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Bad soap I found this forgotten bar of soap after winter at my home in northern Sardinia. It had grown a coat of mould (pictured). What is the mould and how did it grow on soap, which is supposed to keep your hands clean?Patrizia Figoli Turcheteti, Bellaire, Texas, UK
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Answered by Anonymous
on 2009-02-28 23:05:00

(no votes)

Soap is assumed to be an oil [or wax] that has been reacted with a caustic chemical to attach a water-soluble component to the oil molecules.Such soaps have been blamed for removing natural oils from the skin causing it to feel dry [true] and ageing it [false]. Products in which only a fraction of the oil has been converted to soap are marketed to remedy this. Such products contain unconverted oils which stick to the skin and 'moisturise' it. Some of these oils would otherwise be used in foods.If you use soaps and shampoos marketed for such 'moisturising' effects rather than old-fashioned hard soaps you may notice these unconverted oils as a more rapid build-up of grease on your shower cubicle. You'll also use a lot more soap.A fungus exists that can even grow in diesel oil so it's no surprise that one should find olive or jojoba tasty. Nice one Dilbert.

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Asked by Michael Marshall
on 2009-05-20 17:01:00

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Categories: Domestic Science, Plants, Unanswered.

Tags: human body, unanswered, domestic science, plants.

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Bad soap I found this forgotten bar of soap after winter at my home in northern Sardinia. It had grown a coat of mould (pictured). What is the mould and how did it grow on soap, which is supposed to keep your hands clean?Patrizia Figoli Turcheteti, Bellaire, Texas, UK
(1 vote) average rating:5 There are 29 answer(s) for this question. View answers \| Submit an answer

Answered by Anonymous
on 2009-03-02 04:23:00

(no votes)

I cant believe people are arguing over mouldy soap.

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Asked by Michael Marshall
on 2009-05-20 17:01:00

Member status
none

Categories: Domestic Science, Plants, Unanswered.

Tags: human body, unanswered, domestic science, plants.

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Bad soap I found this forgotten bar of soap after winter at my home in northern Sardinia. It had grown a coat of mould (pictured). What is the mould and how did it grow on soap, which is supposed to keep your hands clean?Patrizia Figoli Turcheteti, Bellaire, Texas, UK
(1 vote) average rating:5 There are 29 answer(s) for this question. View answers \| Submit an answer

Answered by Henry S.
on 2009-03-02 07:19:00

(no votes)

Like many other people I like the 'blue cheese'. I am also not afraid of mould on soap.I think that the mould grown on the soap could grow because usually mild soap contains unconverted fat or oils.... but not only fatty acids. So there is no surprise that in wet and warm environment mould may grow on parmesan or mild soap... I would just scrape the mould from parmesan and eat it. I also would scrape the mould from the soap and use it.It would be interesting to check if the mould on soap might be having any new specific fragrant? You never know when new discovery would be made!

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Asked by Michael Marshall
on 2009-05-20 17:01:00

Member status
none

Categories: Domestic Science, Plants, Unanswered.

Tags: human body, unanswered, domestic science, plants.

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Bad soap I found this forgotten bar of soap after winter at my home in northern Sardinia. It had grown a coat of mould (pictured). What is the mould and how did it grow on soap, which is supposed to keep your hands clean?Patrizia Figoli Turcheteti, Bellaire, Texas, UK
(1 vote) average rating:5 There are 29 answer(s) for this question. View answers \| Submit an answer

Answered by Mark1
on 2009-03-02 11:16:00

(no votes)

There is a distinction to be made between 'clean' and 'sterile'; soap helps to remove dirt from your hands, but as many school pupils have discovered in simple microbiology experiments, there are still plenty of bacteria left on your skin afterwards.As long as it is adapted to alkaline conditions, there's no reason why the mould should not grow.

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Asked by Michael Marshall
on 2009-05-20 17:01:00

Member status
none

Categories: Domestic Science, Plants, Unanswered.

Tags: human body, unanswered, domestic science, plants.

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Bad soap I found this forgotten bar of soap after winter at my home in northern Sardinia. It had grown a coat of mould (pictured). What is the mould and how did it grow on soap, which is supposed to keep your hands clean?Patrizia Figoli Turcheteti, Bellaire, Texas, UK
(1 vote) average rating:5 There are 29 answer(s) for this question. View answers \| Submit an answer

Answered by Tim
on 2009-03-02 19:35:00

(no votes)

probably not enough lye was added to the oils to completely saponify them, and the unconverted oils were food for the fungus. A good bar of soap that was fully saponified doesn't go bad, it'll last a hundred years

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Asked by Michael Marshall
on 2009-05-20 17:01:00

Member status
none

Categories: Domestic Science, Plants, Unanswered.

