Pioneer Life: Soap Making

Cultural History Specialist Leslie Ranew explains how early pioneers in the swamp would cook animal fat using their "spider" pot to use in soap making.

[rustynails]

It is amazing to think when I make soap I know the exact strength of the lye, the exact measurement of ingredients etc. The pioneers had to be incredibly skilled to use the materials they had on hand. Its my understanding the soap was usually very soft and not dried into bars but saved in small clay pots until used. Correct me if I havent remembered correctly

[marynichols]

You gave some pretty good information, but didn't really explain how soap was made. Was it in liquid form, or a cream? Were ashes used?

[spike]

But what about the scent, how do they make it smell like Lavender or a fresh clean smell

[Diniecita]

If they used fresh lard how did they render it before adding it to the pot? Or did they? Id like to know more about that.

[noemigonzalez]

How does fat clean stuff? Wouldn’t it be greasy?

[halicarnassus]

Imagine the startled faces on people who say they will never touch pork, nor pork lard, not knowing that decent People used it to clean their bodies back in the day with it. 😅. Well maybe those people's Ancestors preferred to stank.