How to Use Zote Soap – 7 Uses and Applications

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There aren’t many things in this world that can both fall under the “all-natural” tag and be cost-effective.

With the ever-rising trend of nature-friendly products being your wallet’s sworn enemy, it is almost unheard of for an almost entirely chemical-free product that lasts well up to four months to be under $10.

And yet, the Zote Soap bar costs even less than that.

A Mexican laundry soap bar made predominantly out of all-natural ingredients, the Zote Soap bar can be used for a variety of home applications.

This ranges from laundry and stain removal, hand or face washing, to some more bizarre applications.

The bar was originally a staple of rural Mexico as a substitute for washing machines. It was particularly handy for getting rid of stubborn stains.

Since its debut in the international market, Zote Soap has been gaining increasing attention for all its applications outside of just being a laundry bar.

Read on to learn the many, many ways of how to use Zote Soap.

How to Use Zote Soap – The 7 Wonders of Zote

You might be familiar with the primary use of the Zote Soap (laundry), but this unassuming bar of suds can do so much more.

Here are some novel perspectives on how to use Zote Soap.

1. Highly Cost-Efficient Detergent

This one might come across as redundant but the nuances make a great deal of difference.

The Zote Soap is a bar, which means its original purpose leaned more towards spot targeting than full-fledged laundry.

However, its efficiency as a laundry agent is indisputable. Here’s how to use Zote Soap for laundry in the washing machine.

Cut off a small section of Zote Soap and either grind or grate the bar into a fine powder that you can substitute in place of your regular detergent for washing machine loads.

The average cost for one load of laundry comes to be about $1.50, out of which detergent constitutes at least 30% of the price.

In simpler words, you spend an average of $0.45-0.50 on detergent per load of laundry.

But in the case of Zote Soap, you get two bars (or more) for $10. They get almost 20 washes per bar of soap depending on the bar size.

If we’re doing the math right, that means you’re only spending $0.25 per wash.

And that’s only if you’re using the same heaped scoop as you do for regular detergent.

Because Zote Soap is actually quite efficient at stain removal, you don’t even have to use as much of it for one load.

While Zote Soap also has several other uses, this is arguably the best way to make the most of its low purchase price.

By mixing this grated Zote Soap with washing soda and borax powder in a 2:1:1 ratio, you can also make your very own liquid detergent. This only brings you further along the cost-effective vein.

2. All-Natural Fabric Softener

Another way you can put this humble wonder to use is as a fabric conditioner.

Zote Soap contains tallow from rendered animal fat which is a commonly used ingredient in many industrial fabric conditioners.

But instead of any additional chemicals, the laundry bar sticks to the basics. It provides industrial-grade softening with natural ingredients.

The best set-up is to just cut off a small square of the soap and knot it up in either an old sock or any other scrap piece of fabric you have lying around.

When your wash cycle reaches its last stages, simply pop in your homemade conditioning sachet into the drum and let your cycle continue.

Dry your load like you normally would, but be prepared for your clothes to come back softer than when you put them to wash.

The only issue, however, is that there is no pretty “fabric softener smell” to your laundry when it comes back from drying.

3. Facewash for Sensitive Skin and Hair

Zote Soap also has a bunch of use outside the laundry domain.

Because it is made almost entirely of natural ingredients, it makes for a very convenient alternative against overpriced hyper-specialized hair- and skincare products that inundate the market.

The average price of any over-the-counter facewash marketed towards sensitive skin is $15. And these bottles often don’t last more than a month.

Using Zote Soap turns out to be a great deal cheaper as each bar of soap lasts well over a month and a half.

Zote Soap can be used for your hair as well.

It contains coconut oil as one of its core ingredients. Coconut oil is backed by a lot of research as a highly effective promoter of hair growth.

If your hair is sensitive and prone to chemical damage from regular shampoos, Zote Soap is definitely an avenue for you to consider.

4. Insect Repellent

Citronella oil, one of the main ingredients in Zote Soap, is an all-natural bug repellent.

It’s capable of keeping the crawlies at bay without any of the harmful chemicals that come with regular repellants.

