For those who have done a helix swirl or dancing funnel swirl or anytime you put soap in a squeeze bottle, is there a way to get more of the soap out to use or is it just something to accept that there will be waste? I hate to waste a drop!
emptying squeeze bottles
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I generally put a plastic baggie inside the bottle and then fill that and fold it over the opening and then put on the lid. It works as long as the soap batter is fairly fluid. Then I can just pull the baggie out and squeeze out as much as possible and then toss the baggie.
Kittish
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I prefer to use disposable piping bags. The one time I tried to use squeeze bottles, the top of the bottles came off a couple of times as the soap batter thickened. You can use ziploc baggies in much the same way, just snip off one corner.
Instead of squeeze bottles, I've always used the ZipLoc baggie method with one of the corners snipped off. Shari's method ^^^ of using a baggie inside the bottle sounds like the best of both worlds.
IrishLass
IrishLass
Instead of squeeze bottles, I've always used the ZipLoc baggie method with one of the corners snipped off. Shari's method ^^^ of using a baggie inside the bottle sounds like the best of both worlds.
IrishLass
It surely does sound like the best of both worlds! I was thinking of the disposable piping bags but since the batter has to be thin I could imagine it running out when I didn't want it to.
Kittish
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I have a small 1" thick bamboo cutting board that developed a split so I couldn't use it in the kitchen that I now use as soaping gear. Even with a thin batter, I don't get more than a drop or two of batter leaking if I set a piping bag down with the tip on the board and the body of the bag on the counter. That's what I did with my blue lace agate soap, the batter was VERY thin for that one because I wanted lots of very thin layers.
Kittish how big is the hole in your piping bag?
Kittish
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Depends on how much of the tip I cut off, but as least as big as the hole at the top of the squeeze bottles I've got.
Thanks everyone!
jcandleattic
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I tried the baggie in the bottle technique - and it really didn't work for me. Either too much air around the baggie and the side of the bottle, or something, because when the soap in the bottle got low, it wouldn't squeeze out.
Now I just do what others have suggested, and use only either a piping bag, or zip-lock baggie and it works perfect. Or at least it works perfect now that I have practiced. The first couple times, it was a little dicey. LOL
Now I just do what others have suggested, and use only either a piping bag, or zip-lock baggie and it works perfect. Or at least it works perfect now that I have practiced. The first couple times, it was a little dicey. LOL
I found some silicone piping bags on AliExpress that I use for soapmaking. They work great. If you just leave them to sit with the remnants of soap batter, the batter will harden and when you turn the bag inside out, the batter just flakes right off for easy cleanup. I just have to wash the little plastic bits, but that's easy.
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1-p...g-dessert-decorators-cake-cupcake-decorating/
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1-p...g-dessert-decorators-cake-cupcake-decorating/
I've also done the baggie in a bottle and even made bags to fit my larger bottles (using my vacuum sealer). But the last couple times I used squeeze bottles, I used smaller ones without baggies, and soap that I colored at emulsion. With one of those batches, the soap remained very fluid the whole time and I had no difficulty whatsoever getting most of the soap out just with the squeezing. Yes, a tiny bit of air problem at the end, but I just quit at that point and filled them with water. They cleaned out very easily.
The next batch had an accelerating FO, so the batter started thickening way too soon while in the squeeze bottles. It's a bit harder squeeze the batter out of the squeeze bottle at that point and scraping soap out with a skinny spatula isn't that easy either. So for me the issue is to pay attention to the FO I am using and adjust my technique as needed. But filling with water and letting them soak for a day helps get them to the point that cleaning is not too problematic.
I have not tried using the piping bag technique yet, but do plan to do that sometime in the future.
The next batch had an accelerating FO, so the batter started thickening way too soon while in the squeeze bottles. It's a bit harder squeeze the batter out of the squeeze bottle at that point and scraping soap out with a skinny spatula isn't that easy either. So for me the issue is to pay attention to the FO I am using and adjust my technique as needed. But filling with water and letting them soak for a day helps get them to the point that cleaning is not too problematic.
I have not tried using the piping bag technique yet, but do plan to do that sometime in the future.
I just need more time!! I still have it in my head but haven't practiced yet. Have too many batches I have to make to find time to play. I already have disposable piping bags to fill my lotion bottles so plan to use the idea Kittish posted about the cutting board. The one problem I can foresee is that my slab mold is a 36 bar mold so it will take some time to fill it. I will have to have thin trace and work quickly. The great positive thing I can see with the plastic piping bag is that it scrapes completely clean by laying it flat on the counter and using the dough scraper/soap cutter.
Hello All,
I was wondering, where do you get the liners for the bottles from? I searched on Amazon and only saw the baby bottle liners. I saw a soap maker on YouTube who used liners but they didn't share where they bought them from.
Also, I was wondering, how do you get the bottles clean when you're done making your designs. I mean, if the soap hardens while still in the bottle, what's the best way to remove it?
Just received the squeeze bottles and excited to get started.
I'll be grateful for any help with this.
I was wondering, where do you get the liners for the bottles from? I searched on Amazon and only saw the baby bottle liners. I saw a soap maker on YouTube who used liners but they didn't share where they bought them from.
Also, I was wondering, how do you get the bottles clean when you're done making your designs. I mean, if the soap hardens while still in the bottle, what's the best way to remove it?
Just received the squeeze bottles and excited to get started.
I'll be grateful for any help with this.
This post is 2 years old. However as stated above just use a ziplock inside the bottle. I’ve never seen a bag mad specifically for them.
If you have any of those air-filled plastic packing pillows sitting around that are longer than your squeeze bottle, apparently you can recycle those as liner bags. I haven’t tried it yet. I manage with putting the batter directly into the bottle. When I’m done I use an icing spatula to remove any batter left in the bottle. What I can’t get out with the spatula comes off the next day (when it’s turned to soap) by scrubbing with a bottle brush after soaking the bottle in hot water.
I use the plastic air pillows and they aren’t as long as my bottles. You just need to be careful to hold on to the bag until the top of the bottle is on. For the most part, it’s just as easy to put the batter in the bottle and remove as much as possible, then fill the bottle with water until you are ready to wash it. I empty the water into an empty distilled water jug so it doesn’t go down my drain.
Okay thanks
We have 16 oz wide mouth bottles, I wonder if they will fit? Next time I get some I won't pop them
Yes, definitely worried about the drains.
Hope it's not too late to say something now, but I do have the same query now.
I tries many squeeze bottles for our handmade soap, but my favorite bottles should be this one.
Plastic squeeze bottles, 8OZ with liners, no leakage at all.
I tries many squeeze bottles for our handmade soap, but my favorite bottles should be this one.
Plastic squeeze bottles, 8OZ with liners, no leakage at all.
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