# racks-vicki...



## petey

I can't find the post, but you had mentioned using the dishwasher racks from a restaurant supply. We found one of those today...it has posts, and is kind neat, but there are little bumps on the bottom...does yours have those, and are they a problem? Trying to find a way to make some space in this teeny tiny house we live in! :help2


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## hsmomof4

You can get the kind that don't have the posts/bumps, etc. They are sort of an open mesh of plastic to allow air circulation. The ones I have are like these (except mine are blue) http://www.therdstore.com/page/IFSES/DISHRACK/52671


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## petey

oh ok, i saw those too...for some reason i was thinking slots....thank you so much!


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## Tallabred

Is that a good price on that dishrack? $13.98?


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## a4patch

I went into the RD store and paid $15 for the same rack but in blue. They rang up $17, but I showed them the display tag and they only charged me $15. I love these racks. I would love to find some more but at a cheaper price.


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## hsmomof4

Yes, that is a good price. Like Peggy Sue said, at the RD store (instead of onlline), they are between $15 and $17.


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## Anita Martin

I've been looking for those for a long time. Nice to know I can get them online but I'm going to see if I can get them from a supply store somewhere nearby to save on shipping. I already tried ebay and they didn't have any like that at all.


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## NubianSoaps.com

Go to used resturant supply equipment stores, and look online, they are usually $10 or less if you buy the whole stack, and why mine aren't all the same color. V


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## jdranch

Vicki- can you put these on racks or do you just stack them?


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## petey

The ones I have seen are stackable. I just found some big ones used for bread loaves, lying around the ranch. Looks like they will work perfectly too! dance:


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## NubianSoaps.com

I am almost 5'8" and you can stack them as high as I can reach up, they can not tip over....or you can use them on racks, mine go into my drying cabinets. So I cut soap and fill the rack, move the rack to the drying cabinet, 24 hours later it's out of the drying cabinet and they get stacked, then when they are due to be wrapped or boxed naked, the rack is moved to the table. No touching your soap over and over, moving it here and there. And you can stack hundreds of bars of soap in a 3x3 foot space and the rack on top also keeps dust off your soap and gives you excellent ventilation between the racks. There really isn't a more effecient system and yes I stole the idea


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## jdranch

thanks for the reply  I am doing my best to get set up right the first time, instead of trying/ buying lots before figuring out what works the best. 

Is it a big pain to move all the top ones off to get get to the bottom one that is ready to wrap?


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## NubianSoaps.com

Yes  but the amount of space it saves right now makes it worth it. Eventually they will be held on the big Gorilla racks I have, holding one days worth of soaping on each section of rack...but for now they are excellent. I use post it notes, the skinny ones, for dates and abbreviations of what soap it on that rack.....the dates are 2 weeks ahead (when the soap is ready to be wrapped, not the date it was made), so when the date comes up the soap is ready for wrapping. (I have help wrapping, so this makes it easy for someone helping me). I was lucky an got to visit several commercial setups, and pick their brains and what they love and hate about their setups. And it is always the same thing "If i could afford"  So I do what I can afford also.


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## Anita Martin

Isn't there a rack that rolls that you could slide those tray in and out on? I used to work at nursing homes a million years ago, plus I've seen the ones the bread guys have and they just slide them in and out, whichever one they need and can roll the whole thing around. Believe me, I'm looking for these racks for cheap as there really is no other system that will work in this tiny house that we are sloooooowwwwly remodeling.


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## NubianSoaps.com

The bread rack trays are plastic, but they have no ventilation on the bottom. Leaves you lining it with the plastic needle point canvas which means washing the whole blasted thing from time to time. You know the proofing ovens you had to raise those racks of bread in? I have two of them for gelling my soap and then curing them on racks that fit in them.


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## Kalne

I use plastic trays that are similar.....I think they were used for produce. Got them free so the price was right. It is great that they stack as high as I can put them and that they take up little floor space. It is a major pain though to get to the bottom when it's ready to wrap. I will have dh make rolling racks for them to slide in and out of if/when I get dedicated space. I want everything on rollers. LOL


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## Tallabred

RDonline sucks. If you order over $99 the shipping goes from 12% to 19%. I ordered trays on 11/3, emailed on 11/17, called today and someone will get back with me. They will not get repeat business from me.

Just wanted you to know.


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## Kalne

They aren't fun on the phone either. But physically going into a store, they are helpful and polite and the savings is always worth the 7 hour round trip it takes me to get there.


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## Tallabred

I sent another email and said that I would dispute the charge on the card if I did not hear from them. I think that there is an RD in Jacksonville which is 2.5 hours a way. If I could find oil there too it would make a good day trip.


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## hsmomof4

I'm so lucky...they are just under an hour from me (and Kathy never visits when she comes down, what's up with THAT???  ) but prices have gone up since the last time I was there. But prices are going up everywhere, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised. The coconut oil was still less expensive than ordering from Columbus Foods and I didn't have to pay shipping.


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## Tallabred

What is the price at RD for coconut oil? What other oils do they have?


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## Kalne

Stacey.....we always seem to be in a hurry when we go! LOL I'm already thinking when is the next time I can go before the snow flies and we are stuck 'cause I'm on my last can of coconut oil.

The last time I bought coconut oil it was still just under $50 for a 50 lb pail. But I know Columbus just raised their prices so I'm expecting it will be closer to $60. Their store price was slightly lower than Columbus even though that's where they get it from. Plus I save $17.50 per can on the shipping so if I buy 5 cans that pays for my gas and lunch. Then I also buy pomace olive oil there. It's the cheapest liquid oil I have found. I get sea salt in 25 lb bags (or 50...can't remember which) for my salt bars. And real small glassine bags for samples I hand out. Paper bags too but I can get the same at Sam's I think. And coffee for my coffee soap. 

We also bake for one of our farmer's markets so I buy a few things for that as well. And I also stop at a chemical place while I'm in town because I can get lye there about 25% less than what I pay for it here. The van is pretty loaded on the way home. LOL


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## hsmomof4

I bet. Do you go to Terrace Packaging for your chemicals? That's where I get mine. The coconut oil was up, but only to about $55. Still less than Columbus. I get pomace olive there, too. I should look into the sea salt...so far I've only gotten it in the plastic tubs. And the sample bags, once I'm running low on the ones that I have. I've also gotten parchment paper for lining molds and a few other odds and ends.


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## Kalne

Yes...we go to Terrace. 

The last time we were there we brought coats so we could stand to be in the refrigerated section for more than a few minutes. LOL We had hoped to stop in the St. Louis store last week when we were in town but we had zero room in the van to put anything because all the dc were with us.


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## Faye Farms

What does Terrace Packaging charge for their lye?


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## hsmomof4

If I remember correctly, it's about $45 for a 50 lb bag of NaOH. They also sell other chemicals in bulk (KOH, etc).


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## Faye Farms

Last year I paid $35 for a 50lb bag. I have enough to last me through the winter but I will need to get another big bunch before farmers market starts. I guess I'll be in for a price shock when I do. The chemical companies in Wichita aren't very small business friendly though. I called around for 2 weeks last year and I couldn't get a company to sell to me. I knew they had NaOH too! It ended up that a large soaper felt sorry for me and called in an order for me under her business name and had me pick it up in Wichita. I really hope I don't have to go through that again.


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## hsmomof4

Wow, what a pain.


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## a4patch

This discussion about RD and coconut oil makes me :crazy crazy. We have one in Alexandria and in VA beach and there was NO :nooococonut and the district manager said none of their stores carry CO. Whats the deal. The one in Alexandria was helpful, although insistent that they did not have cO. :really


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