Curing rack ideas

[math ace]

My husband made this for me and it works very well! Around $30 in materials. The drawers slide in and out.

Woo baby,. That is a serious soap rack!

 

[Greg Hartman]

When I first started, I used a couple of old cookie sheets lined with freezer paper and put them on a shelf in the garage. As I started making more soap, more cookie sheets on the washer and dryer. Then came a very nice shelving unit in the garage for curing soap and extra supples.

Do temperature extremes make any difference? I live in northern Arizona; nowhere near as hot as Phoenix but my garage can get pretty hot in the summer.

 

[dixiedragon]

I cover my soap with netting. It keeps the dust and kitty hairs off!

I tried cheesecloth but it just wads up and sticks to itself. I got some fabric shower curtains for $2 at Bargain hunt so now I have those draped over my wrap and secured with binder clips.

 

[shunt2011]

Do temperature extremes make any difference? I live in northern Arizona; nowhere near as hot as Phoenix but my garage can get pretty hot in the summer.

Absolutely. You need to store your soaps in a temperature controlled room. If you store in really hot area it will likely cause DOS and other issues. I keep my soaps in a spare bedroom, door closed, fan going and no sunlight. Heat 69 in the winter, air 70 in the summer if it gets really hot. Currently moving my soaps into an enclosed carport that is somewhat heated but no air so will be investing in an air conditioner. The cool isn't bad but heat is not a good thing.

 

[mr soap man]

I've been wondering if there was a better way to cure soaps than my current set-up.

I like to make a couple of pounds of soap in a batch and a couple of batches a month. I want a better way to let this small amount of soap cure. Usually, my soaps are curing for 6 weeks.

I was thinking that some old vhs or CD storage towers could be repurposed for this.

Currently, I'm using cutting boards that sit ontop of my book case

Would anyone be willing to post pics of your soap curing set up? I'm especially interested in the small set-ups. I would appreciate pics of large set-ups too.

 

[Claire Huddle]

I've been wondering if there was a better way to cure soaps than my current set-up.

I like to make a couple of pounds of soap in a batch and a couple of batches a month. I want a better way to let this small amount of soap cure. Usually, my soaps are curing for 6 weeks.

I was thinking that some old vhs or CD storage towers could be repurposed for this.

Currently, I'm using cutting boards that sit ontop of my book case

Would anyone be willing to post pics of your soap curing set up? I'm especially interested in the small set-ups. I would appreciate pics of large set-ups too.

This works for me. Set up in back room with no pet traffic. Stack and restack to your heart's content. One old cookie sheet taken out of circulation, and that's it!

 

[SPowers]

I've been wondering if there was a better way to cure soaps than my current set-up.

I like to make a couple of pounds of soap in a batch and a couple of batches a month. I want a better way to let this small amount of soap cure. Usually, my soaps are curing for 6 weeks.

I was thinking that some old vhs or CD storage towers could be repurposed for this.

Currently, I'm using cutting boards that sit ontop of my book case

Would anyone be willing to post pics of your soap curing set up? I'm especially interested in the small set-ups. I would appreciate pics of large set-ups too.

I'm new and haven't yet made my first batch... warming up to it so it will happen soon! I've been wondering the same thing especially since I live in a smal condo with not a lot of space for spreading things out. I do have a couple of book cases and a cd/dvd tower and either seem like an excellent idea for my storage issues. Thanks for the tip - will order some of the needlepoint backing which I can cut to size. Getting excited about trying my first batch.

 

[TheGecko]

I've posted a photo previously of my curing rack in the link below

We must shop at the same store, but mine doesn't have as many shelves. That will be my next purchase once we clean out the garage so there is more room.

This works for me. Set up in back room with no pet traffic. Stack and restack to your heart's content. One old cookie sheet taken out of circulation, and that's it!

You want to be careful about putting soap on bare metal racks unless you are absolutely sure they are 100% stainless steel.

 

[Claire Huddle]

You want to be careful about putting soap on bare metal racks unless you are absolutely sure they are 100% stainless steel.

You are right of course and I should have mentioned that they are stainless. Good catch, thanks!

