Among the most useful natural products at home, ox gall soap deserves to be known. Made from bovine bile secretions, it is an outstanding stain remover. Ox gall soap is both ruthless with grease and respectful of the most fragile materials. At home, you can count on it to scour your pans as well as to whiten a wall or to stain your delicate laundry. From the kitchen to the living room, here are 8 possible uses…
But what exactly is ox gall soap?
Ox gall is made up of different natural acids (such as cholic and taurocholic acids) present in the body of cattle to aid digestion. These powerful acids naturally absorb fats and organic matter, such as blood. In addition, the lipoid substances it contains dissolve dyes.
Ever since our great-grandmothers had the idea of using this product to whiten their clothes, we haven’t stopped discovering its many qualities.
- Dreadful degreaserit can be used on many materials.
- Eco-friendly, it is almost completely biodegradable. In the form of soap, ox gall is combined with other natural products: vegetable oil, vegetable alcohol, vegetable glycerin and essential oils. No synthetic dyes or parabens are added.
- harmless to health (unlike many cleaning products), it is recommended for people allergic to chemicals, that is to say 25% of the French… It will not cause any allergy to your skin, even if it is particularly fragile.
- Friend of the plastic arts, it enters into the composition of colors, watercolor and gouache. It is appreciated for its ability to facilitate the dispersion of pigments.
- Economicox gall products are very affordable and last a long time.
To use it, do you have to have an ox at home?
Well no, it is not necessary! Ox gall is available commercially in two equally convenient forms: solid and liquid.
Solid soap: to rub a stain
In its solid form, ox gall soap is mainly used on fabric, as a stain remover before washing. After moistening your laundry, vigorously rub the stain with your gall soap. If necessary, start again using a brush. Leave on for a quarter of an hour, then rinse with water. All you have to do is put the laundry in the machine, at the temperature provided by the manufacturer.
Liquid detergent: for washing laundry… or a wall
In this form, ox gall is used like any other detergent. You can use it in particular to wash your laundry, in the machine or by hand.
If you are a fan of homemade recipes, you can make your own laundry detergent using ox gall.
- Just grate 20 grams of Savon with ox gall, then dissolve them in 250 ml ofboiling water.
- When the soap is well dissolved, add a teaspoon of baking soda.
- Then add 250 ml ofCold water.
- If you want to scent your laundry, add 20 drops of a essential oil. Be aware, however, that ox gall has no odor.
You can use this homemade detergent in the washing machine, respecting the usual temperatures. Its advantage is to dissolve all stains, even the most stubborn.
At home: 8 uses for ox gall soap
You will see that the effectiveness of this natural product is not limited to laundry, even if it is very well known as a textile cleaner.
1 – Untie your laundry without damaging it
It can be said without exaggeration: no stain resists beef gall! Children can roll around in the grass, mechanics get smeared with oil, butchers get splashed with blood… The power of oxgall soap is such that the most stubborn products end up giving up. To give you an idea of its cleaning powers, here is a Prévert-style list of stains that ox gall can digest without problem: wine, blood, grease, oil, grass, coffee, fruit, tomato sauce, sweat, ink, paint. , rust, wax…
To be complete, let us specify that you can safely use this soap on all textilesincluding the most delicate or fragile.
- For silk, just lightly moisten the stain before rubbing gently with the soap. Leave to act for 15 minutes, rinse: the stain has disappeared.
- For other delicate textiles, here’s the trick: moisten the stain with a mixture of hot water and percarbonate of soda (one teaspoon for half a liter of hot water). You can then rub with oxgall soap. As usual, leave on for 15 minutes and rinse.
- For other textiles, more resistant, it’s simpler. Once the cloth is moistened and the stain soaked, rub with the gall soap, if necessary with a sponge. Leave for a quarter of an hour and rinse, it’s clean.
- For white laundry, it is more difficult to totally eliminate certain stains. To achieve this, you will combine two formidable products: ox gall soap and sodium percarbonate. The winning duo. Heat water to 40°C and pour it into a basin. Put in hot water two tablespoons of percarbonate. Mix well to dilute it completely. You can then soak your laundry in the basin for two hours. After this bath, use the gall soap to rub the still wet stain. Leave on for another 15 minutes and rinse with clean water.
After this treatment, you can of course wash your laundry normally in the machine.
2 – Launder your linens
Did you know that ox gall soap was used in laundries in the past? Likewise, you can use it to clean sheets, tablecloths and curtains. The technique is as follows: apply wet soap to the stained areas. Rub gently and leave on for ten minutes. You can then put your household linen in the machine with your usual detergent, programming a cycle at 30°C.
3 – Untie your carpet
Subjected daily to all kinds of attacks, a carpet can quickly be stained. Mud from shoes, wine at aperitif time, food… Ox gall soap can make cleaning easier for you.
- On a fresh spot, act quickly: apply a layer of liquid gall soap to the stain. Leave to dry, then put the rug in the washing machine with a cold washing program.
- If on the contrary carpet stains are old, or halos remain, coat the stained area with solid soap. A good layer is necessary. After letting it act for a quarter of an hour, you can gently rub the stain until it disappears completely. Finally, rinse thoroughly with clear water. Then put the rug in the washing machine, if possible at 30° C or cold.
4 – Degrease your pans
There is sometimes something to be discouraged by the bottom of a saucepan, when the burnt fat is stuck to it… No problem, ox gall soap is your friend. Start by putting some liquid gall soap in your pan. Pour over boiling water. Let it work. Wait until the water has cooled to rinse the pan. The grease is gone without you having to scrub!
As a precaution, always rinse food containers thoroughly. If ingested, ox gall soap residue could be toxic to the body.
5 – Clean the hob
You would like to spend as little time as possible cleaning your hob… For that, here is how to prepare your homemade ox gall cleaner. All you need to do is mix a tablespoon of liquid gall soap in a liter of water. Pour this mixture into a spray bottle. This is a product that will help you effectively and easily clean a greasy and sticky hob. Be sure to always rinse the area generously after cleaning.
6 – Thoroughly strip your greasy floors
How to clean a very dirty kitchen floor? Imagine that you can effortlessly degrease the blackest areas, for example behind the stove, using an ox gall soap. Simply spread liquid gall soap on the floor with a sponge. Leave on for five or ten minutes before rinsing thoroughly with a damp mop. Then you just have to let it dry. Ox gall acts in depth: it eats all the fats. To be precise, ox gall soap is as effective on kitchen tiles as it is on wooden floors.
7 – Whitewash the walls
Whether in the bedroom or the playroom, the passage of children sometimes leaves traces on the walls. Paint, markers, inks… How to clean the walls that are victims of the creativity of the little ones? Nothing very complicated if you have an ox gall soap.
- A few localized stains? Start by dusting the wall on the areas to be cleaned. Then apply the gall soap, damp, on the stains. Leave on for at least ten minutes, then rinse thoroughly with a sponge and clear water.
- For a large area to clean, use liquid oxgall soap instead, provided your wall paint is washable. In this case, clean the entire section of the wall, so as to keep the paint a homogeneous appearance after washing.
8 – Revive your furniture
With an ox gall soap, a well soiled piece of furniture can find a new youth. Before you get rid of an old couch that you think is beyond repair, try the following recipe. Rub the stains with a solid gall soap. After letting it act for a bit, rinse with a damp cloth. You will be amazed to see your furniture or your sofa regain its beautiful shine.
You may find other household uses for this miracle soap. Anyway, do not hesitate to invest a few euros in this natural product. You will easily find it in stores or on the internet, in the form of solid bread or liquid detergent. Ox gall is always from organic farms.