Liquid soap business in Nigeria today is a fast moving business. And very lucrative one for that matter.
Liquid soap is used virtually everywhere. In university hostel, schools, colleges, restaurants, hospitals etc.
Soap is very important in our daily lives. We use soap for washing clothes, cleaning dishes, toilets and even our hair thereby making it an essential commodity.
There is nothing like multipurpose liquid soap as all soap has their functions and the chemical composition varies.
The good part of this business is that with less than N5,000, you can produce 50 litres of liquid soap! Isn't that great? Yes, it is.
Today, we will learn the production of fabric wash.
Learn how to produce liquid air freshener
Fabric wash are liquid soap for washing fabrics. They remove stains and dirt leaving your fabrics sparkling clean
Materials needed for the production of fabric wash
3 buckets - you'll need 3 tall buckets in mixing the chemicals.
Wooden Spatula. For mixing.
Protective gloves. You will need these to protect your hands from the harsh chemicals. Always wear your gloves before handling chemicals.
Nose guide - you'll need this as you don't want to inhale the fumes from caustic soda and other chemicals.
Goggles protect your eyes from chemical splash.
GET TO KNOW THE CHEMICALS
Caustic Soda
Caustic Soda also known as Lye, is highly corrosive.
It comes in grains (like granulated sugar)
Can cause burn and serious injury on skin.
It removes stains and dirt
CAUSTIC SODA IS ADDED TO WATER AND NOT WATER TO CAUSTIC SODA. Can cause serious injury if done the other way round.
Sulphunic acid is a foaming agent in soap and it comes in black colour
Nitrosol is a thickening agent. It dissolves instantly with water.
Other alternatives include; CMC, Antisol and PAC R.
CMC and PAC R are not instant dissolver. You will need to leave them in water for 24hours hours to dissolve
Texapon is a surfactant or detergent. It forms micelles that allows non polar material like oils to be dissolved in water.
Sodium triphosphate (STPP) is a strong cleaning ingredient that typically can rid dishes and fabrics of soil and spots.
it also prevents deposition of soil and acts as a pH buffer. It softens detergent water and can be used as a water treatment, as well.
Colour Add beauty to your finished products. Examples include : green, orange, blue etc.
Fragrance: To give a palatable odour.
Examples of fragrance include; lemon, banana, lavender, lemon grass, orange etc.
POINTS TO REMEMBER
1. Have an exclusive place as your workshop which should be out of bond to pets, children and other family members.
2. Do not share your kitchen utensils for soap production. Always have separate materials for your production.
3. All chemicals should be labelled accordingly so you won't mistake one for another.
4. Always wear protective shoes when preparing/handling chemicals
5. Goggles, gloves and nose mask are very important. Use them.
Let's dive in!
COMPOSITION
Caustic Soda 1/2kg
Nitrosol 1/4 kg
Sulphunic acid 1 1/2kg
Texapon 1/4 kg
STPP 1/4 kg
Colour - as desired
Fragrance - as desired
PROCEDURE
Get 3 empty buckets
In bucket 1, add Nitrosol and 6ltrs of water for 30 mins
In bucket 2, add sulphunic acid and texapon and mix together
In bucket 3, add caustic soda, Stpp, 3ltrs of water. Mix
Add bucket 2 to bucket 1. And then add bucket 3 into bucket 1 and stir.
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| Just before adding colour |
Mix colour with water and add to the solution. Stir very well
Add fragrance and stir.
Allow bubbles to settle before packaging.
Fabric wash is ready!
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| The liquid soap after leaving to sit overnight. |
How do you make money producing Fabric wash?
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connect with people that needs your product. Visit schools (primary and secondary) and introduce your product to the teachers. If you leave close to university or other tertiary institutions, visit the hostels and introduce your product to the students.
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tell them the features and advantages of your product.
Some people don't use liquid soap to wash clothes because they believe it doesn't remove stains like detergent or bar soap. Let them know this liquid soap is designed mainly for fabrics hence, it remove stains and dirt.
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Don't use your product as sample
Yes. See, giving people your product as sample will do you more harm than good. Instead of giving them for free, let them pay a fee. Package the Soap in small containers like 33 or 50cl and sale it as samples. If they really want it, let them pay for it.
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Ask for referrals
Ask your customers to introduce you/your soap to their friends and family.
-suggest your product as souvenirs for occasions.
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be consistent. Don’t produce today and then relax for another 3 months. consistency makes you known.
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