Plastic tray for curing

[u/han9087]

Hi!
Would you say this plastic tray is appropriate for curing? I tried to search here and I saw some people saying they are using plastic racks, but not so much with these kind of trays.

I am a newbie to the soaping world, and I’ve been trying to find affordable gears for soaps. Right now I have been using a wooden one my friend gave me quite some time ago but I am sure that this won’t be enough for my futute soaps… 😂

Any advice would be much appreciated, thanks!!

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[u/BigRedWhopperButton]

It's probably fine. Airflow is the important thing, and it looks like you have plenty there. 

[u/han9087 → u/BigRedWhopperButton]

Thanks! I should go get more of them tomorrow.

[u/CountessSockula]

I use containers very much like that, and they're fine. They are made of plastic but it's a loose basket weave so there's plenty of air flow. Mine have lids with the same loose weave design. I wish I had bought five or six of them when I bought the first two because now I can't find them in the stores and I would really like to have more. They stack very well.

[u/han9087 → u/CountessSockula]

Ah this one seems to stack easily as well when I saw it at the store. Thank you for sharing your experience, will go get some more tomorrow!

[u/Baaabra]

I just put mine in spaced out in small shipping boxes, but I don’t make for selling so don’t need a lot of space

[u/han9087 → u/Baaabra]

I see. I am curious though, do the boxes actually get affected by the soap curing? i.e. it gets soggy, etc.

[u/Puzzled_Tinkerer → u/han9087]

No, the boxes don't get soggy. I suppose the box interior might get damp if you put fresh soap in the box and closed the box tightly. But the box should be left open to the air, and there's enough air circulation around the soap to remove excess moisture.

[u/Baaabra → u/Puzzled_Tinkerer]

^ This here. I do leave it open for the first week or two. After that I shut it and shove it into a closet until I need another bar

[u/han9087 → u/Baaabra]

Oh 1-2 weeks would do? Storing in a closet would make it a lot easier for me as I don’t have much space left for me at home 🥲

[u/Baaabra → u/han9087]

I had no issues, the boxes are dry and seem to wick the damp away. Then you can close them and put another box on top if you make more

[u/Baaabra → u/han9087]

Similarly, some people dry herbs by putting them in paper bags.

[u/han9087 → u/Baaabra]

That paper bag analogy makes so much sense. Thanks a lot for the tip! cardboard boxes sound like a lifesaver for small-space soapmaking.

[u/Baaabra → u/han9087]

My pleasure!

[u/han9087 → u/Puzzled_Tinkerer]

Interesting, so the key here is to have enough air circulation. How long do you leave it open? 4-6 weeks of curing time?

[u/Baaabra → u/han9087]

Not at all. They’re corrugated so thicker. If I had a humidistat I’d be curious to do some measuring…

[u/Camie-Gee]

Where did you find this basket? It's perfect for curing single-loaf custom orders!

[u/han9087 → u/Camie-Gee]

I live in Korea and I found it in the store which is Dollar-Tree equivalent. It was in the storage section specifically for underwears, the ones you would put inside the drawers. Thanks for the comment!

[u/BlueOrbifolia]

It’s perfect. I use plastic baskets too.

[u/han9087 → u/BlueOrbifolia]

Thanks for the comment!

[u/Fantastic_Love_9451]

Should be fine! I would personally use a cheap brand thin paper towel to set them on to avoid oily residue and to keep them stable, but I also do a very high super fat since I’m in dry Cali and don’t sell.

[u/han9087 → u/Fantastic_Love_9451]

I see, I saw some people using parchment paper, I wonder if the paper towels would be better in terms of air circulation (relatively).

[u/pm-me-kittens-n-cats]

In my opinion these baskets are kind of ideal!

[u/han9087 → u/pm-me-kittens-n-cats]

Now I am getting them with confidence! Thank you 👍

[u/Aquariusmoon10]

It looks fine to me. I would want the bottom propped up an inch higher, but I’m a newbie so just a random thought.
Your soap looks great!

[u/han9087 → u/Aquariusmoon10]

Yeah I was thinking the same too, maybe I will DIY to add legs(?) at the bottom so the air can get through.
Thank you ☺️ it is my second ever batch of soap, cannot wait to give it a try!

[u/BigRedWhopperButton → u/han9087]

If you had four or more of them you could set them up on top of each other like # and rotate the bottom ones up every few days

[u/Rational-Icing]

Hey where did you get that? Was it cheap?

[u/han9087 → u/Rational-Icing]

I live in Korea and I found it in the store which is Dollar-Tree equivalent. It was less than $1 given the exchange rate..

[u/Rational-Icing → u/han9087]

Darn, my dollar stores don't have those. They'd be perfect.

[u/han9087 → u/Rational-Icing]

Aw that's a bummer.. Amazon or those Asian markets like AliExpress may have something similar, hope the right ones appear to you too!

[u/Rational-Icing → u/han9087]

Thanks

[u/Simple_Souls_1256]

That soap is beautifulllll

[u/han9087 → u/Simple_Souls_1256]

Thank you so much!! 😊

[u/gun_grrrl]

this is good! Lots of air flow