If you’re camping or outdoors, keeping a small cube of Zote Soap on you can save you from a very painful ordeal with insect bites.

The lemony smell that citronella oil releases is very unpleasant to insects and keeps them from coming too close.

If you’re not going into full-fledged nature, and are just going into gardens or small natural parks, keeping small cubes of Zote Soap in your pockets should suffice.

But if you plan on hiking directly on a forest trail or camping among wildlife, you can take extra precautions.

Rub the soap on your skin so that the smell sticks to your bare skin as well.

Because the soap is almost entirely natural, you don’t have to worry about the soap drying your skin out either.

However, Zote Soap does attract bears so make sure you’re camping in bear-safe grounds if you do decide to bring a bar along.

Because of its insect repellent qualities, Zote Soap also makes for an excellent substitute for the naphthalene balls in your closet.

Keep a small cube wrapped in a sachet in any of your drawers for infestation-free garments without the strong naphthalene smell.

5. Dishwashing and Degreasing

Zote Soap’s cleaning domains can even be extended to dish-cleaning.

If you boil shredded or grated Zote Soap in water, you get a multi-purpose cleaning solution. It helps with mild stains on dishes and even kitchen countertops.

The solution, however, is not strong enough for heavier grime. This is why it isn’t really considered for anything more than dishwashing.

Does this Zote Soap Cleaning liquid work better than your regular dish cleaner? Not really.

Zote Soap does make for a pretty competitive oven degreaser, but at the end of the day, it was designed with fabric washing in mind.

It simply doesn’t generate the foam required for dishwashing when compared to dishwashing liquids.

However, perhaps you run out of dish-washing liquid and don’t have easy access to buy a refill.

Having some spare Zote Soap lying around could you save you from a couple of sticky situations, pun intended.

6. Temporary Plumbing Solutions

If you have a hole in your plumbing and it’s too late in the night to call a plumber, then having some Zote Soap can be a life-saver.

A quick paste of grated Zote Soap with sugar and some droplets of water helps seal any drips in tubing and pipes and can keep your plumbing from flooding your home.

This paste holds up to eight hours and can buy you that much-needed time to bring in a professional plumber.

Bear in mind, however, that this is a temporary solution and is by no means an alternative for the services of an actual professional.

If you keep putting off calling the plumber because you have this Zote-sugar paste, you might be signing up for bigger plumbing issues in the near future.

7. Actual Catfish Bait

On a wild tangent, Zote Soap can also be used as catfish bait.

While the manufacturer claims that the soap can be used as bait by itself, a more effective recipe involves garlic and bacon fat.

Melt 2 cups of grated Zote Soap in 0.25 cups of water over low heat, and mix it with 0.25 cups of bacon fat and 4 clovers worth of minced garlic.

The mash-like paste you can at the end of this quick simmer is pretty effective when it comes to baiting catfish.

You can either pour the mix into a mold or wait for it cool down and just shape it with your own hands.

Is Zote Soap All Natural?

The original formula of the soap is all-natural.

It contains the three core ingredients of animal fat tallow, coconut oil, and citronella oil.

However, with an increase in demand, there has also been a rise in off-brand products that market the same supposed quality.

These rip-off brands have had histories of using chemicals like sodium cocoate, fragrances, or even dyes.

In fact, the original Zote brand has succumbed to a couple of these practices too.

The Zote soap now contains optical brighteners that can help naturally bleach fabrics without leaching colors.

The bar of soap also comes in three colors now: pink, blue, and white. The pink and blue bars don’t do anything differently; they are simply dyed as a marketing ploy.

Even though these implemented changes don’t take the brand too far away from its image and even have some benefits, they invalidate the soap’s claim of being an all-natural bar of soap.

Nevertheless, even if it isn’t zero, chemical involvement is minimal and the soap can definitely be used for more delicate applications like washing your face or body.

Takeaway – To Infinity and Beyond

And there you have it! Follow the above-listed seven tips on how to use Zote Soap to make the most of every bar your purchase.

And who knows, you might even come across a couple of new uses for this humble wonder-bar yourself.

So, what’s next? Zote Soap as a paint ingredient? Zote Soap powering batteries? The world is your oyster.

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