Cat Hair, How To Keep Soap Hairless?

[MooMac]

Hey all,
MooMac here. I live in a small apartment currently with a cat, the cat loves to leave its hair in the air and on furniture. I'm not sure where to go or what to do to make sure hair doesn't get into my soaps and other products...what have you all tried and what do you suggest?

Things I've considered are renting a small storage unit but I'm not sure if there are any with sufficient ventilation for lye soap making. Maybe there's some kind of netting I can put around my work area to make it hair free? Brainstorming here!

 

[TheGecko]

I have three cats. I wipe down everything with a damp microfiber cloth...soaping cart, equipment, molds and haven't found in cat hair (or my hair) in the soap. I saponify, cure and store in the garage where the cats typically aren't, but I also do laundry in the garage. And while I still find cat hair on my clothes from the dryer, but on my soaps. I may be lucky because our cats are short-hair and they get brushed several times a week.

I would try damp microfiber towels. You could also get a few yards of light gauze fabric from the fabric store and cover your soaps while curing. And tubs to hold your finished products.

 

[MooMac]

Thank you, good suggestions! While I'm saponifying the soap mix is open to the air, do you think I can cover it? I don't have a garage and there's a good amount of hair in the air...I will definitely be brushing my cat more often

 

[TheGecko]

Thank you, good suggestions! While I'm saponifying the soap mix is open to the air, do you think I can cover it? I don't have a garage and there's a good amount of hair in the air...I will definitely be brushing my cat more often

You can cover your soap with a lid or plastic wrap.

 

[Arimara]

Do you brush your cat's coat regularly? that might also help.

 

[earlene]

I brush my cat daily, and still in this weather in particular, her hair just flies around off of her at the slightest touch or as she rubs up against something.

I bought an air purifier recently and my husband said he notices that I am breathing much easier. I have not checked the unit filters yet, but I suspect that when I do, I will find a lot of cat hairs on them (or at least on the 1st one). It has three settings, so if you do get one, you could use the highest setting for when you are making soap. The caveat is that it may suck up and remove desired fragrances while it is cleaning the air, so that might be something to take into account.

The other thing I do is, I don't make soap when she is in the room. I wait until she is asleep, which she is so many hours of the day anyway. There is a really good window of opportunity if I feed her some wet food and wait for her to settle in for a long nap.

 

[MooMac]

I brush my cat daily, and still in this weather in particular, her hair just flies around off of her at the slightest touch or as she rubs up against something.

I bought an air purifier recently and my husband said he notices that I am breathing much easier. I have not checked the unit filters yet, but I suspect that when I do, I will find a lot of cat hairs on them (or at least on the 1st one). It has three settings, so if you do get one, you could use the highest setting for when you are making soap. The caveat is that it may suck up and remove desired fragrances while it is cleaning the air, so that might be something to take into account.

The other thing I do is, I don't make soap when she is in the room. I wait until she is asleep, which she is so many hours of the day anyway. There is a really good window of opportunity if I feed her some wet food and wait for her to settle in for a long nap.

I will look into the air purifier, any recommendations on the kind? I was thinking maybe a fan blowing away from my setup might help too!

 

[earlene]

Yes, a fan blowing away should help as a stop-gap measure. As for which brand of air purifier, I spent a lot of time trying to decide based on room size rating and my situation. That's important, so it may take you a while figuring out what best suits your specific needs. This is the one I got (on sale plus a coupon for $10 off, for about a $50 savings off regular price at the time). I want to to get a second one when it goes on sale again.

 

[Nona'sFarm]

I too have a per hair issue, I use the above methods (wiping everything down, use an air purifier, and loosely cover my saponifying soap with a light tea towel). I also vacuum the floor as often as possible in the open living area, which includes the kitchen - usually 3 - 5 times a week and definitely before I soap. Oh and I am diligent about changing the home HVAC filter on a timely basis.
Thanks for asking the question, hearing what others are doing helps me to know I am probably following the best practices.

 

[TheGecko]

hearing what others are doing helps me to know I am probably following the best practices.

Technically, "best practices" would be to have a closed off room or separate studio dedicated to soap making, but that is not always possible so we do the best possible that we can. I always 'close' the kitchen when I get ready to make soap, which starts with me sweeping and mopping and wiping everything down to clean up. I had to do this because hubby and daughter would come in and try to make food or bring in dirty dishes or whatnot.

