Talk:Soap

The article refers to the 1500s as the 15th century and 1600s as 16th century rather than 16th and 17th century respectively 142.167.72.196 (talk) 23:23, 3 April 2023 (UTC)

I fixed as many of these as I could without access to the sources, as part of fixing general disorganization of the history section. Bryan Henderson (giraffedata) (talk) 20:13, 13 June 2024 (UTC)

it should be changed to something more specific or removed. 2404:4404:1704:7700:F93B:11DC:A2E8:EBE (talk) 12:43, 19 April 2023 (UTC)

chakrapani discover mercury sulphide. The credit for inventing a soap also goes to him. Shreyaskhairnar (talk) 05:16, 25 September 2023 (UTC)

Need a source. 2607:FEA8:4A62:2F00:A4DF:B358:4C38:46DB (talk) 20:45, 15 December 2024 (UTC)

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anything being added: will be bolded Soapmakers in Naples were members of a guild in the late sixth century (then under the control of the Eastern Roman Empire),[24] and in the eighth century, soap-making was well known in Italy and Spain.[25] The Carolingian capitulary De Villis, dating to around 800, representing the royal will of Charlemagne, mentions soap as being one of the products the stewards of royal estates are to tally. Charlemagne had raised the soap under the laws contributed by himself in western and central Europe. The lands of Medieval Spain were a leading soapmaker by 800, and soapmaking began in the Kingdom of England about 1200.[26 Soapmaking is mentioned both as "women's work" and as the produce of "good workmen" alongside other necessities, such as the produce of carpenters, blacksmiths, metalsmiths, fisherman and bakers.[27]

In Europe, soap in the 9th century was produced from animal fats and had an unpleasant smell. This changed when olive oil began to be used in soap formulas instead due to the healthful benefits it provides for the body , after which much of Europe's soap production moved to the Mediterranean olive-growing regions. [28] Hard toilet soap was introduced to Europe by Arabs and gradually spread as a luxury item. It was often perfumed.[22][28] By the 15th century, the manufacture of soap in the Christendom had become virtually industrialized, with sources in Antwerp, Castile, Marseille, Naples and Venice. Soap had gradually moved to being made with lye, which was additionally used to bleach linen becoming the standard formula for centuries later. The lye was produced mixing water with the ash of plants (mainly wood). The mixture was left to stand and then had water poured out. Finally any excess water was evaporated out to concentrate the liquid then adding it to the oil/fat.

The soap uses were not always as expected. For quite some time, soap was mainly used to wash clothes, but only on certain occasions to wash bodies. Soft soap came in two versions, white for bodies and black for cloth. Softsoap was the main cause for these occurrences. The softsoap had little detergent powder. Generally made using mutton fat, wood ash or potash, and natural soda. Women also used a mixture of lye and fuller's earth or white clay. The softsoap had grown quite popular when issues had begun striking. The harshness of the soap left womens legs and hands blistered.

Osinger2 (talk) 17:53, 16 April 2024 (UTC)

 Not done: please provide reliable sources that support the change you want to be made. Shadow311 (talk) 18:40, 16 April 2024 (UTC)

For the statement "In hand washing, as a surfactant, when lathered with a little water, soap kills microorganisms by disorganizing their membrane lipid bilayer and denaturing their proteins.", it says citation needed. I stumbled onto the source material. It is from https://chem.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Introductory_Chemistry/Chemistry_for_Changing_Times_(Hill_and_McCreary)/21%3A_Household_Chemicals/21.01%3A_Cleaning_with_Soap. I think this is enough? Sorry, im new here. Nak238 (talk) 01:41, 31 July 2024 (UTC)

No, this is taken from wikipedia. The text is copied exactly, and the site says Wikipedia was a contributor. But I found ,, and . I added these for references Tactical Falcon (talk) 00:35, 14 October 2025 (UTC)

The chart labeled "Fatty acid content of various fats used for soapmaking" contains a bunch of numbers. But there is no indication as to what these numbers refer to. 44 of what? Or, as my high school physics teacher would say, "apples or oranges?".

If anyone knows what the units are, please help by updating the chart. Thanks. (Edited to add) Also, there is no source listed for this chart. David10244 (talk) 20:26, 7 October 2025 (UTC)

Heh, I came here to add a comment about this. I would assume it is percentages, - volume or weight, who knows. Since there is no listed source for the chart, it should probably be removed. ~~~ Kenyoni (talk) 21:38, 3 March 2026 (UTC)

The redirect Body soap has been listed at redirects for discussion to determine whether its use and function meets the redirect guidelines. Readers of this page are welcome to comment on this redirect at Wikipedia:Redirects for discussion/Log/2025 November 9 § Body soap until a consensus is reached. Thepharoah17 (talk) 21:21, 9 November 2025 (UTC)

The redirect Jabonería has been listed at redirects for discussion to determine whether its use and function meets the redirect guidelines. Readers of this page are welcome to comment on this redirect at Wikipedia:Redirects for discussion/Log/2025 November 11 § Jabonería until a consensus is reached. consarn _{(talck) (contirbuton s)} 14:29, 11 November 2025 (UTC)

The redirect Make your own soap has been listed at redirects for discussion to determine whether its use and function meets the redirect guidelines. Readers of this page are welcome to comment on this redirect at Wikipedia:Redirects for discussion/Log/2025 November 11 § Make your own soap until a consensus is reached. consarn _{(talck) (contirbuton s)} 14:37, 11 November 2025 (UTC)

"(in a cold-pour process this excess fat is called )" [sic] ~2026-14132-81 (talk) 23:01, 4 March 2026 (UTC)