From The Bread Exchange to Pataholm Såpa: Gentle Cleaning and Care for Natural Materials

On maintenance, materials, and why the Pataholm brand exists

This post is about care - for homes, for materials, and for the things that truly matter. It’s also about why Pataholm exists. The values that grew out of The Bread Exchange - simplicity, quality, and respect for tradition - have shaped everything I do today. What started as a community around bread taught me to focus on what’s important, to avoid unnecessary complication, and to put care into the things we live with. Over time, those lessons carried over into my home, my work, and eventually into the creation of Pataholm Såpa.

In the last weeks I have been thinking a lot about how much The Bread Exchange has influenced pretty much everything I do since then. The values that became the Bread Exchange - taught to me thanks to all its fantastic people and the Bread: to focus on what actually matters, don’t complicate things, and rely on traditional knowledge. Simplicity demands quality - in ingredients, in materials, and in craftsmanship. I am thankful for everyone that shared personal stories with me when trading since these conversations made clear to me what really matters in life. I’ve learned not to waste time, money, or energy on products, people, or experiences that don’t bring lasting value. Instead, put effort into sourcing well and caring for the good things you already have.

During the pandemic, I spent a few years renovating an old captain’s house in the harbour village of Pataholm, Sweden. All the values from The Bread Exchange proved invaluable - also in this renovation project. By deeply research the history of the house we could make conscious decisions that were right for the house and the place where it stands. By sourcing the best natural materials - healthy, repairable, the house has now a core that can age with dignity.
The active decision to only work with craftsmen who bring both skills and spirit, the renovation became a truly fun process. The house we have today feels alive; the soul of The Bread Exchange lives here in Pataholm.

Early on, I realized something important: a well-built house needs nothing but maintenance. Often we renovate simply because we failed to care for what we already had. The most sustainable way to renovate is, in fact, not to renovate at all - but to maintain what you already own. Too often, we remove materials of great quality just because they’ve become worn or feel outdated. Resources are limited, and craftsmanship from 2-300 years ago is irreplaceable.

The same principle applies to life in general: take care of the good things you already have. This goes for your home, your belongings, and your body. To be truly sustainable, it all begins with cleaning and care.

When you surround yourself with things you truly value, you want them to endure. It might be furniture, a heartwood pine floor, or a kitchen bench made of natural stone.

In Sweden, I found a care product that’s been used for centuries: Såpa. Made from linseed oil, it’s gentle, nourishing, and respects both surfaces and the people cleaning them. There’s nothing new here - often the solutions to our modern problems lie in the past. 

This is how Pataholm Såpa was born: from The Bread Exchange, from conversations and experiences with incredible people, and from a desire to care for what we already have.

I hope you’ll continue following this journey.

xx Malin