# Reusing Soap Making Equipment?



## hmlove1218 (Jan 27, 2014)

Everywhere I've read, it says not to use anything you've made soap in for any other purpose again, but they don't explain why.  Do you really have to buy a whole different set of mixing cups and containers just for soap making?  Can't you just wash it really well and use vinegar to neutralize any remaining lye?  Stainless steel and glass are nonporous so they're not going to absorb any of the chemicals.  And after it's all said and done, it's just soap that you're making.  Could someone clear this matter up for me?


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## robnbill (Jan 27, 2014)

I use a stainless bowl to mix my lye in and pyrex to put remeasured ingredients into prior to making the soap. These all go into the dishwasher once done and I do use them for cooking. However, anything plastic or silicon use in the soap making only gets used for soap making. This is just me. Some do not reuse anything.


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## neeners (Jan 27, 2014)

most of my equipment is plastic, so i don't reuse.  they are cheap or reused items themselves (e.g. yogurt containers), so i don't feel bad it's for soaping only.  i like having 2 sets of stuff so i don't need to clean my soaping things immediately after using.  i still have some lying around from last week that i've been too lazy to clean.....


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## The Efficacious Gentleman (Jan 27, 2014)

For me it depends on what actually touches lye/raw batter and what doesn't


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## neeners (Jan 27, 2014)

i lie, i reuse my scale.....


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## SoapMakingTommy (Jan 27, 2014)

I am not sure what kind of equipment you are using but i use a blender a spoon  my cooking pot  pyrex measuring cups measuring spoons...., and i reuse everything, I just wash it rely well and dry it well and put it away until the next time i have to use it.
I know you did not say you wash with vinegar but just a heads up, you should wash with water first then you can use vinegar to neutralize any that is remaining.


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## coffeetime (Jan 27, 2014)

The lye solution can cause micro fractures in the glass measuring cups, causing them to fail (break) later on. I used to use canning jars and then had a run of broken jars when I used them for canning. Lesson learned.


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## shunt2011 (Jan 27, 2014)

I have a separate set of soaping stuff.  Stainless pot, spoons etc. I do not cross from soaping to cookng with the same equipment with the excepton of stainless spoons once in awhile that I only use for colorants though.  Otherwise separate everything.  I've noticed the spoons I've been using for soaping have discolored and I'm assuming it's from the lye mixture.  It hasn't weakened them or anything just kind of darkened them a bit.  I would rather be safe than sorry personally.


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## SoapMakingTommy (Jan 27, 2014)

They do sell food grade lye. I wonder if you use that and have everything else food grade, would you worry as much?


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## pamielynn (Jan 27, 2014)

If you get fragrance oil on your plastic, you will taste it forever. 

I reuse glass and SS if it's only come in contact with lye water. Lye is used in cooking - it's not going to spoil your pots or utensils, in the way that you can never use them again.


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## EvilTOJ (Jan 27, 2014)

pamielynn said:


> If you get fragrance oil on your plastic, you will taste it forever.



This is the answer. The reason to use separate items is that you might taste soap or fragrance if you use them later for cooking. I already had SS cookware from making beer so that's what I use. I have a stick blender I use exclusively for soap, because I don't think I'll ever get the soap taste out of it completely. I don't use fragrances so I've never had problems with tasting it forever.


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## hmlove1218 (Jan 27, 2014)

Thank y'all for the answers.  I wouldn't use anything plastic or silicone again because it's a porous surface and I'd be afraid it would absorb something nasty.  But I didn't understand why you couldn't use metal or glass things for cooking afterwards.  I guess it's just a personal preference or precaution, but I think I'll be reusing things once I get started.  Thanks again!


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## Lin (Jan 27, 2014)

I've also heard many warnings from people who used glass for lye water and had it eventually break. You can purchase a cheap plastic pitcher from walmart or the dollar store and make it the designated lye pitcher for under a dollar. Much better than ruining nice glass or pyrex stuff.


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## fuzz-juzz (Jan 27, 2014)

pamielynn said:


> If you get fragrance oil on your plastic, you will taste it forever.



That and also anything made of silicone will absorb fragrance. All my silicone spatulas and whisks smell like some kind of FO.
If you buy everything sort of cheap, there should be no need for utensils reuse in food preparation. I bought everything from cheapest places, $2 spatulas and whisks, $3 plastic jugs and bowls, etc. Most expensive was Pyrex jug that I melt oils in, it was old and scratched, so instead being thrown out, it was perfect for soap making. Stick blender I also don't reuse, $10 one has being going strong for the last year.


