If the ONLY fat you had for soapmaking was chicken fat or fish oil, which would be better? Petroleum oil?

Question

I'm writing fiction and this is all they have available. Don't give me references on soapmaking. I just want to know which one would make a better, less objectionable product, because they need to make soap and that's all they have to work with. It's not just for bathing, but for clothes laundry.

Also, will petroleum saponify? I wouldn't think so, but I wanted to ask those who might know with certainty.

Thanks to all who answer.

thanks jay, but soap nuts are not available to my characters. The limits are preset and I must work within them.

Answer 1

I think chicken fat as I know people from the past made soaps using animal fat perfectly.

Oh yeah I think you're a great writer!!

Answer 2

I would not have used any of the three mentioned by you. We most of the Hindus do not like to use animal fats or soaps made by that. We have a best and old time tested detergent for bathing, cleaning cloths and as a matter of fact every thing in-

Soap nuts contain saponin, a natural detergent which is used to clean clothes. Soap nuts, especially Sapindus mukorossi, have become popular as an alternative to manufactured, chemical detergents among those who live in an environmentally friendly style. A few nuts can be placed in a cotton drawstring bag in with a washload and reused several times. Soap nuts are safe for washing silk, woolens and other delicate fabrics.

Soap nuts, especially Sapindus mukorossi, are used medically as an expectorant, emetic, contraceptive, and for treatment of excessive salivation, epilepsy, chlorosis, and migraines. Studies show that saponin from soap nuts inhibits tumor cell growth. Soap nuts are among the list of herbs and minerals in Ayurveda. They are a popular ingredient in Ayurvedic shampoos and cleansers. They are used in Ayurvedic medicine as a treatment for eczema, psoriasis, and for removing freckles. Soap nuts have gentle insecticidal properties and are traditionally used for removing lice from the scalp.

Soap nuts are antimicrobial and are beneficial for septic systems and greywater. Soap nuts are used in the remediation of contaminated soil.

Soap nuts are used by Indian and Indonesian jewelers to remove the tarnish from gold, silver, and other precious metals. Even today this is being used for certain purposes including washing very sophisticated silk materials.

Sapindus is a genus of about five to twelve species of shrubs and small trees in the Sapindaceae, native to warm temperate to tropical regions in both the Old World and the New World. The fruit, called a soap nut, is a small leathery-skinned drupe 1-2 cm diameter, yellow ripening blackish, containing one to three seeds.-