Curing rack ideas

[math ace]

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

I have kitties too! Can you share the type of netting that you use? Where do you get your netting from?

Woo baby,. That is a serious soap rack!

It's really not that big! It is 3 feet tall and 18 inches wide. Each shelf is the perfect size to space out a 1 lb (oil weight) loaf of soap.

So, I designed it with the expectation that I wouldn't need to cure more than 6 batches of soap at one time.

However, I'm testing some new recipes and fragrances, so I've got more soaping going on than normal.

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.

This is what I've been doing! I had a large wire shelving system that I would put parchment paper on and cure soaps. My problem is that I don't make enough soap to justify the huge shelving system.

It looks like I'm going to need curing space for a mere 5 to 10 lbs of soap.

 

[SPowers]

I see room for an additional 5 shelves at least!

 

[math ace]

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

I love the post it labels infront of the rows of soap!

 

[Dibennett]

I bought a wire storage cart from Ikea and use old baking wire racks to stack them on the shelf lined with baking paper. Do I need to remove the baking paper? I am new and have only made 3 batches so far!

 

[shunt2011]

I bought a wire storage cart from Ikea and use old baking wire racks to stack them on the shelf lined with baking paper. Do I need to remove the baking paper? I am new and have only made 3 batches so far!

You need to cover the metal with something. I use plastic needlepoint sheets from the craft store.

 

[penelopejane]

View attachment 48204

I had hubby make me this curing rack. I'm a hobby soap maker and usually make 1 pound batches. I thought this would be big enough for my "hobby", but I've already filled the shelves.

I've got 20 new fragrances that need to be tested, but am out of curing space .... AGAIN!

Get DH to add more shelves and stand your soaps on edge. They’ll cure more evenly and you’ll have loads more space.

 

[math ace]

Get DH to add more shelves and stand your soaps on edge. They’ll cure more evenly and you’ll have loads more space.

Good idea!

I see room for an additional 5 shelves at least!

I think you are onto something!

 

[TashaBird]

My curing area has lots of shelves, and I have a DH who will build more as needed. Currently using old boxes for trays, but looking to upgrade. Would like more of a side wall for protection from debris, or else I’d get lunchroom trays. But, I was wondering if anyone has used seed growing trays. They look like they’d be great, and they’re cheap! They’d let air get under the bars too, and could keep my round bars from rolling around.
Has anyone used these?
What do you think?
largest I can find are 20” x 10”.

 

[KimW]

But, I was wondering if anyone has used seed growing trays. They look like they’d be great, and they’re cheap! They’d let air get under the bars too, and could keep my round bars from rolling around.
Has anyone used these?
What do you think?
largest I can find are 20” x 10”.

I think you are onto something! If they were placed atop a hard surface I'd think they would definitely work. They might need to be reinforced on the bottom, as they can be flimsy. I put a thin piece of wood veneer (I think it's called project board at the bog box hardware stores and is inexpensive) under them, using it like a tray, when moving seedlings around. I'd think soap wouldn't be any heavier than seedlings.

 

[TashaBird]

I think you are onto something! If they were placed atop a hard surface I'd think they would definitely work. They might need to be reinforced on the bottom, as they can be flimsy. I put a thin piece of wood veneer (I think it's called project board at the bog box hardware stores and is inexpensive) under them, using it like a tray, when moving seedlings around. I'd think soap wouldn't be any heavier than seedlings.

I’m always trying to rig some kind of gusset thingy to keep my round soaps from rolling around, this could work for that too. Yeah, probably need to cut some wood support for underneath, maybe Masonite.

 

[The_Phoenix]

I use these shoe racks.

 

[KimW]

This was delivered today - I'm pretty excited about it...

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00U5MA8NW

 

[Babyshoes]

This was delivered today - I'm pretty excited about it...

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00U5MA8NW

Ooh, that reminds me I have a set of non-woven fabric hanging shelves somewhere! I bet they'd be perfect for curing soap...

 

[penelopejane]

I’m always trying to rig some kind of gusset thingy to keep my round soaps from rolling around, this could work for that too. Yeah, probably need to cut some wood support for underneath, maybe Masonite.

If you get a flat board (perforated if possible to allow airflow) and cut circles with a hole saw. Like a pegboard with giant holes. Your round soap will sit in the holes and not roll. You might need to router the edge so it’s on a slope and smooth.
If your soaps are 80mm diameter you would use a 50mm hole saw say. You would want the soap not to go through the board as when you put it flat the soap would roll off. Or you could put feet on the board.

 

[SoapLover1]

These are my Favorite! They are from Essential Depot. Check them out! Hold 100 bars per tray. You can buy the Dolly that has wheels to push it around. The Corners are elevated so there’s extra clearance for taller soaps. There’s Airflow and the sides are high enough to protect from dust & debris. You can get a Free Tray every 6 months by submitting a picture of your soap.

 

[lucycat]

In my small space my best solution was stackable shoe racks. I have 3 stacked for a total of 8 shelves and they take up 27"W x 12"D x 5'T. Since they are for shoes the shelves are only about 6" tall which means I can cure out about 240 bars of soap plus use 2 shelves for supplies in this small space. They are metal and I purchased mine from Sam's but other stores have similar ones. I use cardboard box trays that I get from garden centers on each shelf to hold the soap (lined with freezer paper). Each of those cardboard trays holds 4 logs of soap. They last surprisingly well but I am also buying plants each year so I always have plenty.
At one time I looked into the stackable soap drying trays mentioned by SoapLover1. They weren't from Essential Depot and shipping cost was a concern. I am not a big seller and make in my kitchen and cure in the laundry room. In the end I realized my space was tight enough in the laundry room that finding a location to set the trays when unstacking them to get to a lower tray was going to be a problem as well as deciding my back wasn't going to be happy if I was always bending over to lift a tray full of soap.

 

[penelopejane]

or

I’m always trying to rig some kind of gusset thingy to keep my round soaps from rolling around, this could work for that too. Yeah, probably need to cut some wood support for underneath, maybe Masonite.

For round soaps you could also try egg cartons.,

 

[TashaBird]

or

For round soaps you could also try egg cartons.,

Great idea! Thanks!!

 

[Garden Gives Me Joy]

Currently stuck in a highly humid rain forest climate since the start of the Covid-19 lockdowns started. One thing I have come to learn about soaping in an extreme climate is that your environmental conditions impact how your soap cures ... and keeps.

A must-do for this extreme climate which apparently works anywhere else is to have a rack with maximum ventilation from all directions. To maximize ventialation, I want to either drill or burn holes in the bottom of each tray of this rack. To keep away the dust, I want to drape sheer fabric over it. I may also anchor the fabric with clothes pins, so it doesn't slump into the top tray or slip off. I also like how its wheels allow me to move it around.

Before figuring how to get this, I had the idea of constructing the frame with PVC pipes to support very breathable kitchen trays that would be either coated or made of high quality metal.

 

[SoapLover1]

I also use one of my Linen Closets!