Soaping can be a messy process. There are several ways to clean after making cold process soap, including washing the dishes right away. You can also let your tools sit (unattended, on a high shelf so little hands can’t grab them) for 48-72 hours. During that time, the soap saponifies and hardens, allowing you to scrape it out and wash your equipment. Learn more in the Soapy Session Clean Up Guide.

Spring is also a great time to clean soap molds. When cared for properly, soap molds can last for years. Silicone molds should be washed with warm water and dish soap. Wood molds should be cleaned with 99% isopropyl alcohol and a clean paper towel. After they’re clean, you can go the extra mile and shine your wood molds with Simple Citrus Furniture Polish. The combination of  beeswax, olive oil and castor oil will make your molds look new, condition it and help keep your mold in top-top shape for years (even decades as some of my older molds can attest to). Read more mold care tips here.

Organizing is another aspect of spring cleaning. While you’re caring for your molds, you may notice there are some you want to give away or sell. There are several factors to consider before parting with your supplies, such as the condition of your supplies, and if you have the time and energy to organize a sale. Get more tips in the Declutter It Up post. I’m personally posting a bunch of my knitting supplies on EBay during my decluttering process and while it’s sad to see them go, I’m excited to have space in my life for more crafty things that I can do with my kiddos.

If you have leftover soap after organizing, you can use it for laundry soap. Handmade laundry soap is made with a variety of ingredients like baking soda and borax. It’s also a great way to use lye heavy soap. Click through the Three DIY Laundry Soap Recipes to learn more.

To fight stains in your kitchen and bathroom, you can use the Crisp Orange Cleaning Spray. The spray is made with hydrogen peroxide, vinegar and 99% isopropyl alcohol to make the surfaces in your house shine. It also has Peppermint Essential Oil, 1st Distill and Orange Valencia Essential Oil to give your home a fresh scent. To keep your bathroom smelling fresh in between cleanings, you can use the Fizzy Toilet Fresheners. They fill your bathroom with a clean mix of Lemon Essential Oil and Peppermint Essential Oil, 2nd Distillation. The sodium bicarbonate and citric acid help combat residue and stains.

Room spray is another way to freshen your house. The Springtime Room Spray is scented with Spring Meadow and Crisp Apple Rose. It will make any room in your house smell like a spring garden.

Top row: Fizzy Toilet Fresheners
Bottom row, left to right: Springtime Room Spray, Crisp Orange Cleaning Spray

One cleaning ingredient we always have on hand is 99% isopropyl alcohol. Alcohol helps clean off soaping equipment, as well as any surfaces you may have spills. It also helps remove leftover scent from molds. Read more in the Sunday Night Spotlight: 99% Isopropyl Alcohol post. Baking soda is another staple. It is a gentle exfoliant, which is great for scrubbing away dirt and grime. Read more about it here.

While spring is almost over, it’s not too late to get all your spring cleaning done before the summer heat. Do you have a handmade cleaning product you love to use? I’d love to hear the recipe!

The post Spring Cleaning Roundup appeared first on Soap Queen.

If you’re looking for more cleansing recipes, you’ll love the Oat Oil Cleansers Tutorial. While it may seem strange to wash your face with oils, it leaves your skin feeling clean and moisturized. Oil cleansing washes away sebum, a waxy substance produced by the skin, and replaces it with skin-loving and clean oil. The tutorial features oil cleansers for both dry and oily skin.

Adding milk to your recipes is another way to moisturize your skin. Milk gives your products a creamy, silky feeling, and is great from a marketing standpoint. The last several weeks, several milk recipes were shared, including the Goat Milk & Oatmeal Cold Process Soap Tutorial. Find more tutorials in the Milk Project Roundup.

Sweet scents, like vanilla, pair well with milk soaps. While there are several vanilla fragrance oil options, like Vanilla Bean Fragrance Oil, Vanilla Vanilla Cybilla Fragrance Oil, there isn’t a 100% pure vanilla essential oil. This is because the vanilla bean doesn’t allow for the distillation process necessary to create an essential oil. Read more in The Truth About Vanilla Essential Oil.

Lavender essential oil is another scent option for your milk soaps. Clawfoot Bathworks, this week’s Facebook Photo of the Week, used Hungarian Lavender Essential Oil and Island Coconut Fragrance Oil in their coconut milk soap. It also has Tussah silk fiber for added softness.

Clawfoot Bathworks’ soap features pink, purple and white layers, along with fun embeds. I love the way the mica line wraps around the embed in the center! If you’re interested in another tutorial that uses embeds, click through the Neon Embed Cold Process Soap video on Soap Queen TV. Embeds look great on top of soap too, as seen in the Once Upon a Dream Cold Process Tutorial.

Above (clockwise, top left) are Clawfoot’s Key Lime Pie Soap, bubble bars, Strawberry Peach and Mint Soap and Monkey Brains Soap. To get big bubbles in your tub, check out the How to Make Solid Bubble Bath video on Soap Queen TV. For a relaxing bath experience, click through the Solid Bubble Bath Recipe.

