Curing Soap

[GreenDragon]

When curing your soap, how long do you leave your cut bars exposed to air after cutting? Do you lay them out flat, set up on end like dominos, lay on a cloth or paper towel?

Thanks!

 

[Kittish]

I set mine up on plastic canvas lined wire shelves, spaced out enough so air can get all around them. They get to stay on the curing rack for a minimum of two months, then I move them to a big plastic crate loosely lined with parchment for another week or two, then packaged and packed so they still get some airflow and check on them every couple of weeks to be sure none of them are deteriorating from there. I'm in a very arid area, though. If you have more humidity, you might need to cure your soaps longer or work out other long term storage methods. I generally try to set my bars up like dominoes just so they take up less space on my rack, but not everything will cooperate. If it won't stand up, I'll lay it flat.

If your curing area has a solid surface for the soap to sit on, you'll need to turn your bars weekly so all the faces get equal air exposure. Coated wire racks make pretty good curing shelves, just line them with something like plastic canvas that isn't going to be gradually eaten by new soap. Don't use bare metal to cure your soaps on.

 

[IrishLass]

I leave mine exposed to air for at least 4 - 6 weeks on racks before wrapping or transferring them to baseball card storage boxes made out of acid-free cardboard. The racks that I use are stackable, silicone coated cooling racks made by Pampered Chef.


IrishLass

 

[BattleGnome]

Whatever you choose to do make sure to flip them weekly. I have an assortment of configurations and no ill effects - I keep everything arranged on paper plates because it was convenient when I started soaping and I have no reason to change right now. I keep everything exposed to open air as long as possible then when I run out of room I move the oldest bars to a long term storage (rickety China cabinet with gaps for circulation in the doors)

If you check out YouTube videos or soap blogs you'll see the most efficient set up is of the "bottom" (based on mold and design) and in rows with roughly an inch of space between each bar.

 

[Susie]

I cure mine in plastic baskets or cardboard boxes that previously held fruit (thank you Carolyn!) on one edge or the other. I flip mine weekly for the first month, and leave them with at least 1/4 inch between for air flow. I do this for a minimum of 4-6 weeks (less for less humidity, more for more) before moving to tighter storage or packaging.

 

[shunt2011]

I do the same as Irishlass. Cure open to the air generally 6-8 weeks no less than 4 and then package and store in the baseball card boxes. If I have too many to cure then I put them in the stackable raspberry cardboard crates from Costco to cure then wrapped and into card boxes.

 

[BrewerGeorge]

Mine sit on the curing rack until I use them or give them away. That could be four weeks, or a year or more. Metal shelves with plastic canvas liners. I don't move them or flip them or anything unless I want to re-arrange the shelf space. That said, my rack IS pretty spacious, holding almost 200 bars without crowding; so I don't really have any reason to move them.

 

[toxikon]

I bought some plastic trays from the dollar store and line those with parchment paper. I arrange the bars like dominos with about an inch of space between them. And flip them on occasion.

I'd love to have a dedicated shelving unit for them... next purchase I think. Right now I just put trays wherever I have room.

 

[BrewerGeorge]

...
I'd love to have a dedicated shelving unit for them... next purchase I think. Right now I just put trays wherever I have room.

I bought two 30" tall by 24" wide by 14" deep, 3-shelf units at Lowes similar to this. But I used all six shelves on a single set of legs. I end up with five spaces, each about 5" tall and the top. Mine was less than $40.

 

[dixiedragon]

I use cardboard produce flats from Costco. Free! I get a bunch of the same kind so the tabs fit together. I drape the top box with cheesecloth, b/c I have pets and I'm tired of wiping pet hair off of soap. I'm too lazy to turn them. I let them cure for at least 6 weeks - basically I let them cure until I feel like shrink wrapping them.

 

[jcandleattic]

I leave mine on the cure racks until they are ready to wrap and label for shows - including ones I've made 6-9 months before my shows. I usually wrap and label 2 weeks before the show (I only do 4 a year, starting in October) All of my soaps get a minimum 6 week cure before preparing for the shows, so anything not made at least 8 weeks before my first show doesn't go with me...

I set them on a wooden vegetable cart, with a layer of tissue paper to protect the wood, in a domino like set-up.
My cart has 9 shelves, and can hold up to 60-65 bars each shelf depending on the size of the bars..

 

[GreenDragon]

Thanks for the help everyone!

 

[Dahila]

I leave them like Dominos as long as I do not need the space, usually about 8 weeks then collect them into baskets Toxicon showed (the pic) and put on shelfes, I pack them as needed for markets

 

[IrishLass]

As an addendum to my earlier post, I never flip mine (for whatever it's worth).


IrishLass

 

[deighturp]

Hey Green Dragon, I pretty much asked the same question. I have made my soap and it has now been sitting for about a week. I am excited to wrap them and get them ready for Christmas presents. But I have been told on here that they need to sit for at least 4 weeks. I really don't have to wrap them I just WANT TO, maybe to excited, this is my first attempt at making soap so it is hard to wait. Even if I do wrap them I still won't pass them out till Christmas..

 

[artemis]

I really don't have to wrap them I just WANT TO, maybe to excited, this is my first attempt at making soap so it is hard to wait. Even if I do wrap them I still won't pass them out till Christmas..

I say: go ahead a wrap a couple and just observe them over a couple weeks. You'll satisfy your own desire, and probably learn why they're advising you not to do it.

 

[jcandleattic]

As an addendum to my earlier post, I never flip mine (for whatever it's worth).


IrishLass

I never do mine either..

 

[SunWolf]

I set mine up like dominoes on coated wire racks, with gaps between all of them for air circulation. I do not flip them, unless I happen to do so when moving them around to make more room on the shelves. At 4 to 6 weeks I put them into cardboard containers until wrapped to sell/gift.



Also, resist the urge to wrap or label your soaps too soon...they continue to shrink as the moisture evaporates during the cure. You end up having to rewrap/label them.