Where do you soap?

[TeresaT]

I soap in the kitchen, too. However, I just rented a huge dumpster to get rid of all of the junk in my garage, house and shed. I plan on converting the garage into a soaping lab and the shed into a drying shack. Of course, that means I'll have to buy a carport to stick in the driveway to park under.

 

[IrishLass]

I master-batch my lye out in my garage, and I soap in my kitchen. Specifically, all the soapy magic happens right in my kitchen sink- it's where I place my soaping pot and mix my batter- and the adjacent countertop is where I set my mold, stick-blender and other tools of the trade, and it's also where I mix my colorants, etc.... I make sure to cover the counter-top with freezer paper first, shiny-side up (I use tape to hold it down).


IrishLass

 

[fuzz-juzz]

I soap in the kitchen.

It's quite tidy in general so I never clean before hand.
Kittens are removed into other part of the house with doors closed. Kids are in the living room.

After soaping I just wipe and clean anything visible, like spills etc. It's and old-ish kitchen so I'm not fussed about spots and spills. :silent:

Don't be overly scared and super cautious of lye, it's all good if you treat it with respect.

 

[paillo]

In the kitchen, definitely, I have to soap where there's a sink, totally finicky about any spills or drips. I mix lye in the sink, and recycle newspapers to cover all surfaces. Safety precautions latex gloves, socks, shoes, I wear glasses so don't bother with goggles, a minimum of shorts and t-shirt, no long sleeves (somehow I always get soap batter on those, I think easier to rinse bare skin when I feel any touch of lye). Religious about cleanup after soaping -- wipe floors, all counters and workspaces within several feet, rinse and soak pots and utensils so all that's apparent is a little residue which soaks overnight in Dawn.

 

[Judiraz]

My kitchen. I use disposable plastic tablecloths from the $ store. ( cut them in thirds) gloves & goggles. I usually mix my lye on my porch and leave it in an ice bath to cool. After cleaning up I wipe the counters and sink down w/ white vinegar.

 

[songwind]

At first, I did it in my kitchen. Clean up wasn't a problem as I always worked on a clean area and wiped it down thoroughly with water and then cleaning spray whether I thought I had spilled anything or not.

Once I decided to start making shave soap commercially and needed to have multiple pots going at the same time I moved into the laundry room where we set up a plastic table and power strip. Like the kitchen, this has a sink and drain right there for cleaning and flushing any skin that may get exposed to raw soap. I can also leave most of my supplies in there on shelves so there's not as much carrying things around and up and down stairs.

The only real caveat is that lint will fly if we've been doing a lot of laundry, but that's easily avoided by making sure everything is rinsed/wiped out before starting, and covering the soap after it's made. I also store finished and curing soap in the office/craft room.

 

[soaring1]

I used to soap in my kitchen. We tore all the cupboards and counters out and moved it into a spare room on the main floor. Husband plumbed sewer and ran water. We don't quite have the main kitchen done just need counter tops, sink and running water, so am having to use my soap room for water and of course a coffee pot. Can't wait till I can call it all mine. I am anal about cleaning and keeping the door closed so the fur babies can't go in. Husband has several closets with shelves in there for me also. So happy for this.

 

[Misschief]

I soap in my kitchen, too. I have the advantage of having ceramic tile floors and kitchen counters; they're very easy to keep clean. I wash them down before I start, wash them down again after and I'm done. I'd like to be able to mix the lye under the stove fan but it vents back into the kitchen and not outdoors so I usually mix my lye just outside my back door, about 4 feet from my kitchen sink (we live in a 2 bedroom ground level basement suite).

 

[snappyllama]

I'm in the kitchen too. I have marble counter tops that are impervious to soap spills so I don't sweat that. I do have wood floors and cabinets so always check for any spots when I get done soaping. All creatures (family and beasts) are warned, reminded, and eventually yelled at to get what they need and leave when the music is playing.

We are considering a move in the near-ish future, and I have been promised a crafting room of my own.

 

[LazyUmbrella]

i'm such a wreck in the kitchen that i've flooded the floor boiling water.
there's also the time I nearly burned the house down trying to deep-fry potatoes for superbowl (and I typically don't even watch the football)
so i stick to the garage. this way I have time to hide all the evidence.

I've dropped and smashed a full 8 oz bottle of fragrance oil, splattered not-so-saponified soap mixture on the walls (and myself), aimed terribly and poured soap on the table instead of the mould, left soap crumbs all over the place and the floor, etc., so everyone's happier when I'm down there.

Besides I'm slowly taking over the entire garage with my soapmaking supplies - i like my space!