I’ve lived in Mexico for three years but never tried to use Zote soap until this past week, partially inspired by a meme I found in Spanish online. Zote advertises that it’s great for laundry but realistically it’s got a lot more uses than just that, making it a perfect soap for a prepper. The best part? Made from all natural ingredients and it’s perfect for sensitive skin and delicate fabrics.
It’s made from: beef tallow and coconut oil, sodium cocoate, citronella oil, glycerin, optical brightener and sometimes dye in the case of the blue and pink version. Some claim there’s a difference between the white, blue and pink varieties but as far as the ingredient list is concerned it’s more or less the same, save for difference of dyes.
Here’s a list of the many uses of zote soap:
Washing Laundry: It’s a cheap but extremely effective option for washing clothes. I’ve used a different cheap brand of clothes detergent since moving to Mexico and I’ve found it’s a lot easier to get clothes clean using Zote. Its also handier when it comes to hand washing because you don’t have to put as much work into washing or rinsing.
Clean Skin/Hair: Many people use it for body wash myself included now. It doesn’t dry out the skin or hair but gets it pretty clean.
Acne treatment: The fact that it’s gentle on skin but effective makes it a good solution for washing skin for acne. I’ve personally noticed a difference in my skin in just a few days.
More from the Homestead Guru: How I Cured My Cystic Acne by Eating Only Meat on the Carnivore Diet(Opens in a new browser tab)
Dish Detergent/Degreaser: Zote can be used to make liquid detergent or used as is to wash dishes. It’s excellent for degreasing which is an essential for any good dish soap. The fact that it’s extremely cheap is also a plus.
Cleaning Makeup Brushes: Dissolving Zote in hot water makes a perfect makeup brush cleaner, partially due to it’s degreasing qualities and the fact that its a gentle cleanser.
Temporary Plumbing Repairs: This is something I saw first hand recently myself. You can actually use the soap as a temporary stop for leaks in plumbing and it actually works!!
Breast Milk Stains and General Stain Remover: I mention breastmilk stains because I know that can be hard to get out of clothing but the nature of Zote makes it perfect for getting out difficult stains. Just wet the fabric, rub the soap on directly and rinse and repeat until it comes clean.
Home made detergent or detergent pods: If you like using detergent pods but hate the price make your own with shaved Zote soap and a few other ingredients.
Fabric Softener: Put Zote in a cloth bag and add to the rinse cycle of the washing machine for a cheap fabric softener solution.
More from the Homestead Guru: 8 Ingenious Homesteading Uses for Five Gallon Buckets(Opens in a new browser tab)
Repel Bugs: Zote has citronella and a lot of it so washing yourself with it will actually guard against mosquitoes. This makes it the perfect camping soap because it’s multi-use and naturally bug repellent.
Catfish Bait: Preppers swear that mixing this with garlic and leftover bacon grease over heat makes great catfish bait!
Air Freshener: Some people just cut off pieces to put in their drawers to keep their clothes fresh!
Pin Cushion: In a pinch, cover it with fabric and you have a quick and easy pin cushion!
Gardening Hand Prep: Hate gardening with gloves but also hate the cleanup? Coat your hands and under your nails in Zote to keep dirt from taking over your hands!
Carving: Believe it or not it’s an excellent material for beginning whittlers to get good at their craft because its soft and easy to carve but still holds its shape!!
Zote is easily the most versatile soap I’ve come across. The bars are large and weigh about 14 ounces. I have been cutting it into small pieces to make it last longer and am amazed at how long just a 5th of the bar has lasted me! Shaving it down into shreds makes it easier to use for detergents but using it in the bar is just fine too!
More from the Homestead Guru: Homestead Hygiene, Stay Fresh While Off Grid(Opens in a new browser tab)
Do you know of any other uses for Zote?
Excellent article. I have never heard of 8t before this. As a die-hard lightweight camper, I like having resources that have at least dual purposes.
Will you be telling us how to make the detergent?
Excellent article. I have never heard of 8t before this. As a die-hard lightweight camper, I like having resources that have at least dual purposes.
Will you be telling us how to make the detergent?
I haven’t yet done it myself but it’d be worth giving a try!
I bought Zote soap but Citronella is not listed as an ingredient. Are there different kinds? This is Zote Soap from Mexico?
How is ZOTE Soap used as laundry soap? What are the proportions per load of laundry? I’m aware that it must be graded; however, I can’t find any portion measurement information.
[…] Here is a link to give you a rundown of all the other amazing things you can use Zote for. Zote Soap: The MOST Useful Soap EVER » HG (thehomestead.guru) When I use Zote soap for my laundry detergent, I get the boxes of the soap in flake form. You can […]