Since my whole house is dusty and the bathrooms need to be cleaned, I decided to distract myself by looking at soap pictures and youtube videos. And came across this one [ame] Somewhere around the 5:30 mark is where he talks about spraying first with distilled water and then a couple of minutes later with 91% alcohol.

So I had to try. The center bar is not sprayed. The large bar on the left was sprayed first with distilled water, then 2 minutes later with 91% alcohol. The little end cut on the right was sprayed only with 91% alcohol. I'm thinking that might work as well as spraying with both. I'm going to watch these for a couple of days to see if the ash stays off. If it doesn't, I'll update. I also tried this on a salt bar - mine always get thick ash no matter what. It seems to be helping there too. It's cloudy here today, and I can't get a good picture because of the light color of the salt bar. Wouldn't it be wonderful if getting rid of ash was as easy as this?

View attachment 24408

Where do you buy 91% alcohol?

dibbles · Feb 13, 2019

DWinMadison said:
Where do you buy 91% alcohol?

I just got mine at Target

SunRiseArts · Feb 13, 2019

I get mine at Walmart, in the section of the pharmacy where they have oxygen water, bandages, etc. is the bigger bottle. Less than 3 bucks

Lin19687 · Feb 13, 2019

This post is 2 years old

Zany_in_CO · Feb 13, 2019

DWinMadison said:
Where do you buy 91% alcohol?

91% alcohol aka "Rubbing Alcohol" aka "Isopropyl Alcohol".
Most grocery stores and drug stores carry it.

I use the 70% -- good for spritzing down foam in transparent soaps and liquid soaps. (Fortunately, my bar soaps don't get soda ash. If I knew why that is, I'd certainly share. Maybe because of Colorado's dry alpine desert climate? :smallshrug:

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