Experts Share How to Create a Soap Making Room at Home

Soap is an essential item that people use every day, and for the craftsman, making soap is a delicate art form that takes years of experience to master. For those who have experience making soap, having a dedicated space in your home to create is important. With any craft, aspects such as safety to organization are important to take into consideration.

In order to help you get started, we reached out to expert soap makers from Sacramento, CA to Deschenes, QC and asked for their best advice on crafting the perfect soap making room in your home. Keep reading to see what they had to say. 

The following content is for entertainment purposes only. Soap making involves the use of chemicals that may be poisonous or harmful if contacted, inhaled or consumed. Please do not attempt soap making without taking proper precautions. Redfin is not liable for any damage or injuries caused during the making of soap.

Safety first

When planning your soap making room, use a space with an external door or window, or turn on an extractor fan to help disperse the vapours. Ensure there are no hazards around you before you start – remove all pets from the area and remove rugs or potential trip hazards. – Little Soap Company

Convert an extra bedroom into a soap making room

In a converted bedroom, it is important to have good lighting, a large workspace free of trip hazards that children and pets can be kept out of, and, if possible, the ability to install a sink. Simple industrial shelves or baking racks can be used to store curing soap bars and supplies. – Mike’s Extraordinary Soap

Or a detached shed 

My husband and I converted our detached shed in the backyard into a soap making room; dry-wall and paint included. It’s insulated and has two windows which are helpful for climate control and airflow when dealing with caustic soap chemicals. I love that I was able to put my own touches from the geographical mural I painted to the glitter polished concrete floors. It makes it feel like it’s not just a workspace but a little personal sanctuary. – Sage House Soapworks 

An extra storage room works well too

My soap making room is in a repurposed storage room. I had adjustable track lights, a custom cabinet of drawers, and a butcher block installed. Then I added old bookshelves and I was ready to rock. – Grunge Goddess Soapworks

Consider your basement

Making soap takes more space than we thought it would. We converted part of our basement to a soap making room. It serves as a cool, dry place to store our oils and supplies and gives us space to spread out. – Martha’s Bath and Body

Make sure supplies are separate from your kitchen

While your kitchen is usually the best place for starting a soap making hobby or business, you’ll want to store your equipment and supplies in a separate space so the pots and spoons don’t get mistakenly used for food prep. Clearly mark them and make sure your household is aware of safety issues. – Soapworks Studio

Choose an area for your soap making room that is not used for preparing food because lye is poisonous, so you want to keep yourself and your family safe. Your local dollar store is a treasure trove for soaping tools (mixing bowls, spatulas, whisks, etc). Make sure you join your local bulk supply chain. You can get your soaping oils at a reasonable price without having to pay for shipping. –  OCDee Bath and Body 

Make sure the soap making room is well ventilated 

To make soap from scratch indoors using lye, either cold process or hot process, you need adequate ventilation. A window above a sink, a door that can be propped open, or a venting fan above a stove will all work. – The Nova Studio

The most important thing to consider when setting up a soap making room is ventilation, especially if you plan to make cold process soap, but this is also true for melt and pour soap. If you only plan to make soap in pleasant weather this could be as simple as a fan and two open windows. If you want to make soap year-round, you will need a vent fan. – Wind Chime Soaps

Set up near a window

Fresh air while mixing lye is crucial, use a stainless steel workbench for easy clean-ups, and install a sink in your area to make cleaning dirty dishes convenient. – Imagine Soapworks 

Have a dedicated work area and a curing shelf 

Ensure a flat and stable work area at least 5 feet wide and 3 feet deep, well-lit and with good ventilation which will be used to mix and pour the soaps. To create and maximize space for curing soaps, enhance existing shelving by adding an extra shelf between each existing one or more layers. If you are investing in new shelving, consider a curing rack or an orchard rack and place it in a cool, dry space. – Sunshine & K Handmade Soaps 

Select multipurpose furniture 

Select furniture that not only allows you to manufacture and package your products but gives you ample storage for raw ingredients and curing bars. Shelving on casters is an excellent option when you are limited on space because it allows you to stow away ingredients when not in use. It also affords you the ability to easily transform your workspace to suit your needs as you grow. – Sweet Sprig

Choose a tabletop with a defined edge rather than a beveled one

This will allow you to make use of soap-cutting tools that require an edge to hold it in place, such as a log splitter or a miter box. – Northanger Soapworks

Photography tables work great 

Purchase a photography tabletop 3×2 backdrop and cut out a thin piece of plywood to match the size. This way you can expand your working area and be able to take photographs and video on a larger surface area and have a more visually appealing surface, an added bonus is cleanup is much easier. – Bahamas Candle and Soap

Dedicate a space for your oils, colors, molds, and ready products

A separate small space is ideal for a soap making room since working with lye requires safety. For storing your soap, you need shelves or pan racks. Also shelves for your base oils, colorants, essential oils, etc. Make sure your space has a sink and water, you need to wash all the messy dishes after. A stain steel table is great for soapmaking, as well as will be useful for cutting your soap. – Apricota Soaps

Don’t forget, space-saving is key

You’ll of course want curing racks and product storage, but not enough is said about cleanup. Try space-saving options, like over-sink dish drying racks, or floating shelves to save yourself cleanup effort having a completely clear counter. – Normal Street Soapworks