'soft soap from a non-chemist

[Jennifer Hein <jhein@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

> Mary I do appreciate your chemistry descriptions.

They remind me of my chemistry classes at FIT.
Betty Kirke had informed us that Ivory was the closest thing to Orvus
Paste that is on the open market, but they do change the ingredients
quite often." is what I was told and is advice I have used for over 10
years.

soap=anionic carboxylate made by the saponification (savon = soap) of
glycerides, or lye or caustic + fat/oils boiled produce soap. If you
use caustic (50%) you get hard soap = bars

Lye (potassium hydroxide)= soft soap.

I noticed the chaffed condition of my hands whenever I used it so I
stopped & now I use gycerine bar soap.  Does that just have more oil &
less caustic?

Sodium laureth sulfate, sodium lauryl sulfate, DEA (diethanolamine),
sodium sulfate, cocamidopropyl betaine, citric acid, sodium chloride
(i.e. salt)...
'soft soap gel / liquid is largely a sodium dodecyl sulfate--Orvus WA
Paste with a mild surfactant = pH 7.0,
Wear gloves to degrease/clean with SDS

--Jennifer Hein
Preservation Consultant
Historic Object Conservator of Textiles, Leather & Ethnography
PO Box 90379, Indianapolis, IN 46290
1- 317-575-9296