Curious what the forum thinks of "Zote" Mexican soap (mainly for laundry)?

[Saltynuts]

Sorry, not sure what the right forum is for this, apologies if I got it wrong. But I was just curious if anyone has any thoughts on "Zote" soap? Made in Mexico for many years, apparently quite popular. Its mainly a laundry soap, but its hard, I believe they make it using lye and various oils. Then add some sweep smelling oil. I love the stuff - its EXTREMELY cheap and I love the way my clothes smell after I wash them. Apparently you can use the soap for all sorts of things besides your laundry, from anti-acne bar soap to catching catfish haha.

Just curious what people think of this soap! And could one make their own? Its so cheap, probably no reason to, but just curious.

Thanks!!!

 

[pellidon]

Looks like a tallow/coconut soap with citronella added. That might put some off.

 

[glendam]

When I first started watching soap making videos, before even attempting it myself, I saw one from Becky’s homestead; where she made laundry soap with it (DIY laundry soap is itself a touchy subject; for which there are more cons than pros). What caught my attention is that she said she traded her laundry soap with her neighbor who owned goats and her neighbor liked it because it was the only detergent that got rid of the goat smell on her clothes. I have never tried it myself. In El Salvador we had other brands of soaps for clothes washing, (which was done mostly by hand when I was growing up) at some point my dad bought a washing machine but I recall most of the washing being done by hand.

 

[Savage Daughter]

In El Salvador we had other brands of soaps for clothes washing, (which was done mostly by hand when I was growing up) at some point my dad bought a washing machine but I recall most of the washing being done by hand.

I watched my grandmothers wash clothes with a washboard & then they graduated to those roller-wringer washers. We live in a so-called 'developed' country, so this was unusual. Then again, we *are* unusual as a people in every sense of the word

Guess who got the wringer washer when I moved out & then later was pregnant with my oldest son? They actually work far better than a regular washer, but having to hang everything up to dry year round was a large pain in my arse at the time LOL

RE the soap mentioned above: I don't think I would want my clothes smelling like citronella....the stuff gags me as it is!

 

[Ephemerella]

(DIY laundry soap is itself a touchy subject; for which there are more cons than pros).

I've been intrigued about DIY laundry soap, but haven't looked into it yet.

Your comment has renewed my interest... would you be willing to elaborate on the cons? I'd really love to know more.

My grandmother had a wringer washer in the basement when I was little. It was old and she likely never used it – she was a socialite, I could *not* imagine her doing laundry!

But when the adults gathered for parties, my brother and I would disappear into the basement to play and we loved that thing! It was a Robinson Caruso fort, a pirate ship, and a lunar module... lot of fun to be had with an old wash tub.

 

[glendam]

I have seen pictures of people who have used DIY laundry soap, and then ”wash” their clothes again in a bathtub with regular detergent, only to discover the bath water turns brown/very dirty because the diy laundry soap has created a barrier that trapped dirt underneath, or something along those lines. I think is something to do with the compatibility of DIY soap against modern machinery.
I have seen those wringer devices in pictures, but never used one. Sounds like it was fun as a toy!
What we had in El Salvador was a surface made with cement, waist high, with a large built-in area next to it to hold water. It was truly a hand washing experience, with just the soap and friction action of your hands doing the work. You could hire people to come do your laundry and your ironing though, with labor usually being low cost.
in case you are curious, I think this was the video I watched From Becky homestead.

 

[lsg]

IMO, if you have hard water DIY laundry soap doesn't work well.

 

[Ephemerella]

thank you both so much! Rabbit hole successfully dodged!

 

[glendam]

@QuasiQuadrant Ditto on hanging clothes in a line! I remember we would leave them out hanging for days, and then, when it would suddenly start to rain, it was an all hands on deck frenzied operation to bring them inside all at once. It was very chaotic but fun.

 

[Nona'sFarm]

@Saltynuts , @DeeAnna has a really good article on making your own laundry soap :
https://classicbells.com/soap/laundrySoap.asp
I make my own using 100% coconut oil, 0% SF. I cut it into bars the next day. Then I shred a "bucket" at a time. I use a vegetable grater that I can attach to the electric mixer. I do not grind it further in a blender, just let it dry out. I do not add a fragrance, as my skin is sensitive to most laundry detergent fragrances, so I don't tempt fate. When washing clothes I add equal parts washing soda and the coconut soap; amount depends on the size of the load and the dirtiness of the clothes.

I live in a rural area with a septic system and in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, so part of my goal is to be as kind to the environment as possible (and still have clean clothes). At one time some of the ingredients in laundry detergents were not good for the environment, but I think that has improved. Regardless, good old fashioned soap is still a safe choice.

 

[Gaisy59]

I watched my grandmothers wash clothes with a washboard & then they graduated to those roller-wringer washers. We live in a so-called 'developed' country, so this was unusual. Then again, we *are* unusual as a people in every sense of the word

Guess who got the wringer washer when I moved out & then later was pregnant with my oldest son? They actually work far better than a regular washer, but having to hang everything up to dry year round was a large pain in my arse at the time LOL

RE the soap mentioned above: I don't think I would want my clothes smelling like citronella....the stuff gags me as it is!

Yes! I too grew up with the wringer washer and the rinse tub. When i moved out to go to college my landlady had the same setup. I think my eyes popped out of my head when i saw that because by this time my folks had graduated to an automatic and i was back in the “dark ages”. But truth be told i love hanging my clothes outside.

