If you don't sell, what do you do with all your soap?

[jkm8113]

Now that I am really interested in soapmaking, I want to try lots of things, but that is going to generate a lot of soap in my house, and there are just two of us that live here. So, other than gifting to friends and family, what do you do when you have an abundance of soap? I can see it now, soap stacked in the corners, falling off the shelves, spilling out of all the doors, under the bed, probably more soap in my house than the two of us can ever possibly use.

 

[Genny]

Besides giving to friends and family I also gave to local shelters.

 

[IrishLass]

I don't sell, and I don't have soap coming out my ears (at least not to date :wink: ). I keep things manageable by just keeping my batches small, which for me is 2.5 lbs at a time, and sometimes 1 lb when I'm doing test batches. The biggest batches I ever make at a time are 5 lbs for certain popular scents at Christmas time.

We have 3 in the house and I make enough to keep us supplied all year, plus extra to please my enthusiastic band of soap groupies- i.e., a loyal following of my extended family & friends, and occasionally friends of friends. Two of those friends are on limited budgets and so I get to indulge my soaping obsession by gifting them both with soap to keep them fully supplied all year round, which works out great for all of us.

Our house is fairly small (1400 sq. feet), but I have a special designated corner in my house where I can store my cured soap in acid-free baseball card boxes (1 scented batch per box) which stack quite nicely. And I have another designated, out-of-the-way corner of my house where I cure my bars on stackable cooling racks that I bought from Pampered Chef.

And I send all my fugly bars (the soap that didn't turn out to my liking for aesthitic reasons) to Clean The World, a charity that collects unwanted soap from hotel chains and handmade soapers, grinds it all up, disinfects it, and supplies soap to areas around the world hit by disasters.


IrishLass

 

[dirrdee]

whats wrong with soap under the bed, falling off shelves, or stacked in every corner? Doesnt everyone live this way?

You can donate to local shelters, a womans shelter is my favorite, but churches and those that help homeless are always thrilled to get the soap....you will eventually need to either sell or donate..just sayin

 

[judymoody]

Hmm, I composed a reply but it didn't come through.

I donate a fair amount of soaps to fundraisers. My daughter also performs in two ballets a year and I make themed soaps for her to give to her fellow cast members.

I also make small batches like Irish Lass does. My standard batch size is the 8 inch silicone loaf. I also have two pound sized molds so I can divide a batch into two if I'm experimenting with color and scent.

 

[jkm8113]

whats wrong with soap under the bed, falling off shelves, or stacked in every corner? Doesnt everyone live this way?

You can donate to local shelters, a womans shelter is my favorite, but churches and those that help homeless are always thrilled to get the soap....you will eventually need to either sell or donate..just sayin

Oh, nothing wrong with it at all, it is just that I already have a house filled with other hobbies and stuff and more stuff and...

 

[jkm8113]

It is interesting that Clean the World was mentioned. I receive a publication called COMPASS, from UPS at my office. There is an article in the Summer 2012 about Clean the World and it says that they ship nearly 2 tons of goods daily with UPS. Wow, that is an awful lot of soap.

 

[Lynnz]

I give to a few of the local schools now for when they have their school fetes and they are auctioned or used as part of the raffle prizes............I dont have time to be active in the school so feel a little better by doing this

 

[Lyric]

I can see it now, soap stacked in the corners, falling off the shelves, spilling out of all the doors, under the bed, probably more soap in my house than the two of us can ever possibly use.

Uh huh, that was me too. So, what I do is sulk and get pissed that I'm not the Carol's Daughter of the soaping world. :roll: The soap is in boxes some in linen closet, other in a box on the kitchen floor, and like you stated, I gift, gift, gift. :mrgreen: Oh wait, just remembered Helping Hand thrift store gets beau coup of my stuff.