Soaps
Soap is a cleanser made by reacting fats or oils with an alkali, and the fatty acid salts that form loosen grease and soil so water can rinse them away. Today most things called soap, including many hand soaps and dish liquids, are detergents, which loosen soil the same way but are made from other raw materials.
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McEvoy Ranch - Herb Garden Hand Soap - 8 oz.
Regular price $19.00 USDRegular price -
Thymes - Frasier Fir Hand Wash Large
Regular price $24.00 USDRegular price$28.00 USDSale price $24.00 USDSale
How to choose Soaps
- True soap. In US rules a product is soap only if most of its nonvolatile matter is alkali salts of fatty acids and it is sold only as soap. That kind falls under the Consumer Product Safety Commission.
- Detergent. Most liquid cleansers called soap today are synthetic detergents, first made when fats for soap ran short in World War I. They clean much the same way but are not made only from fats and alkali.
- Cosmetic claims. A cleanser that also promises to moisturize is regulated by FDA as a cosmetic, whatever it is made from.
About Soaps
Soap is one of the oldest cleansers people have made: clay cylinders from Babylon, around 2800 BC, describe fats boiled with ashes. By the 7th century soap making was an established craft in Italy, Spain and France, helped by local olive oil.
In 1791 the French chemist Nicolas Leblanc patented a way to make soda ash from common salt, and soda ash combined with fat makes soap. Soap chemistry stayed much the same until the 20th century, when synthetic detergents arrived. For washing dishes by hand, fill the sink with clean, hot, soapy water, rinse off every trace of suds, and let the dishes air dry or towel dry.
At a glance
- Made from
- Soap: fats and alkali. Detergents: other raw materials
- Main types
- Bar soap, liquid hand soap, dish liquid, castile
- Label terms
- Soap, detergent, cleanser, moisturizing
Soaps questions
How long should you scrub your hands with soap?
At least 20 seconds. Wet your hands with clean running water, then lather by rubbing them together with soap and keep scrubbing. Rinse well under running water and dry with a clean towel or an air dryer. When soap and water are out of reach, a hand sanitizer with at least 60 percent alcohol is the fallback.
What is castile soap?
Castile soap is a hard, bland soap made from olive oil and sodium hydroxide, the strong alkali also called lye. The name points to Castile in Spain, and it now covers similar soaps made the same way. Because the name now covers similar soaps too, read the label to see which oils and alkali a given bar or bottle uses.
Can you put dish liquid in a dishwasher?
No. Liquid made for washing dishes by hand foams far more than dishwasher detergent, and a machine can fill with suds. If some goes into the dispenser by mistake, wipe it out with a dry paper towel before you run the load. Use only detergent made for automatic dishwashers.
Sources: US Food and Drug Administration; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; American Cleaning Institute.