 

[Gaisy59]

@Saltynuts , @DeeAnna has a really good article on making your own laundry soap :
https://classicbells.com/soap/laundrySoap.asp
I make my own using 100% coconut oil, 0% SF. I cut it into bars the next day. Then I shred a "bucket" at a time. I use a vegetable grater that I can attach to the electric mixer. I do not grind it further in a blender, just let it dry out. I do not add a fragrance, as my skin is sensitive to most laundry detergent fragrances, so I don't tempt fate. When washing clothes I add equal parts washing soda and the coconut soap; amount depends on the size of the load and the dirtiness of the clothes.

I live in a rural area with a septic system and in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, so part of my goal is to be as kind to the environment as possible (and still have clean clothes). At one time some of the ingredients in laundry detergents were not good for the environment, but I think that has improved. Regardless, good old fashioned soap is still a safe choice.

I read that if you feel your clothes are getting too coated with detergent all you have to do is run them through the washer with no soap and vinegar added. Even with store laundry detergent if you use too much it will cause a buildup in your clothes.

 

[BodyWasher]

@Saltynuts , @DeeAnna has a really good article on making your own laundry soap :
https://classicbells.com/soap/laundrySoap.asp
I make my own using 100% coconut oil, 0% SF. I cut it into bars the next day. Then I shred a "bucket" at a time. I use a vegetable grater that I can attach to the electric mixer. I do not grind it further in a blender, just let it dry out. I do not add a fragrance, as my skin is sensitive to most laundry detergent fragrances, so I don't tempt fate. When washing clothes I add equal parts washing soda and the coconut soap; amount depends on the size of the load and the dirtiness of the clothes.

I live in a rural area with a septic system and in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, so part of my goal is to be as kind to the environment as possible (and still have clean clothes). At one time some of the ingredients in laundry detergents were not good for the environment, but I think that has improved. Regardless, good old fashioned soap is still a safe choice.

Thanks for sharing your recipe! I’m also rural and my graywater drains separate.
I’m in a dry area with lots of sand so I’d like to reuse my laundry/shower water in a planter/botanical cell. The less poison in my soaps and detergents the better

 

[jeanemarie]

@QuasiQuadrant Ditto on hanging clothes in a line! I remember we would leave them out hanging for days, and then, when it would suddenly start to rain, it was an all hands on deck frenzied operation to bring them inside all at once. It was very chaotic but fun.

But wasn’t it so much fun running through the sheets?!

 

[Dani13563]

I’m not really answering your question, just adding my own two cents lol. I have a bar of Zote in my bathroom right now! My family uses it to get tough stains out of clothes, and I use it whenever I get a really bad breakout (it’s really drying, but my oily skin deals with it ). In my grandmother’s home pueblo in Mexico, some of her sisters still walk to the creek to wash their clothes, and guess what they use? When we visited we bathed in the river with Zote for fun! Oh and I personally love the smell of it, but it might be because I grew up with it .

 

[glendam]

But wasn’t it so much fun running through the sheets?!

Yes, that was also fun!

 

[PaintyLiz]

@Saltynuts , @DeeAnna has a really good article on making your own laundry soap :
https://classicbells.com/soap/laundrySoap.asp
I make my own using 100% coconut oil, 0% SF. I cut it into bars the next day. Then I shred a "bucket" at a time. I use a vegetable grater that I can attach to the electric mixer. I do not grind it further in a blender, just let it dry out. I do not add a fragrance, as my skin is sensitive to most laundry detergent fragrances, so I don't tempt fate. When washing clothes I add equal parts washing soda and the coconut soap; amount depends on the size of the load and the dirtiness of the clothes.

I live in a rural area with a septic system and in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, so part of my goal is to be as kind to the environment as possible (and still have clean clothes). At one time some of the ingredients in laundry detergents were not good for the environment, but I think that has improved. Regardless, good old fashioned soap is still a safe choice.

I did use Zote & wasn't happy with it. I also used Fels Naptha & it makes my skin breakout.

I recently started making my 0% SF organic coconut oil laundry/dish soap & it's marvelous! It cleans everything so much better, and my hands no longer break out while folding clothes. In fact, my hands look better than I ever remember them looking. I made the mistake of mixing up laundry soap using bars of ivory - before I knew anything about making your own soap. It ended up putting oil spots on my clothes. BTW Sam's has organic coconut oil very cheap.

I use the same bars as dish soap - they are amazing! You just rub it over the worst burnt on food & it comes right off!

So glad the woman I bought my bar shampoo from moved away so I had to enter the wonderful world of soaping!!!!

 

[VikingChick]

What we had in El Salvador was a surface made with cement, waist high, with a large built-in area next to it to hold water. It was truly a hand washing experience, with just the soap and friction action of your hands doing the work. You could hire people to come do your laundry and your ironing though, with labor usually being low cost..

My daughter lives in Nicaragua and this is how her laundry setup was until last year when she moved into a house with a washing machine. She still does have to hang her clothes out to dry, but she’s got a covered area to do it, so that’s nice for her.

 

[glendam]

@VikingChick I wonder what brand of laundry soap she used for hand washing. I just remembered the one we used was “Rinso”

 

[VikingChick]

@glendam I asked her and she said she uses this: