I just ordered all the ingredients to make the Humblebee & Me version.
IrishLass
IrishLass
Solid Dish Detergent
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Hendejm
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Mine have been sitting in my amazon shopping cart waiting for me to pull the trigger. I’ve got to stop spending!!!I just ordered all the ingredients to make the Humblebee & Me version.
IrishLass
I thought I might try Ariane's 2nd version with both SCI and SCS (seeing I have both) but with germail plus as a preservative and maybe D-Limonene if I can find it for less than $55. Ariane doesn't use preservative - do you think I should include it?
I haven't watched Arianne's video to see how she packages it. The Humblebee version is packaged in an open jar, and you swipe your damp cleaning sponge or cloth over the detergent as you need it as you clean. This will contaminate the surface of the detergent with food particles and general grime as well as bacteria and fungi.
We've had similar discussions about other paste-type products and whether a preservative is necessary. For sugar scrubs, I think the general consensus is yes, preservative is important in scrubs. These scrubs are usually packaged in open jars so the user can easily use damp fingers into the container to remove the product and the mix of sugar and fat with a bit of water makes a great buffet for microbes to feast on.
Another paste-type product is the firm KOH soap paste (the thick gel that you dilute to make pourable liquid soap) that some people use for household cleaning. The consensus there is that preservative is not strictly necessary for KOH soap paste, because true lye-based soap is alkaline by nature and that alkalinity discourages microbial growth.
The detergent cleaner that Arianne and Humblebee are sharing is going to be alkaline to some degree, although the alkalinity of the finished paste will vary depending on the types of detergents you choose. I doubt the detergent cleaner will be as alkaline as KOH soap paste, however, so I'm not as confident that a detergent paste can be self preserving the way a soap paste can be.
Because most of us don't have a microbiology testing lab to know for sure, we have to make educated guesses about things like this. IMO, for personal use, it's up to you to make the call whether to use preservative or not. Again IMO, a preservative is needed if you plan to sell or give this product to others. But in the end, the decision is yours to make.
We've had similar discussions about other paste-type products and whether a preservative is necessary. For sugar scrubs, I think the general consensus is yes, preservative is important in scrubs. These scrubs are usually packaged in open jars so the user can easily use damp fingers into the container to remove the product and the mix of sugar and fat with a bit of water makes a great buffet for microbes to feast on.
Another paste-type product is the firm KOH soap paste (the thick gel that you dilute to make pourable liquid soap) that some people use for household cleaning. The consensus there is that preservative is not strictly necessary for KOH soap paste, because true lye-based soap is alkaline by nature and that alkalinity discourages microbial growth.
The detergent cleaner that Arianne and Humblebee are sharing is going to be alkaline to some degree, although the alkalinity of the finished paste will vary depending on the types of detergents you choose. I doubt the detergent cleaner will be as alkaline as KOH soap paste, however, so I'm not as confident that a detergent paste can be self preserving the way a soap paste can be.
Because most of us don't have a microbiology testing lab to know for sure, we have to make educated guesses about things like this. IMO, for personal use, it's up to you to make the call whether to use preservative or not. Again IMO, a preservative is needed if you plan to sell or give this product to others. But in the end, the decision is yours to make.
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I found much better prices at Save on Citric (although haven’t looked at shipping yet....still working on finalizing my order)
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I made Ariane's first recipe today with SCI flakes and the SCS noodles. It worked great. I did use a preservative in my batch. If you are using SCI flakes, I recommend running the flakes through a food prcessor to break them up. The flakes take longer to melt than the noodles. Her recipe is so easy to make and doesn't take long. From my observation, I think one could just put a little dab of this paste in the dishpan and run hot water over it to melt. Mine made a lot of bubbles.
That's where I bought all mine, except for the d limonene and Liquid Germall Plus- they only had d limonene in very large drums and they seemed to be out of the LGP. I ended up buying the d limonene from the Amazon link Marie (Humblebee) provided on her site and the LGP from Lotioncrafter (I need some other stuff from there, too so I just added it on).
lsg- which preservative did you end up using in Ariane's formula, if you don't mind my asking?
IrishLass
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I used Liquid Germall Plus
Thanks, lsg!
IrishLass
IrishLass
[QUOTE="Because most of us don't have a microbiology testing lab to know for sure, we have to make educated guesses about things like this. IMO, for personal use, it's up to you to make the call whether to use preservative or not. Again IMO, a preservative is needed if you plan to sell or give this product to others. But in the end, the decision is yours to make.[/QUOTE]
Thanks for the detailed info DeeAnna. I was pretty sure I should use some which is why I purchased some that Humblebee suggested. The French sites seem to suggest (I don't read French) that the essential oils provide 'disinfectant' qualities. I think I prefer the liquid germail plus.