 

[Kiwi2:)]

Hi - I have a short hair feline companion with a very luxurious coat, who shares with us all as well! I wipe down the area and vacuum, etc before I soap (in our laundry) and she's excluded from that area. Then when the soaps are curing they go into a plastic tiered kitchen trolley, covered with mesh cloths with weights at each corner (the ones used for covering food). I like that system because the trolleys can be moved around easily and broken down and stored if I'm not curing a whole lotta soap (but I usually have at least one on the go all the time ) They have plastic plugs that go into the top tier on the four corners, that can be removed and used to secure the mesh cloths, which are super cheap and allow good airflow during cure. I find that's a pretty effective system for me - good luck!

 

[MooMac]

Hi - I have a short hair feline companion with a very luxurious coat, who shares with us all as well! I wipe down the area and vacuum, etc before I soap (in our laundry) and she's excluded from that area. Then when the soaps are curing they go into a plastic tiered kitchen trolley, covered with mesh cloths with weights at each corner (the ones used for covering food). I like that system because the trolleys can be moved around easily and broken down and stored if I'm not curing a whole lotta soap (but I usually have at least one on the go all the time ) They have plastic plugs that go into the top tier on the four corners, that can be removed and used to secure the mesh cloths, which are super cheap and allow good airflow during cure. I find that's a pretty effective system for me - good luck!

That trolley sounds awesome! Thank you for sharing

 

[DoctorCrowley]

I just came here to talk about how to keep pet hair away. I soap in my basement, my dog hates the basement and only goes down every couple years when forced due to tornado sirens. I wear a hairnet, I have a specific tshirt that I keep in the basement to be free of dog hair, and a moriticians apron as well. It never fails that no matter how well I examine the bowls and utensils, a dog hair ends up on my glove, or the table or in the oils. I have no idea what more I can do to keep this from happening. Clearly it's falling off my clothes or something, which is why i have a shirt that I specifically wear only down there to soap in. Once I found an eyelash in my soap (seriously?).

 

[MooMac]

I just came here to talk about how to keep pet hair away. I soap in my basement, my dog hates the basement and only goes down every couple years when forced due to tornado sirens. I wear a hairnet, I have a specific tshirt that I keep in the basement to be free of dog hair, and a moriticians apron as well. It never fails that no matter how well I examine the bowls and utensils, a dog hair ends up on my glove, or the table or in the oils. I have no idea what more I can do to keep this from happening. Clearly it's falling off my clothes or something, which is why i have a shirt that I specifically wear only down there to soap in. Once I found an eyelash in my soap (seriously?).

Nature finds a way! While it may not be perfect, all those steps help I bet...but that must be frustrating!

 

[ScentimentallyYours]

I have problems with dog hair showing up everywhere in my house. I have to clean my face and arms and hands in addition to changing my clothes and using a lint roller prior to soaping. The other problem is very fine hair that floats in the air. I’m thinking I should bring my air filter out there and run it for a time prior to soaping.

I have wondered about making the case for the benefits of hair proteins in soap as an additive or Even adding quantities of it and claiming that it is good for exfoliation. Just kidding!

 

[DoctorCrowley]

I have problems with dog hair showing up everywhere in my house. I have to clean my face and arms and hands in addition to changing my clothes and using a lint roller prior to soaping. The other problem is very fine hair that floats in the air. I’m thinking I should bring my air filter out there and run it for a time prior to soaping.

I have wondered about making the case for the benefits of hair proteins in soap as an additive or Even adding quantities of it and claiming that it is good for exfoliation. Just kidding!

Yeah my next step is the lint roller. LOL It's like those plague movies where they have to go through a whole bathing/changing/sanitation process to get from one room to another These animals are lucky they stole our hearts LOL.

 

[Soaplizard]

Wipe down everything. I sometimes dilute rubbing alcohol and water and wipe down everything before I do anything. It’s been ridiculously hot in the PNW so Im taking a break making soap since my cat is shedding left and right. Just thinking about it, I need to deep clean EVERYTHING now.

 

[ScentimentallyYours]

I find that even when I have washed clothes and they look perfectly clean, I still have to use the lint roller on them for the very fine hair. I buy lots of back up rolls, too!

 

[lenarenee]

Cure the bars under a covering of cheese cloth?

 

[Susie]

Tulle covers well, is very light, and will not leave an imprint on the soap if you can't build something. I had my hubby make a "screen room" for soap since my daughter and her long haired cat moved in. It is basically a box made of 1x1 wood and solar screen (cheaper than metal screening right now) that slips over the top of my soap shelving.