Difference between revisions of "Sink Soap"
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"Author: Anniek van Mierlo" | "Author: Anniek van Mierlo" | ||
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‘What is there left to win?’ is what I asked myself. What can still be achieved in a household when it comes to reuse? For every inch of trash there is a new function described on the internet, so I wanted to challenge myself with the attempt of finding a piece of home that was still unexplored. I searched for places that weren’t likely to be used for reuse and I found one place in the form of a very filthy pit. | ‘What is there left to win?’ is what I asked myself. What can still be achieved in a household when it comes to reuse? For every inch of trash there is a new function described on the internet, so I wanted to challenge myself with the attempt of finding a piece of home that was still unexplored. I searched for places that weren’t likely to be used for reuse and I found one place in the form of a very filthy pit. | ||
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Most people who share their shower with a long-haired person are familiair with this problem, the water remains in the shower after showering. The drain has to be cleared. It is a dirty and odorous task, which we pospone untill the water will run down our hallways. The kitchensink is cleared easier with chemicals like natriumhydroxide (NaOH), better known as drain cleaner. The world beyond our drain is something we do not think about. | Most people who share their shower with a long-haired person are familiair with this problem, the water remains in the shower after showering. The drain has to be cleared. It is a dirty and odorous task, which we pospone untill the water will run down our hallways. The kitchensink is cleared easier with chemicals like natriumhydroxide (NaOH), better known as drain cleaner. The world beyond our drain is something we do not think about. | ||
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I decided to filter the water which runs trough our drain to see what it consists of. What I harvested was a variety of sand, dust, fat, left-over soap, hair and probably a lot more human- end animal remains which weren’t visible to the naked eye. When I researched the substances I collected, I found out fat is an ingredient of soap. Soap is actually a product of saponification, which occurs when fat is mixed with a lye. A lye is the same thing as drain cleaner resolved in water, so in theory it is possible to make soap with drain leftovers only. | I decided to filter the water which runs trough our drain to see what it consists of. What I harvested was a variety of sand, dust, fat, left-over soap, hair and probably a lot more human- end animal remains which weren’t visible to the naked eye. When I researched the substances I collected, I found out fat is an ingredient of soap. Soap is actually a product of saponification, which occurs when fat is mixed with a lye. A lye is the same thing as drain cleaner resolved in water, so in theory it is possible to make soap with drain leftovers only. | ||
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I googeled ‘how to make soap’ and followed the steps of a random youtube-tutorial. The lab set up shows how the fat is boiled and filtered. Before the fat clots, it should be mixed with the resolved draincleaner. After stirring for half an hour, the soap has to harden for a week in a mold before it is ready to reuse. | I googeled ‘how to make soap’ and followed the steps of a random youtube-tutorial. The lab set up shows how the fat is boiled and filtered. Before the fat clots, it should be mixed with the resolved draincleaner. After stirring for half an hour, the soap has to harden for a week in a mold before it is ready to reuse. | ||
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Every piece of sinksoap is unique, because it differs from day to day which fats end up in your drain. When you’ve had the whole family over for dinner, it’ll show in your kitchensink after the dishes. But even when you went out for dinner this is visible from the skinfat you wash away trough your drain. This is also why the soap smells different per household, per person and even per meal. The smell is very subtle though, because of the boiling, filtering and the chemical reaction with the Lye. | Every piece of sinksoap is unique, because it differs from day to day which fats end up in your drain. When you’ve had the whole family over for dinner, it’ll show in your kitchensink after the dishes. But even when you went out for dinner this is visible from the skinfat you wash away trough your drain. This is also why the soap smells different per household, per person and even per meal. The smell is very subtle though, because of the boiling, filtering and the chemical reaction with the Lye. | ||
Revision as of 13:04, 23 January 2015
"Author: Anniek van Mierlo"
‘What is there left to win?’ is what I asked myself. What can still be achieved in a household when it comes to reuse? For every inch of trash there is a new function described on the internet, so I wanted to challenge myself with the attempt of finding a piece of home that was still unexplored. I searched for places that weren’t likely to be used for reuse and I found one place in the form of a very filthy pit.
Most people who share their shower with a long-haired person are familiair with this problem, the water remains in the shower after showering. The drain has to be cleared. It is a dirty and odorous task, which we pospone untill the water will run down our hallways. The kitchensink is cleared easier with chemicals like natriumhydroxide (NaOH), better known as drain cleaner. The world beyond our drain is something we do not think about.
I decided to filter the water which runs trough our drain to see what it consists of. What I harvested was a variety of sand, dust, fat, left-over soap, hair and probably a lot more human- end animal remains which weren’t visible to the naked eye. When I researched the substances I collected, I found out fat is an ingredient of soap. Soap is actually a product of saponification, which occurs when fat is mixed with a lye. A lye is the same thing as drain cleaner resolved in water, so in theory it is possible to make soap with drain leftovers only.
I googeled ‘how to make soap’ and followed the steps of a random youtube-tutorial. The lab set up shows how the fat is boiled and filtered. Before the fat clots, it should be mixed with the resolved draincleaner. After stirring for half an hour, the soap has to harden for a week in a mold before it is ready to reuse.
Every piece of sinksoap is unique, because it differs from day to day which fats end up in your drain. When you’ve had the whole family over for dinner, it’ll show in your kitchensink after the dishes. But even when you went out for dinner this is visible from the skinfat you wash away trough your drain. This is also why the soap smells different per household, per person and even per meal. The smell is very subtle though, because of the boiling, filtering and the chemical reaction with the Lye.
Anniek van Mierlo, 2015 Anniek van Mierlo is a WdKA student with a minor in Sustainability