It was hard work. The wet clothes were heavy, and the soap had lye in it.

VOA: special.2010.03.28

You can watch real artisans blowing glass, making lye soap and carving chairs the old-fashioned way.

ECONOMIST: What the Backwoods Barbie's theme park says about America

These use an electrical process to transform salt and water into chlorine and caustic soda (a.k.a. lye), which are the building blocks of everything from plastics to soap.

FORBES: Chemical Balance