How to Make Amish Soap
Making your own homemade Amish dish and laundry soap can be an easy and interesting process if you follow recommended safety procedures. Natural soaps are created by mixing fat or lard with lye. Lye is a dangerous chemical that can cause serious skin burns and toxic fumes if mishandled. The key to making a good Amish soap is following the ingredient measurements closely. Too much or too little of an ingredient may render the soap useless. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Strained Lard (11 cups)
- Cold water (5 cups, rain water preferred)
- Lye (1 can)
- Borax (1/2 cup)
- Sugar (1/2 cup)
- Steel pan
- Jar
- Stove
- Wooden spoon
- Soap mold box
- Muslin
- Safety glasses
- Chemical-resistant gloves
- Vapor-resistant face mask
Instructions
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1
Pour strained lard into the steel pan. Heat over low to medium heat on the stove until it becomes grease.
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2
Put on safety gear, such as a mask, gloves and glasses. Pour the cold water into the jar. Cautiously add the lye, borax and sugar, and let the ingredients dissolve. Stir mixture with the wooden spoon until it becomes lukewarm from the chemical reaction created when mixing the ingredients.
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3
Slowly pour the mixture in the jar into the heated grease. Stir the combined mixtures for 15 minutes. Line the soap mold box with the muslin cloth to prevent leaking.
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4
Pour the mixture into the mold box. Let cool for 24 hours. Cut into soap sized squares. Allow bars of soap to stand for two weeks before using on dishes or laundry.
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1
Tips & Warnings
This soap is for use with dishes and laundry only. It is not intended for personal care use.
Do not handle lye without gloves. Avoid contact with the skin.
Do not inhale fumes from lye when combining it with other ingredients.
Wear safety glasses to protect your eyes from dangerous splashes.
For further safety information and emergency care regarding lye, visit a lye first aid website or contact poison control.
References
- Photo Credit natural soaps 3 image by samantha grandy from Fotolia.com
