# Soap Shop?



## Tallabred (Jun 12, 2008)

I am in the process of pouring slabs for our "garage/hay storage/work shop" area. I will have a 12x24 area that I could dedicate for making soap and other products. (Yes, this is my calling - all I think about is making soap now  )

What would you put in it if you knew when you started that you know now?


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## kidsngarden (Oct 28, 2007)

Lot's of counters and a plug near a sink so you can clean off as you work (run stick blender under some water between blending different colors and such) Hot water is a must. A deep sink too. Shelving that is custom for curing, not a lot of space in between so you can cure a ton of bars (would love a cupboard for this).

a cook top or at least space for a hot plate to melt oils. microwave space too.

Cupboards, lots of them to store oils etc. a magnet strip on wall to hold whisks, etc. Drawers for other implements. A specific drawer for colorants.

a Specific area for cutting and another for soap still in molds. Cutting area would have a tank cutter if I had my fondest wish.


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## hsmomof4 (Oct 31, 2008)

If you do oven processing, you'll want space for an oven. (Which would also cover your cooktop issue.)


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## Tallabred (Jun 12, 2008)

How many bars do you have curing at a time? How much inventory do you need room for? I am really changing careers here so I am trying to anticipate size. Luckily our new building is 24x60 so I will have plenty of expansion room.

I love your tips Bethany - that is what I am looking for!

I have been oven processing mainly because I am being inpatient. Plus I have a friend that wants me to come up with a special soap for him to be able to distribute by nov 7th. I am finding that the 150 degree oven does make the goat milk very dark. - not that guys would care so maybe it will be a plus for him - manly color  My husband wants to get a new stove/oven for our house so I am thinking that that is a good thing!


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## kidsngarden (Oct 28, 2007)

OP is hard if you are working on a larger (and I'm not even that big) scale. I don't do it. I find reducing my liquid to be more effective. I rarely soap at less than 33% lye.

I keep my bars in open air for a minimum of one week and then unwrapped in cardboard boxes (they work best IMO) by scent. I usually have 4 or so boxes of one scent and the oldest one gets wrapped so I can just grab them and ship. When that one runs out I go to the next oldest box and wrap all of it. They do cure more in the box too. I would prefer longer open air, but I don't have rack space. 

Just to keep stocked during slow season I will have a minimum of 150-200 bars in open air curing. Thousand(s) in boxes. (I have a large shelving unit for my boxes) Right now I have about 300 in open air as I am prepping for the holidays and reopening my website after a years hiatus. Other folks bigger than me of course will have even more. 

Think too if you will do more bath and body. Do you want a mixer for lotions or maybe whipped soap? what about storing bottles, tubes and tins for other B&B? What about gift set baskets and wrapping? Where will you do that? Storage is HUGE!!!!


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## Tallabred (Jun 12, 2008)

So you do have a ton curing! I was thinking of making cabinets that would have a dehumidifier system connected to them - cabinet per scent. What size box do you use?

And yes I do want to do more bath and body. I already make a horse lotion that fights the fungus that they get and it also helps dogs with hot spots. I have been working on my recipe for soaps to go with that(these could not cure with other scents). I have put together a gift combination for horses and dogs that is my goal for this christmas on a small scale.

I am excited about doing this( turning fifty soon and need a positive goal) Wish you were closer - I could come and help with the christmas rush!!


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## buckrun (Mar 7, 2008)

I am interested in what you make for dogs. We have one with allergies that does not exactly get hot spots but gets itchy.
Any help welcome. Please feel free to PM me with product info and prices!
Thanks
Lee


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## Tallabred (Jun 12, 2008)

I took MRFBarbara's Pet Shampoo Bar recipe from the soap recipe thread but replaced the palm oil with neem oil, replaced the aloe vera with karanja oil and added 1/2 calendula petals at trace. It came out oily so I will lower the 5% superfat next time and try that. 

Our dachshund has horrible skin problems from fleas in the summer and allergies in the fall and spring. I have only washed her with this once but she looks SOOO much better already. Both of my dogs get a teaspoon of local honey every day for their allergies. Even my vet complained to me that over 1/2 of his clients now do not need allergy shots because he now has them try the honey first. I had been on sinus headache meds every day since my head injury until I started on the honey. It changed my life. Check at a health food store on what is local in your area. I would be happy to send you a bar for you to try on your dog - I am at testing stage PM me your address, Cathy


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## kidsngarden (Oct 28, 2007)

My boxes are the boxes quarters come in at the bank. Each box holds 1 dozen of my bars. 

A cabinet for each scent would be pretty ambitious (not to mention expensive). How many scents are you planning on offering? I don't find that soaps in open air curing keep a scent they are next too as long as they don't touch. Maybe it would be different in a cabinet though.


