Does it clean the clothes well?
Better than I expected for both colors and whites. Sometimes I think it works better than the most popular laundry detergents, but I haven't actually done a proper comparison. I started with the traditional soap/washing soda/borax mix. I know there is a theory that the borax isn't needed, but as far as I know that is only a theory. The traditional formula works well enough that I am satisfied without experimenting further.
On the matter of Oxyclean, if you use it as 1/3 of the mix and you use 2 tablespoons of the mix in a load of laundry, that is 2 teaspoons of Oxyclean. In my experience with this product, that is as good as nothing.
While I was mixing lye (at room temperature) and CO (just above its melting point) I only used a whisk and for 15min I was trying to reach thin trace but with no luck. I finally used the SB for 5-6 seconds in order to have the trace I was looking for. So I after that I think I will never be afraid of any accelerating FO and recipe as long as a whisk is only used.
I have the same experience with 100% coconut oil. Before I tried it, I imagined the lauric acid would cause it to trace much faster than it does, but it's actually pretty slow.
The whisk works well with most of what I make, because I don't use super-soft recipes in the belief that they are "conditioning." The whisk won't save you from real acceleration though. That can be a very dramatic and instantaneous effect of mixing certain solvents or emulsifiers into the batter.
Did around 10min CPOP to the 100% CO while it was hardening in the milk package mold and the soap gelled right away reaching 80°C. It was really fluid while it melted in the gel phase. So pretty to see for the first time this phenomenon while I was squeezing the paper milk package. All my other soaps have been gelling in a wooden mold so I never had seen this how it behaves in my hands and how hot is it.
The gel phase is called "neat soap." This is soap in a liquid crystalline form. With 30% lye concentration, the melting point is low enough that the soap doesn't need a lot of help to enter the neat phase. Next time try a 35% lye concentration and see the difference. Less water raises the melting point, so you might not see full gel unless you start with a warmer batter and apply more heat. With a 40% lye concentration, you probably won't see gel at all.
