How long does it take you to make a batch of soap ?

[Guest]

I just made a Dolce & Gabbana Type salt bar . I asked my hubby if he wanted to see it , he says "are you finished already" , it had only been 45 minutes start to finish , dishes done . I had never timed it before , I was kind of surprised. Just curious if anyone else had ever timed the process.

 

[MyNaturesArt]

if its a batch that is a regular type for me, and cp that sounds about right.

 

[carebear]

including prep - that sounds about normal for me.

if I set up ahead of time, less than 20 minutes.

and I always set up ahead of time (lye sol'n and butters/oils are pre-batched so when I soap I just soap).

my lye buckets and stuff go out to the garage to be washed up the next day, leaving only the counters and such.

 

[Dixie]

If it is CP I can have it done really quick. HP is different of course.

 

[Rosey]

me too! The first time took forever but I'm getting faster at it and usually I can do it in under an hour.

 

[ChrissyB]

From whoa to go, measuring oils, lye, water etc, to putting the mould in the oven and wiping all the counters down, usually about an hour and a half. I leave the pot till the next day, I just put that in the laundry tub and forget about it. So much easier to wash that one out the next day.

 

[JenniferSews]

I'm still new to soap making, it takes me about an hour not including dishes. I generally leave them to soak overnight.

 

[amanda131]

Now that I've learned to cool my lye faster I"m at about an hour too. Waititng for my lye alone was taking over an hour! It's interesting you guys leave your pots for the next day. Didn't realize it was easier to wash them later.....Something to think about.

 

[AshleyR]

Sometimes I measure out my oils in bulk ahead of time and that saves me tons of time. I can make a batch of CP with everything premeasured in about 15 minutes.

If I have to measure everything out, it takes me around an hour and a half from start to finish (including cleanup). That doesn't include making the lye solution which I do about an hour before that (only takes about 5 minutes though).

 

[TessC]

My times are skewed because I melt my hard oils and mix them with the soft, mix up my lye solution, and then leave it all alone for a while, usually an hour or so, while I do other stuff. I dunno what it would be from taking the soap pot out of the cabinet to putting it back away at the end, but the actual hands-on part where I'm fussing with colors and additives and swirls an then getting it into the mold is about 15-20 minutes.

 

[Guest]

I have found that making a 5 lb batch takes me about 40 min. I feel like it is more cost effective and less time consuming than when I was making m&p.
I put all of my utensils and stuff right in a sink of soapy water and then right into the dishwasher.

 

[heyjude]

Sometimes I measure out my oils in bulk ahead of time and that saves me tons of time. I can make a batch of CP with everything premeasured in about 15 minutes.

If I have to measure everything out, it takes me around an hour and a half from start to finish (including cleanup). That doesn't include making the lye solution which I do about an hour before that (only takes about 5 minutes though).

The second paragraph sounds right to me.

I just bought some small covered paint containers so I can premeasure some of my oils and speed things along as Ashley does.

Jude

 

[rubyslippers]

Usually takes me about an 1-1/2 to 2 hours but that includes cleanup. My OCD will not allow me to let soap pan & dishes set overnight :cry: I just wipe everything down really good with paper towels to get all the excess soap out and then wash everything in really hot water. Good thing about it, if I want to soap tomorrow, everything is clean & ready to go.

 

[LJA]

Yeah...45 minutesish, probably....

 

[Fairydittle]

Yeah...45 minutesish, probably....

It takes me about 45 minutes or so. It takes less time now that I am getting more experienced at making it.

You learn to make short cuts as our time is very valuable. Never enough hours in the day! I have worked all day come home and just want to make
a new batch of soap! I am very anal as I can't go to bed without cleaning up the mess. I am now making less of a mess and clean up time is not such a big deal anymore.

 

[Bnky]

It usually takes me about an hour. I spend more time trying to get the oils and lye at the same temperature then anything else.
Bnky

 

[rubyslippers]

I hear ya Bnky! I've started setting my lye/water pitcher in an ice bath and frequently stir, stir, stir. I've watched that thermometer drop 10 degrees at a time while doing this. It's an effective way to drop the temp of the water. Also, I've found I do not have to keep my hard oils on the burner until they are completely melted. So when I still have a few clumps of hard oil, I remove the pot and periodically stir and the clumps melt - that keeps the oil temp down and helps to speed things up too.

 

[Bnky]

Thanks for the tips rubyslippers, I will have to try that. Bnky