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## Tallabred (Jun 12, 2008)

My sister is a local contractor so cabinets would actually be coming off of one of her projects and I can get them up. In Tallahassee when the humidity is like it has been this week you can watch the mold grow - one year I took time lapsed photos of it growing in an hour - yuck! I am concerned about getting anything to dry. 

Not sure how many scents yet - so far I have 5 in the process but those are all requested specialty bars. I would imagine that I would need at least 10 different scents at a time with some being retired and new ones coming on. How many do you offer?


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## buckrun (Mar 7, 2008)

Thank you Cathy~
L


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## Tallabred (Jun 12, 2008)

I also make a lotion that I use because of my horses that works great on the dog. I am out of my chlorohexadine that I use to make it. I am hoping that with starting the soaps that I will gain more knowledge on making lotions and this lotion will improve - works great now but is a little to thick - I need to perfect the consistancy. I will send you a small bottle of what I have along with the soap Do let me know how it works.


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## buckrun (Mar 7, 2008)

Thank you so very much! I am willing to try anything hopeful on this fellow he makes me nuts trying to figure out his troubles.
Sorry to hijack again. Maybe For Sale should have a sticky with everyone's product list so we can SHOP!
Lee


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## kidsngarden (Oct 28, 2007)

Tallabred said:


> Not sure how many scents yet - so far I have 5 in the process but those are all requested specialty bars. I would imagine that I would need at least 10 different scents at a time with some being retired and new ones coming on. How many do you offer?


Well, I tried to scale back to just 10-15, but realistically it's like 20-25 all the time.


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## MiaBella Farm (Jul 22, 2008)

I would put in a 3 compartment sink...I only have a double sink now, but wish I had put in the 3 compartment sink...too late now!
But, I also process my milk and cheese in the same room as I make soap...soon that will stop as my hubby is building me a commercial kitchen as we speak, so my soap room will be ALL soap soon!


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

I also soap in a sink and love it. Counterspace and a nice comfortable table area to sit and wrap soap. I have to hire this job out in December and having room for several people to sit down together to wrap soap and fill bags is ideal. There isn't enough square footage ever for keeping raw products and then naked and wrapped soaps. 36 bars fit in the medium shirt sized flat rate box and 50 in the large flat rate box, I think they are ideal for me anyway, to hold naked bars. I keep my brochure at 30 scents, with several scents and several soaps used in multiple ways.

I love the dishwasher racks, from commercial resturant stores for drying soap, not only do they stack on their own, but at 3x3 feet they fit alot of soap, also fit in a closet for your idea of a dehumidifier being used. Plus when you aren't drying as much soap as you would be this time of the year they aren't being filled with stuff like shelves are, it's also cleaner since each rack of soap is completely covered except airholes by the next one. 

When you are soaping, cutting, wrapping 100 bars + a day, you can quickly see how having places to store the lye, the butters and oils, the soap itself, is overwhelming. You can also forget about having recipes that take 3 weeks to cure...that would be having space for 3500 bars for me, no way....Vicki


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## Tallabred (Jun 12, 2008)

Vicki, How do you get your soaps to cure so quickly? I have been CPOP mine but the gm turns very brown in the oven. My gm is still white after I put the lye in it, is light tan after being mixed with the oils(especially neem oil). How many sq ft do you have to work in?


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

The physical place I soap is large enough, but I have to keep my barrells of oils and butters in my husbands shop, I keep boxes of nakked and wrapped soap in every bedroom, under every bed and I will be soaping in my large molds at my sisters worksite the whole month of November because they have a commercial kitchen with all the storage they let me use that I need, plus large tables and helpers I can hire to wrap soap, ideal for me in a way except actually having to leave the farm to do it. I will be adding on 20 more feet to my now 10x16, material is already purchased just have to wait my turn for building, and my buck barn comes first.

I discount water and use my dehumidifier (the soap room either has the dehumidifier running or the AC), I also keep my butters higher than my oils. I only keep nakked soaps on their rack 1 week, wrapped soaps 2...so this morning I cut my soap from Friday night, put away my nakked bars I made last week, and wrapped the soap I made 2 weeks ago. Tonight I will make soap again and so it goes each day of the week. I only marathon soap on the weekends if I am off, which means as many batches as I can make on Saturday, then they are all cut on Sunday.

OP is not about heat, so if you are getting discoloration it is not from OP it is from scent. OP doesn't change the look of my soap at all, it gets it into gel all the way to the outside of the bars and wicks out moisture. My new molds are too big for regular ovens so I am having a warming oven idea retrofitted into a closet. So the whole closet area will be 150 degrees. Vicki


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## Sondra (Oct 25, 2007)

agreed with Vicki on the oven temp my bars never chg color except when using vanilla or pink surgar or some such discoloring scent.


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