Soap making clean up?

[Dalziel]

This may seem like a silly question, but I was wondering for CP soaps, after you pour your soap from the pot into the mold, do you rinse your pot and clean it in the sink manually or throw all the equipment used into the dishwasher? spatula, pots, measuring cups, oily pots - seems like it would be easier to just chuck it into the dishwasher?

 

[Lil Outlaws]

I may be wrong but I think I read somewhere that you shouldn't use a dishwasher because there could be enough soap residue in your equipment to suds up and overflow your dishwasher..??
I don't have one so I hand wash everything, but it seems logical.
Maybe one of the veterans can chime in..

 

[Chay]

I rinse all my equipment with hot water until the water runs clear of suds then run it through the dishwasher.

 

[carebear]

basically I use my soap pot as my washing bowl. I stick it in the sink and put everything else in it. then I have 2 choices - if it's not terribly gunky I rinse it out with hot water and stick the stuff in the dishwasher.

if it IS gunky then I take the whole pot and put it out in the garage until I remember it's there. by that time the gunk has magically turned into soap and when I rinse it well the soap washes away... I usually don't have to put it in the dishwasher at that point.

BUT if I do put saponified residue in my dishwasher I can get suds overload... and a very clean floor.

BTW - lots of saponified residue tends to leave a sticky white dust (aka soap scum) on my plastics in the dishwasher and so I try to avoid that.

 

[cdwinsby]

I scrape with a spatula, wipe with paper towel and then hand wash. Only takes a few minutes.

 

[Healinya]

I have said before I like finding the lazy way to do most things. I leave all my stuff in a pile until the next day. Then, all I am doing is washing soap off of things. No dishwasher in my house, just very hot water.

 

[cdwinsby]

One idea might be to do as a couple of you have said....put the gunky pot aside until it turns to soap. Next day add a bit of water to the pot and put it on the element until the soap dissolves and throw in a little bit of borax and washing soda .......tada.....laundry soap. Absolutely no waste. Next time I think I will give that a try.

 

[jcandleattic]

I have said before I like finding the lazy way to do most things. I leave all my stuff in a pile until the next day. Then, all I am doing is washing soap off of things. No dishwasher in my house, just very hot water.

I do this also, but after I wash it with the hot water I do put it all in the dishwasher. (except the stick blender end- I have a detachable stick blender and clean the end right away so I can make more soap if need be)

 

[robindeb]

I read this method in one of my books that for CP that you shoudn't throw away raw soap. I guess because it is still has not been completly saponifed. They suggested to use old towels, or rags, to wipe everything out and off, then place the rags in a trash bag left open to sit for 7- 10 days (I throw mine on top of the freezer in my laudry room) and then throw them in the washer with no additonal soap. At this point the raw soap has had a chance to further saponify and is not so hazardous. It seems to work for me. It also saves on paper towels, I sure go through enough already.

 

[mandolyn]

I used to use paper towels, but it seemed like such a waste. Now, I wipe out the pot with a regular towel & leave the towel where the soap on it can saponify, then throw it into the wash. I wash the little bit of residue off the pot with soap & water along with everything else I used.

If I don't need the pot right away, I throw everything into it & let it sit for a day or 2, then add some water & wash everything with the now existing soap.

 

[reallyrita]

Soap making clean-up?

All of these methods work! Here is what I do: first off, I use a spatula to scrape the last little bit of soap mixture out of the pot and into my mold. I leave very little residue. Then I use some paper towels or old newspaper to wipe clean the pot, the spatula and spoon, and the stick blender as best I can. Then, I let everything sit 24 hours. I wash out any residue by hand which is now soap. Sometimes I then run it through the dishwasher. I hand wash the stick blender, of course. I have doubles of everything so I can make another batch without having to deal with the raw soap. BUT, I want to share something I recently disccovered: Dawn plus with Active Oxides. It is the dark blue one. This stuff really cuts the oil residue. If I need my stick blender or special big spoon right away for another batch I soak it in a squirt of this in hot water and I am good to go. This stuff is pretty powerful...makes my hands feel like parchment paper. Also, it took the oil stains out of my favorite tee shirt! Don't get the one with bleach!!

 

[carebear]

I read this method in one of my books that for CP that you shoudn't throw away raw soap.

Uh ok...

I don't recommend putting much raw soap down the drain cause it's basically oil which is BAD for septic systems and water treatment plants. But you can put it in the trash if you are reasonably careful and there isn't tons of the stuff.

But if the week-old towels works for you - have at it.

I rarely have much to clean up besides my utensils because like someone else mentioned I get just about every little bit out of the pot and off my spoons with a rubber spatula. Which leaves my whisk and my SB to contend with, and maybe a smaller cup in which I did the swirl portion.

I don't like to keep scraping and adding to the mold cause it messes up my pretty tops, so scrapings go into individual little molds (ice cubes, silicone, hearts) for soaps that I'll pop out someday and the kids will use. I probably have 5 different scents in my heart mold right now.

 

[Healinya]

Actually, when I have a soap covered pot and a soap covered stick blender, I fill the pot up about halfway with hot water, and run the stick blender thru it. They are both practically spotless after that, and then the extra washing makes sure it's as clean as possible. Definately saves me a few minutes. The stick blender feels like my own handheld dishwasher.

 

[SimplyE]

One idea might be to do as a couple of you have said....put the gunky pot aside until it turns to soap. Next day add a bit of water to the pot and put it on the element until the soap dissolves and throw in a little bit of borax and washing soda .......tada.....laundry soap. Absolutely no waste. Next time I think I will give that a try.

I LOVE that idea!

 

[bassgirl]

Actually, when I have a soap covered pot and a soap covered stick blender, I fill the pot up about halfway with hot water, and run the stick blender thru it. They are both practically spotless after that, and then the extra washing makes sure it's as clean as possible. Definately saves me a few minutes. The stick blender feels like my own handheld dishwasher.

Oh, that is an awesome idea! I'm already tired of trying to pick goopy soap out of the blade of my SB. I was even trying to pick it out with a fork the other day!