Tags: human body, unanswered, domestic science, plants.

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Bad soap I found this forgotten bar of soap after winter at my home in northern Sardinia. It had grown a coat of mould (pictured). What is the mould and how did it grow on soap, which is supposed to keep your hands clean?Patrizia Figoli Turcheteti, Bellaire, Texas, UK
(1 vote) average rating:5 There are 29 answer(s) for this question. View answers \| Submit an answer

Answered by Anonymous
on 2009-03-02 21:22:00

(no votes)

perhaps there is a thin layer of organics on the soap.

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Asked by Michael Marshall
on 2009-05-20 17:01:00

Member status
none

Categories: Domestic Science, Plants, Unanswered.

Tags: human body, unanswered, domestic science, plants.

Report abuse

Bad soap I found this forgotten bar of soap after winter at my home in northern Sardinia. It had grown a coat of mould (pictured). What is the mould and how did it grow on soap, which is supposed to keep your hands clean?Patrizia Figoli Turcheteti, Bellaire, Texas, UK
(1 vote) average rating:5 There are 29 answer(s) for this question. View answers \| Submit an answer

Answered by smapdi
on 2009-03-03 09:35:00

(no votes)

I postulate that it isn't a soap at all, but a long forgotten cookie.

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Asked by Michael Marshall
on 2009-05-20 17:01:00

Member status
none

Categories: Domestic Science, Plants, Unanswered.

Tags: human body, unanswered, domestic science, plants.

Report abuse

Bad soap I found this forgotten bar of soap after winter at my home in northern Sardinia. It had grown a coat of mould (pictured). What is the mould and how did it grow on soap, which is supposed to keep your hands clean?Patrizia Figoli Turcheteti, Bellaire, Texas, UK
(1 vote) average rating:5 There are 29 answer(s) for this question. View answers \| Submit an answer

Answered by A Ziemacki
on 2009-03-03 14:20:00

(no votes)

Soap is not the only unlikely location for mould growth, notorious problems arise with moulds on and inside lenses, (frequently ruining very expensive items) and on modern slide and negative film. In neither case is there any obvious nutrient medium apart from what may have been deposited as invisibly small dust grains, perhaps smoke particles or pollen. Cleaning lenses with a degreaser seems to protect them for a long time, perhaps by making their surfaces less sticky. Soap is however so sticky that it must eventually collect so many spores of different types on its surface that moulds grow that are able to feed off other as yet unpropogated spores.

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Asked by Michael Marshall
on 2009-05-20 17:01:00

Member status
none

Categories: Domestic Science, Plants, Unanswered.

Tags: human body, unanswered, domestic science, plants.

Report abuse

Bad soap I found this forgotten bar of soap after winter at my home in northern Sardinia. It had grown a coat of mould (pictured). What is the mould and how did it grow on soap, which is supposed to keep your hands clean?Patrizia Figoli Turcheteti, Bellaire, Texas, UK
(1 vote) average rating:5 There are 29 answer(s) for this question. View answers \| Submit an answer

Answered by Doctor
on 2009-03-04 14:32:00

(no votes)

My research suggests it is actually a rare form of slime mould.

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Asked by Michael Marshall
on 2009-05-20 17:01:00

Member status
none

Categories: Domestic Science, Plants, Unanswered.

Tags: human body, unanswered, domestic science, plants.

Report abuse

Bad soap I found this forgotten bar of soap after winter at my home in northern Sardinia. It had grown a coat of mould (pictured). What is the mould and how did it grow on soap, which is supposed to keep your hands clean?Patrizia Figoli Turcheteti, Bellaire, Texas, UK
(1 vote) average rating:5 There are 29 answer(s) for this question. View answers \| Submit an answer

Answered by Anonymous
on 2009-03-09 01:05:00

(no votes)

It looks more like mycelium than mold to me. In either case I must assume that the soap was produced in a small batch as opposed to in a manufacturing plant. I make primitive soap with rendered animal fats and wood ash, and it can grow things on it if it stays wet for too long.

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