 

[Susie]

This stuff will keep animal hair out. And it comes in a wide variety of sizes. https://www.amazon.com/8Ftx10Ft-Mos...qid=1588514542&sprefix=netting,aps,187&sr=8-5

 

[SideDoorSoaps]

I have a metal shelving unit but use the lids of copy boxes to hold the soap and stack them and rotate.

 

[Claudette Carignan]

I bought a metal three tier shoe rack that I line with brown paper to cure my soap. It was cheap and easy to set up. I bought It at costco. You can buy multiple racks and stake them together. That was the main reason I choose it. It’s about three feet wide by about a foot or so deep. I can Tuck it away in the corner of my office.

 

[IrishLass]

This is my set-up. Mind you, this pic was taken during my first or second year year of soap-making. My racks are stackable cooling racks made of coated steel sold by Pampered Chef (coated with some kind of non-stick rubbery stuff). I have amassed a good handful of them over the years because I have family and friends that sell the stuff. Some I use for baking, and the rest are used for curing soap. Anyway, they work great for the modest amount of soap I make. Each rack can hold up to 27 soaps if the racks are not stacked (three of my 2.8 pound batches), and a little less than that if they are stacked.

IrishLass

 

[Claudette Carignan]

This is my set-up. Mind you, this pic was taken during my first or second year year of soap-making. My racks are stackable cooling racks made of coated steel sold by Pampered Chef (coated with some kind of non-stick rubbery stuff). I have amassed a good handful of them over the years because I have family and friends that sell the stuff. Some I use for baking, and the rest are used for curing soap. Anyway, they work great for the modest amount of soap I make. Each rack can hold up to 27 soaps if the racks are not stacked (three of my 2.8 pound batches), and a little less than that if they are stacked.

View attachment 45798


IrishLass

Your soaps are beautiful

 

[shunt2011]

We must shop at the same store, but mine doesn't have as many shelves. That will be my next purchase once we clean out the garage so there is more room.

I just used the shelves from a couple other units and didn't use the poles. I wanted to be able to cure a lot of soap at once.

 

[math ace]

I finally got a handle on my needa when it comes to a curing rack. This guy is about 3 ft tall ànd 1.5 ft wide the curing rack is free standing and will fit on a dresser too once I get it cleaned off!

 

[RacerSpuffy]

I made a couple with dowel rods and some thin strips of wood I picked up at Lowes or Menards. Sorry I don't have a better pic but you should get the idea. Ideally I set the bars on end, but this was taken to show off those molded soaps. I usually make plain rectangular or square bars depending on whether I loaf mold and cut or individual bar mold.

 

[Jersey Girl]

I bought two of these from Home Depot but only used the support poles from one, so I have six shelves. I lined them with cardboard. I can get 6 or 7 batches (up to 9 or 10 bars each (depending on how close you place them and their size) on each shelf. That’s at least 54 bars per shelf so about 324 bars total Is the capacity. It doesn’t take up a lot of space. I have it on top of a dresser type thingy in my very dark bedroom so it’s the perfect spot for me.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/HDX-30-...f-Wire-Black-Shelving-Unit-31424BPS/302073746

 

[Rsapienza]

When I first began soaping, I had no room to cure/store. My closets had that white, metal shelving and rods. I bought a bunch of paper trays (the plastic ones used in offices that can stack). I zip tied one tray under each wire shelf. The trays hung from the shelves. They were out of sight and got plenty of air flow. This was probably my most unique curing idea. I now have a stack of curing trays from Essential Depot.

 

[earlene]

When I first began soaping, I had no room to cure/store. My closets had that white, metal shelving and rods. I bought a bunch of paper trays (the plastic ones used in offices that can stack). I zip tied one tray under each wire shelf. The trays hung from the shelves. They were out of sight and got plenty of air flow. This was probably my most unique curing idea. I now have a stack of curing trays from Essential Depot.

I keep thinking I want to buy those (ED), but even with the best sale prices, the shipping costs add so much more back onto the price, I have yet to ever get them. If I would think ahead and pre-order them for delivery at one of the conferences (they always do that in place of free shipping), I might get some. But now, how long will it be before we have another F2F conference? Or maybe on my next trip to Florida I could swing it, whenever that might be.