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## maya (Jan 27, 2014)

There is also the likelihood of cross contamination of food into your soap. If you eat, for instance, peanut butter then soap with that same spoon and a minute amount of peanut butter gets into the soap. Yet, it is not labeled as peanut butter soap, what happens when one has an anaphylactic reaction?


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## DeeAnna (Jan 27, 2014)

I'm with Pamielynn. 

If it's had lye or soap batter in it and you can clean it up good, then it'll be fine for normal kitchen use. If I can't clean something well -- say the nooks and crannies of my stick blender -- then I do reserve it for soaping use only. Lye water breaks down into chemicals that you eat -- the Na is in table salt (NaCl) and the K is in "lite" table salt (KCl) -- so any possible trace contamination is going to be pretty benign. It's not remotely the same as using a container that's had arsenic in it, for example -- that is toxic forever.

But FOs and EOs are another story -- they can have create lingering tastes and odors, especially in plastics or in porous surfaces. Containers and utensils that I've used for full strength fragrances stay in my soap making kit.


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## Seawolfe (Jan 28, 2014)

Separate stuff: the plastic drink cup to weigh my lye and the paint stir stick to mix it with water. Oh and the plastic drawer divider I use as a mold.

I bought a Pyrex glass 4 cup measuring cup to mix the lye water in, was thinking of keeping it separate, but it cleans up real well, so it goes in the dishwasher and joins the general use. Same for the other Pyrex I some times melt the oils in and mix the lye into.

I commandeered hubby's stick blender, it's cleaned up perfefectly each time after making soap, but is probably for soaping only now. We usually use my good ninja stick blender for cooking anyways. 

I use the crockpot for HP, but the end soap is saponified (handy for final clean up) and the pot cleans up perfectly, so Im comfortable using it for food still.


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## Dennis (Jan 28, 2014)

Concerning plastic instead of glass for lye or batter, do NOT use any plastic container with a seam. Oh boy, did I find that out the hard way.  I used the batter bowl for a while then one day the seam let go and I lost most of a 42oz batch.  This was heated oil only, no lye added yet.   Didn't have time for pictures as the mess was epic but it would have been an award winner on the Mess and Mayhem thread.


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## roseb (Jan 28, 2014)

Cross using is not worth it for me.  I have separate cooking and soaping equipment.  Even if it's just for colorants...I don't want to get mixed up.  I use mostly plastic with the exception of my stain steel stock pot.  Case in point...my stock pot smells great from all the EOs and FOs (even after a thorough washing) but I wouldn't want my food smelling like that.


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## The Efficacious Gentleman (Jan 28, 2014)

Lye damages glass items - it actually etches glass.  So the more you use it, not only is it more dangerous, it also has tiny imperfections that you will find hard to clean properly.

There is a rather good article on the basic equipment here.......................


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## seven (Jan 28, 2014)

I just use common sense. Sometimes it is hard to clean the oils (not to mention scents) from the containers. My containers often still has a bit of oily residue on them. Would i want that in my food? Hell no!


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## Seawolfe (Jan 28, 2014)

I've heard about glass being etched from the lye, but does that also apply to borosilicate/ Pyrex ? Should I go ransack my lab at work for glassware or switch to a hard plastic pitcher for mixing lye water and oils with lye?


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## Dennis (Jan 28, 2014)

A neatly organized dedicated soaping container and tool storage system makes life much easier.  I've got the dedicated part down pretty well.  Neatly organized is optional, some would say it's overrated. Maybe I read that somewhere. 8)  I


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## hmlove1218 (Jan 28, 2014)

Kind of off topic, but along the same lines.. Has anyone used just a plain old bucket like from walmart to mix lye and water?  Or does it get too hot for a plastic bucket?

What about a hand mixer for reaching trace?  I have a spare one that I never use, but I don't have a stick blender.


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## shunt2011 (Jan 28, 2014)

I've used the buckets from hardware stores.  I use the heavier ones mostly but the lighter ones will work for melting your oils in the microwave.  I masterbatch my oils into 5 gallon buckets and use it as I need it to make 5 lb batches.


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## seven (Jan 28, 2014)

hmlove1218 said:


> What about a hand mixer for reaching trace?  I have a spare one that I never use, but I don't have a stick blender.




Yes. Soapmaking Tommy made a post about this. He used a stand mixer and it worked fine. I forgot the title of his thread though, but it's still a new one. Should be on the first 2 pages.


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## Lin (Jan 28, 2014)

seven said:


> Yes. Soapmaking Tommy made a post about this. He used a stand mixer and it worked fine. I forgot the title of his thread though, but it's still a new one. Should be on the first 2 pages.


