A long-time staple in many homes, Zote soap has been around for ages in Mexico and is popular in the States too. Initially, it was intended to be a laundry soap containing ingredients to brighten your washing and remove tough stains. Still, there are numerous other innovative uses for this bar of soap.
Finding materials that serve more than one purpose is essential for any prepper. Not only is space limited, but items that store well, don’t perish, and can be used for a wide range of situations, are prized above all.
And in our search for such an item that ticks the boxes for cleaning, lubricating, repairs, and repelling bugs, Zote soap is king.
So let’s look at all the ways this bar of soap can be helpful to preppers in particular.
Use It For Laundry
The primary purpose of Zote soap is as a laundry detergent.
Initially intended for hand-washing laundry, Zote has a reputation for removing even tough, oily stains.
It is excellent for removing spots and stains without using bleach. As it’s chemical-free, it is also safe for delicates.
Making detergent powder
There are even innovative ways to use a bar of Zote soap as a powdered detergent in your washing machine. You will need the following:
- One box of Super Washing Soda
- One box of Baking Soda
- One box of Borax
- Two bars of Zote soap
- An optional scent, like Downy Unstoppables
Follow these steps to make your own:
- Combine Washing Soda and Borax in a five-gallon bucket.
- Grate or shred the Zote bars using a grater or food processor.
- Combine three cups of grated Zote with a quarter box of Baking Soda in a food processor.
- With a standard blade, run the processor until you have a fine powder.
- Repeat until all the Zote and Baking Soda have been combined and powdered – add to the bucket with Washing Soda and Borax.
- Mix thoroughly and add scent.
- Store in an air-tight container.
Fabric Softener
Did you know that Zote soap acts as a natural fabric softener due to the ingredients used to make it? These help to make your laundry feel extra soft.
If you’re using it in a washing machine, stick a piece of the Zote bar in the end of an old sock, tie it off, and add it to your washing machine when it gets to the final cycle.
Stain Removal
There are a few ways to use Zote soap as a stain remover, and it’s particularly effective on tough oil stains.
Used as a pre-treatment, you can simply rub Zote bars on stained areas of clothing, for example, armpit stains and around the collar of work shirts.
You can also wet the garment for tougher stains and rub the Zote along the stained area until it leaves a slight residue. Then, you can let it sit a little before washing as usual.
Prepper Uses For Zote Soap
For a bar of soap that costs around two or three dollars per bar, Zote is surprisingly multipurpose. And, because it’s easy to stock up on in terms of space, Preppers will do well to keep a whole load of these bars on hand.
Here are some great uses of Zote soap for those who are prepping:
- Unstick zippers: Sometimes, you need a little lubrication, whether it’s the zipper on your favorite insulated hoodie or the zipper on your tent.
Simply run a piece of Zote up and down the zipper. The oils and grease in the bar will help your zipper glide smoothly again. The same goes for a squeaky door hinge. - Make liquid dish soap: Its cleaning properties are not limited to laundry. As it’s gentle on the skin while having excellent degreasing properties, Zote can be grated/chopped and boiled up with water to create an effective dishwashing liquid.
- Clean tools: Tools often get grimy and need to be cleaned to prevent rusting and corrosion. Use some moistened Zote soap to effectively clean and help protect against rust.
- Repair leaky pipes: A temporary solution to plumbing issues, a mixed paste of Zote soap and sugar will easily plug a hole or seal a leak until an expert comes up with a permanent solution.
- Pest repellent: Due to the Citronella in the Zote soap, this handy little bar makes an excellent bug repellent. Mosquitos and other insects don’t like the smell, nor do rodents. Rub a little Zote on your skin to deter pesky mosquitos. Since it contains coconut oil, you’ll even get some moisturizing properties out of the deal.
- Leather softener: Because it contains no harsh chemicals and is comprised of tallow and coconut oil, Zote is excellent for keeping leather clean and supple.
- Fishing: Did you know that the animal fat used in Zote soap attracts catfish? Simply put it on the end of your line and reel in tonight’s dinner!
What Is Zote Soap Made Out Of?
The ingredients in Zote soap consist of beef fat (tallow), coconut oil, glycerin, salt, citronella oil, and an optical brightener. A dye can also be added to color the bar.
All these ingredients are natural, and with no harsh chemicals to consider, it’s safe and gentle yet tough on dirt.
Frequently Asked Questions
Some of the questions you may want to ask about the humble Zote bar include the following:
Can you bathe with Zote soap?
Because of the all-natural ingredients, Zote is great for washing with. It’s gentle on the skin, cleans exceptionally well, has antibacterial properties, and has even been said to help with acne. Also, as it’s got coconut oil as one of the main ingredients, it doesn’t dry your skin and helps to moisturize.
What is the difference between pink Zote soap and white Zote soap?
There is no difference between the pink bar of Zote soap and the white one, other than the addition of pink dye for a different color. There is no other change to how the soap works or what it smells like.
Can you use Zote soap in a High-Efficiency washing machine?
High-Efficiency (HE) washing machines use a lot less water and don’t agitate the laundry as aggressively as regular machines do. For this reason, detergents sold for HE machines are often low-sudsing detergents. And, since homemade Zote detergent makes almost no suds anyway, this means it is perfectly safe to use.
Wrap Up
A cheap, effective, easy-to-use bar of Zote soap seems to be the ideal Prepper resource to stock up on. Not only does it have a long shelf-life, but it takes up minimal space to store.
And, with uses ranging from laundry detergents and fabric softeners to pest repellent and tool, zipper, and hinge lubricant, there you’d be missing out if you didn’t add a couple of bars to your stash.