mice !! Can I salvage soap ?

[Gaspar Navarrete]

My olive oil soap (castile) has been curing for 7 months without problem. Yesterday I went to ckeck up on it and there was little teeth marks on them and the whole batch was sprinkled with mouse turds.

Can I still bathe with these soaps ? If not, can they be disinfected in any way ? I ask because I spent so much time curing them.

For some reason the mice did not touch the olive oil/coconut oil/castor oil soap batch that was nearby.

Thanks.

 

[PuddinAndPeanuts]

I hate to say it, but I wouldn't use them. The problem is that where there's mouse poop (which you can admittedly brush right off) there is also mouse PEE. Unfortunately that has probably soaked into, and been incorporated by the soap. The only way I think it might be salvageable is if you haven't cut the loaf yet. If that were the case, maybe you could cut the top 1/2 inch off of all 4 sides. Even then, the idea kind of skeeves me out, but maybe I'm just being squeamish.

 

[Obsidian]

I wouldn't use it either. If it was just teeth marks then I'd say go for it but once waste comes into the pictures, its just not sanitary.

 

[btz]

There's an article somewhere saying that even though the soap has microbe/germ on it, when you use it, the bad stuffs will cling on the bubble and wash away with the water. So technically, it was safe to use. It's up to you and your icky level though.

I had a 100% rice bran oil soaps with honey that had the same mice problem, so I cut the bite and peel away the outer layer. I was debating whether I will throw it out or not when someone offered to take the soap from me fully aware of what happened to it. So I gave them all away. I told them to at least wash it away with boiling water before using it though.

 

[Obsidian]

Technically the waste might get washed away but what if there is a disease like hantavirus present? Would you really want to rub it all over your body?

 

[Dahila]

If I did not read it, I would not ever think about it. Mice eating the soap? I would not touch it either.

 

[CanaDawn]

Hanta virus is extremely rare (and I'm thinking it's more likely house mice than deermice or whitefooted mice, in this scenario, making it even LESS likely), and if the soap was cleaned I probably wouldn't hesitate to use it (I'm assuming we are talking soap bars with a few mouse turds and some tooth marks, not something majorly nasty where the bar has been soaking in urine or something). But I wouldnt sell it, because there will be people who would find that just too horrible or too risky. If the waste gets removed, the hanta gets removed. Otherwise you'd have to burn down your house or barn if you found mouse droppings in it...

Think about it another way....you USE soap to lift and rinse bacteria and viruses off your own skin. If we're going to be that cautious, does everyone in your household have their own bar of soap for handwashing? I guess I'm just not that concerned.

Mouse pee won't soak in further than water, and unless it's soaking in a puddle of urine - a bit of mouse urine (they don't pee much) is going to amount to a few dried drops on the surface that will affect millimeters or less of the soap.

 

[Shalisk]

I eat food I drop on the floor. I brush off what I can see, shrug and eat it.


That does not sound relevant. But it is when you think about it. Your body is an amazing thing, provided you didnt live in a plastic bubble all your life, unless its saturated/soaking in filth, the odds of anything 'bad' are almost non-existant. If you want to know more, (And lose some of your favorite foods) look at the FDA requirements for various food items. You will wish mouse pee was part of your issues in food.

 

[CanaDawn]

ok yes i should have added - as long as the user's immune system is normal, and there aren't allergies or other things to consider, I would use them. I don't always think of that caveat because it's entirely a non-issue for me.

In the end, you will have to decide for yourself what you're comfortable with - the risk from using them, I feel fairly confident in saying, is very low. Some people are grossed out by anything to do with certain creatures, and they would never be ok with using them - but that isn't always reflective of the true risk.

 

[LunaSkye]

I had to ask myself: can the microbes still penetrate a hard soap bar? I partially answered my question with this article. I've also gave it some thought and come to the conclusion that many bars may as well be tossed if soap bars are so easily contaminated (particularly if they are hard). That's my just my thought on it.

Personally, I would clean a hard bar after removing the markings. I'm a neurotic sort of person, so rinsing twice with hot water & a touch of bleach is a must. I'd toss the soap if it felt soft, though.

 

[Cindy2428]

LunaSkye, thanks for the article- you have assisted in me in crossing off another question in my soaping journal. I hadn't had time to research it yet, but definitely one to print. Gaspar, my "soaping" heart is breaking for you. How devastating to find. I have multiple brands of OO for my first Castile and am prepared for the long cure time. But 7 months waiting and this! Tough decision to make. On a lighter side, maybe it's time to protect your soap with a cat!

-Dogs have owners, cats have staff

 

[Susie]

I would not use it. I would just not want to take a chance. But, I give soap away to friends, so I would err on the side of caution.

I am thinking a simple 1/2 inch hardware cloth box covered with screen material would be cheap and simple to make with just a pair of pliers with a wire cutter, scissors, and a few zip ties. And you don't have to feed it.

 

[CanaDawn]

I am thinking a simple 1/2 inch hardware cloth box covered with screen material would be cheap and simple to make with just a pair of pliers with a wire cutter, scissors, and a few zip ties. And you don't have to feed it.

The thing to address will be the mice being in the house, not just the mice being in the soap area, because mice will leave their deposits thru a hardware cloth easily. Mice are incredibly good at getting thru and under and into things, so if their presence on the soap is so worrisome, remember that they got to and from the soap via other parts of the house.

I would look for places they are getting in, clean with ordinary house cleaning supplies, and trap or otherwise remove the ones already in. Then I'd clean the soap by washing it, and use it myself.

 

[LunaSkye]

I would look for places they are getting in, clean with ordinary house cleaning supplies, and trap or otherwise remove the ones already in. Then I'd clean the soap by washing it, and use it myself.

To add to that, it would also be good to find out where the holes are and plug them up if you can. steel wool pads (the fine one) is a good choice since it tends to cut the mice when they try to chew it (they can chew through metal). Use some peppermint EO to further deter the rodents (I never tried peppermint FO, but I heard that can work too).

 

[Darth]

Worst case I would shave off the exposed parts and turn the bars into liquid soap which I'd boil for a while.

Don't forget to litter the area with mouse traps. Or a cat.

 

[Susie]

Of course they should use traps(never poison) to rid themselves of the mice, but I would take steps to protect the rest of the soap at the same time. Metal screen should keep them out of the soap, the hardware cloth is just for a form.(it is also cheap and easy to get in smaller than a full roll)

 

[Gaspar Navarrete]

You all raise good points. I am a little hesitant to use them myself.

I was thinking of spraying some white vinegar on the soaps a few times. Do you think that would work ?

I thought of boiling water, the problem I have with it is that my castile soap is not all that hard. Putting the soap in very hot water would cause much of the soap to dissolve away.



Thanks

 

[CanaDawn]

You would really just need to wash the bars, lather them up on all surfaces and rinse them off, I think.
You'll have to decide if the amount that washes away is better than throwing all the soap away, I guess. You don't need to soak the soap for any length of time. You could try cleaning one bar just by setting it in the sink and pouring very hot water over it to rinse the surface off.
If you feel good about using vinegar, go for it! I would probably suggest rinsing the soap with diluted vinegar rather than just spraying them though.
There is very little that can happen from using those soaps. The level of risk to you is very very low. I feel quite confident about that.