Find Clawfoot Bathworks
On Facebook
On the web

If you’re in the mood for even more bubbles, you’ll love this week’s Instagram Photo of the Week by Lillian Violet Handmade Products. Her adorable bath bomb cupcakes have fluffy pink frosting and pearls. They’re a perfect bridal shower favor. See more beautiful creations on her Instagram page.

Post pictures of your crafty creations on the Facebook page each week for a chance to be featured on the Soap Queen blog and receive a sweet soapy package from Bramble Berry. Photos are chosen based on consensus from the Bramble Berry staff, so the best way to increase your chances of winning is to show us lots of photos!

To participate in the Instagram contest, hashtag your pictures with #soapshare. Each Friday, I will pick a photo on Instagram to be featured on the Bramble Berry Instagram account. 

The post Facebook and Instagram Photo of the Week (April 25th ~ May 1st) appeared first on Soap Queen.

The combination of sodium bicarbonate and citric acid help fight stains. Once the freshener hits the water, it starts to fizz and release a fresh and clean scent from Lemon Essential Oil and Peppermint Essential Oil, 2nd Distillation. You can store them in an airtight container, like the Tall 8 oz. Plastic Bail Jar, and use them whenever your bathroom needs a pick me up.

These fizzies are great for freshening your toilet, but are not intended for use in the bathtub. Because they are strongly scented to mask bathroom odors, the excess amounts of essential oil can cause skin irritation.

What You’ll Need:
1/2 cup Sodium Bicarbonate
1/4 cup Citric Acid
Witch Hazel
12 mL Lemon Essential Oil
6 mL Peppermint Essential Oil, 2nd Distill
Droppers
Spiral Flower Wax Tart Mold
Optional: Tall 8 oz. Plastic Bail Jar

FOUR: Check the moisture level of your fizzies. The mixture should be wet enough so when you squeeze the powder in your fist it holds its shape when you open your hand. If it doesn’t hold its shape, spritz with witch hazel. You want to spray enough so that the powders stick together and aren’t crumbly. Be careful though, because spraying too much can cause the mixture to fizz prematurely and ruin your fizzies. How much witch hazel you use depends on a number of factors, including the humidity in your area. We used about 6-8 spritzes of witch hazel on a rainy day in Washington state. Read more in the Sunday Night Spotlight: Witch Hazel post.
FIVE: Once the mixture holds its shape, pack it tightly into the mold. Make sure to pack the powder into the flower shape so the details are clear when they’re unmolded.
SIX: Leave the fizzies in the mold until they’re set up, which can take several hours or up to overnight. After they’re unmolded, drop a freshener into your toilet and let it fizz. When it’s done fizzing, flush and enjoy the clean scent!

What is your favorite quick and easy cleaning trick? 

Print

Fizzy Toilet Fresheners

Simple to make, these Fizzy Toilet Fresheners keep your bathroom smelling clean.

Course Home Crafts

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 6 -8 Fizzies

Author Soap Queen

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup Sodium Bicarbonate
• 1/4 cup Citric Acid
• Witch Hazel
• 12 mL Lemon Essential Oil
• 6 mL Peppermint Essential Oil 2nd Distill
• Droppers
• Spiral Flower Wax Tart Mold
• Optional: Tall 8 oz. Plastic Bail Jar

Instructions

• In a large bowl, add the baking soda and citric acid and mix to combine. The baking soda and citric acid mixture may have clumps. You can use your fingers to break them up, or sift the powders through a strainer.
• Add 12 mL of Lemon Essential Oil and 6 mL of Peppermint Essential Oil, 2nd Distill.
• Stir the essential oils into the baking soda and citric acid mixture. Using your hands is the easiest method. Wear gloves if you want to protect your manicure, as citric acid will dull nail polish. Note: These fizzies may smell quite strong as you're mixing them together. They're heavily scented so the fresh smell fills your whole bathroom!
• Check the moisture level of your fizzies. The mixture should be wet enough so when you squeeze the powder in your fist it holds its shape when you open your hand. If it doesn't hold its shape, spritz with witch hazel. You want to spray enough so that the powders stick together and aren’t crumbly. Be careful though, because spraying too much can cause the mixture to fizz prematurely and ruin your fizzies. How much witch hazel you use depends on a number of factors, including the humidity in your area. We used about 6-8 spritzes of witch hazel on a rainy day in Washington state.
• Once the mixture holds its shape, pack it tightly into the mold. Make sure to pack the powder into the flower shape so the details are clear when they're unmolded.
• Leave the fizzies in the mold until they're set up, which can take several hours or up to overnight. After they're unmolded, drop a freshener into your toilet and let it fizz. When it's done fizzing, flush and enjoy the clean scent!

The post Fizzy Toilet Fresheners appeared first on Soap Queen.