Thanks for the detailed info DeeAnna. I was pretty sure I should use some which is why I purchased some that Humblebee suggested. The French sites seem to suggest (I don't read French) that the essential oils provide 'disinfectant' qualities. I think I prefer the liquid germail plus.
There’s a difference between disinfectant properties and stopping mold or other bugs that can grow. I vote for the safety of preservative. I too have ordered the supplies I didn’t have to give this a go.
Re: swiping a damp cloth over the paste ~
Instead of doing that, I use a clean, dry spoon to dish out approximately how much I think I'll need in a cleaning session. I swipe my sponge across the spoon to reload the sponge.
If I estimated wrong and need more, I can easily clean/dry the spoon and dip more out. If I dipped out too much, I usually just use the rest to clean out a sink or two, or find a baking sheet with some dark stuff on the bottom to scrub off.
So, I definitely use a preservative, but also go the extra step of keeping wet, germy, crumby, grease-filled items out of the jar of paste.
Instead of doing that, I use a clean, dry spoon to dish out approximately how much I think I'll need in a cleaning session. I swipe my sponge across the spoon to reload the sponge.
If I estimated wrong and need more, I can easily clean/dry the spoon and dip more out. If I dipped out too much, I usually just use the rest to clean out a sink or two, or find a baking sheet with some dark stuff on the bottom to scrub off.
So, I definitely use a preservative, but also go the extra step of keeping wet, germy, crumby, grease-filled items out of the jar of paste.
Yay- I finally received all my ingredients to make this soap paste! Guess what I'm doing tomorrow?
IrishLass
IrishLass
@IrishLass, Can't wait to hear how you like it!
Well, I made it and just tried it, and wow! Super bubbly stuff! Following Jasmine's method^^^, I scooped a little out with a dry spoon....maybe 1/8 tsp. worth.... smeared it onto my wet, netted dishcloth, just barely rubbed it in, and bam- instant bubbles galore! I washed a few bowls and cups and utensils that were sitting in the sink, and still had so much soap left on my cloth that I could've washed a whole sink full of dishes with just that little bit, I'm sure of it. Me likes!!!
IrishLass
IrishLass
I’m going to give it a try tomorrow or Sunday. Excited now.
Have you tried it yet, Shari?
Today, just to see how little of the paste I could get away with using, I just did one gentle swipe across the top of the paste with my damp dishcloth, which didn't look like much of anything, and I was able to wash all the dishes in the sink this morning, which was a half sink-full, and there were still suds on my cloth when done.
For what it's worth, in case you end up using the recipe amounts posted on Humblebee & Me's blog on her website like I did, which are slightly different than the amounts posted under her video, it makes 3 volume ounces.
Even though I bought the smallest amounts of each of the surfactants at Save On Citric, I have enough of the Cocamidopropyl Betaine and the Bioterge AS40 leftover to keep me in paste for several years, although I might have to get more of the SCS noodles and d- limonene at some point sooner. lol I'm thinking gifts of the paste are in order, and also possibly trying my hand at HumbleBee & Me's Soothing Foaming Hand Wash recipe, which uses the Cocamidopropyl Betaine and Bioterge, to help use them up.
IrishLass
Today, just to see how little of the paste I could get away with using, I just did one gentle swipe across the top of the paste with my damp dishcloth, which didn't look like much of anything, and I was able to wash all the dishes in the sink this morning, which was a half sink-full, and there were still suds on my cloth when done.
For what it's worth, in case you end up using the recipe amounts posted on Humblebee & Me's blog on her website like I did, which are slightly different than the amounts posted under her video, it makes 3 volume ounces.
Even though I bought the smallest amounts of each of the surfactants at Save On Citric, I have enough of the Cocamidopropyl Betaine and the Bioterge AS40 leftover to keep me in paste for several years, although I might have to get more of the SCS noodles and d- limonene at some point sooner. lol I'm thinking gifts of the paste are in order, and also possibly trying my hand at HumbleBee & Me's Soothing Foaming Hand Wash recipe, which uses the Cocamidopropyl Betaine and Bioterge, to help use them up.
IrishLass
No, going to give it a go tomorrow. At least that’s the plan. Sounds really promising.
I ordered what I didn’t already have on hand to give this a try. I don’t have d-limonene so plan to use up some lemon EO. I plan to make a big enough batch to give some away to see what others think.
I was planning to make the Humblebee and Me version because I think I'd prefer a paste, but I didn't remember the bioterge AS40. I don't know a whole lot about surfactants, and am wondering if I could substitute the Cocamidopropyl Betaine? Or something else? Or maybe I should just make Arianne's recipe since I have everything for that.
