The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1881-03-03
SOap for Family Use.


Soap for Family Use.
A large proportion of the soap for
toilet or laundry use is greatly adulter-
ated, and often with substances inju-
iious to the skin, if not actually poison
Gus. 1t is well for housekeepers to
know the signs and be able to form .
tolerably correct judgment of what
they purchase. The fat used to make
soap is often tried out from sick ami
mails or those who have died from poi
son or from malignant diseases. This
can be used safely, although not agree
able to think of, if one is sure that in
making the soap the fat has been thor
oughly "saponified," or turned into
genuine, unadulterated soap. But,
once made and turned over to the mar
ket for sale, it is not easy to judge cor
rectly.
When making soap, If the fat is
heated to a high degree, soap-like
substance rises round the fatty particle.
If allowed to reach this state of great
heat, and then some of the adultera-
tions, such as sal-soda, silicate, Oh rosin,
are added, the fat will not become clear
soap, or be saponified," but remains
filmy. In this case, if the fat was from
a poisoned or diseased animal it will
remain so. 1t cannot be purified and
will be dangerous to use. If such soap
is made into bars, or hard soap. it will
always feel oily. sure sign that it is
not fit to use. When soap feels sticky
there has been too much rosin in it.
When the fat is pure and the soap prop
erly made it will have slippery feeling
that when once noticed will not be for
gotten.
Soft soap, if pure, will always be
semi transparent. If filmy or clouded,
the grease from which it is made is
dirty or impure. 1t is always safer to
buy soap that is warranted pure. Many
of the substances added to the great
number of wonderful soaps advertised
are in no way serviceable in extracting
dirt or stains, but by increasing the
weight with less costly articles, the
vendors make profit at the expense
of the consumers. Fifteen per cent. of
rosin may improve soap or make it
more cleansing, but beyond that all
that is used deteriorates the quality OF
the soap. And yet we learn many va
rieties of hard soap have at least sew
enty-fve per cent. of rOsin, and those
who purchase get only one third of what
they spent their money for.
1t is very little trouble to make the
soap for laundry and kitchen purposes
at home. If all the grease is saved
and tried out from the bones and scraps
so as to keep sweet and clean, and
when quantity is collected, I've from
hard wood ashes or pure potash is add
ed to it, any one can have the best of
soap, and with it the satisfaction of
knowing it is free of all injurious adul-
terations. There is not a great amount
of labor in making it.
Never use concentrated I've to make
family soap. 1t is too corrosive. But
if convenient, after melting the grease,
add the lye to that and boil together.
If not convenient to do that, put the
I've cold into the cask and melt the
grease; when hot pour it to the cold
I've. Stir it well together, and two or
three times day, when near the cask,
stir it thoroughly. If the lye is either
too strong or too weak, it will not cut
the grease and combine together. If
too strong, pour in water-not much at
time. If too weak add stronger I've,
also in small quantities, until the desired
effect is attained.
Lye should be strong enough to bear
up an egg so that very small part of
the she'll rises above the water, not
larger than dime. Pine wood casks
are the best for holding soap or I've.
These directions are intended only
for soft soap. In the city it is too
much trouble to make hard soap, but
only the best kinds should be used. In
the country one has more facilities for
making both hard and soft soap. es-
pecially in farmers families, where
they can save some hard wood ashes,
even if not enough for all the soap they
need, and nothing will make soap so
satisfactory as lye from hard wood
ashes.
Every young housekeeper should I'M
derstand that without her own careful
watchfulness and quiet supervision very
much grease that could be usefully en-
ployed as shortening, or if too coarse
Tor that for soap, Is thrown into the
sOap-fat pot and sold as the cooks per-
quisites without the mistress having
any knowled ge of it. If it is under
stood from the beginning that the mis-
tress will take care that all the waste
grease is saved, tried out and strained,
and by and by made into soft soap two
good things may be gained-temptation
TO dishonesty on the part of the servants
will be removed, and a quantity of pure
clean soap may be secured. Twenty
five pounds of well-saved grease will
make thirty-two gallon cask of soap.
Mrs. Il. W. Beecher, IN Christian
Union.