He used a hand mixer.


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## DeeAnna (Jan 28, 2014)

"...I've heard about glass being etched from the lye, but does that also apply to borosilicate/ Pyrex ?..."

Yep, it does.

"...What about a hand mixer for reaching trace?..."

Yes, that works. Nizzy (Australian soap maker) makes whipped soap (floats on water) using a stand / hand mixer. Just be careful when starting the mixer to avoid splashing. Obviously the consequences of splashing lye-heavy batter around are worse than splashing cake mix. But with care it works.

If I remember Tommy's post, it's the one about using rosin in soap. I believe he used a heavy duty stand mixer to whip the rosin into submission.


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## Neve (Jan 28, 2014)

I keep my soaping stuff separate. I may borrow a kitchen jug for oil if I need it. But since the oil comes out of the pantry that's fair!


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## Lin (Jan 28, 2014)

Tommy stated he used his kitchenaid hand mixer, there's photos of it in one of his threads but I think its the zebra striped soap not the rosin that shows it. He did have a problem with incorporating air into the batter due to the issues with the rosin but the end result was still good. 

I posted a thread recently asking about using a stand mixer, I got resounding replies of don't do it. But as a result of asking a member is sending me her spare stick blender so I can start making soap again! And lots of good suggestions on getting a stick blender when finances are a concern.


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## Susie (Jan 28, 2014)

*Why chance it?*

I bought the majority of my soaping equipment from the dollar store and Goodwill.  The rest I dug out of my attic and my sis-in-law's little used appliance cabinet.  Total cost for above: $12

I got a cheap pitcher from Wal Mart that melted the first time I mixed KOH and glycerin in it.  I then re-purposed an old glass coffee carafe (that I had been using to water a plant) to mix lye water.  Lesson learned.  I have since saved another coffee carafe from a neighbor's coffee pot that conked out.  They may not last long, but they are free. 

I did buy some molds from Amazon that I would not be using for anything else anyway.  

Bottom line is this:  Even on a super limited budget like mine, I still managed to dedicate a set of equipment just for soap.  I would rather not have to worry about crossing soap and food.  I just would not feel comfortable risking my family.


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## xyxoxy (Jan 29, 2014)

I don't feel that there is much risk assuming everything gets a good wash, especially if it's in the dishwasher.

That said, I do most of my soap making in the laundry room so it doesn't make much sense to carry everything back and forth. I bought most of my soaping equipment at Ikea, Harbor freight, or at thrift stores. It's really not that expensive to keep separate tools for soaping, though for me it is about convenience more than safety. If I need to borrow a funnel or measuring cup from my soap room to use in the kitchen I don't give it a second thought.

Also FWIW I do not use any glass containers. Only Stainless steel, HDPE plastic, or silicone.


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## CaraBou (Jan 29, 2014)

Lin said:


> I posted a thread recently asking about using a stand mixer, I got resounding replies of don't do it. But as a result of asking a member is sending me her spare stick blender so I can start making soap again!



That's super cool!


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## new12soap (Jan 29, 2014)

Susie said:


> I got a cheap pitcher from Wal Mart that melted the first time I mixed KOH and glycerin in it. I then re-purposed an old glass coffee carafe (that I had been using to water a plant) to mix lye water. Lesson learned. I have since saved another coffee carafe from a neighbor's coffee pot that conked out. They may not last long, but they are free.


 
KOH and glycerin get VERY hot, hotter than boiling. That technique is best used in a stainless steel pan! You can pick up a very cheap one at yard sales, thrift stores, or big box discount stores. PLEASE do not use glass! Not even a coffee carafe! If you absolutely insist on continuing to do it, please at least set the carafe down inside a sink or outside where if it shatters it will do less damage and be contained. It may work a dozen times, but you never know when the last time will be, and cleaning it up will be both miserable and dangerous.

As for keeping things separate, putting something that has had FO in it through the dishwasher with your food dishes will usually disuade most folks. Who doesn't want a yummy bowl of patchouli cereal for breakfast? You will never stop tasting it.

I went to the dollar store and spent maybe $20, and all of my soaping supplies are red which makes it very easy to see what's what.


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## Susie (Feb 3, 2014)

Hey!  I have that same set of red stuff, LOL!  

I went last week to a restaurant supply store(the only one within 100 miles), and found  SS containers that they use for salad bars with hinged lids.  I got a 32 oz and a 64 oz one.  They were cheap enough, and will fit inside my slow cooker for liquid soaping to minimize splashing.  I got to thinking about the imminent demise of those coffee carafes.  And I got to thinking it might not be worth risking people's safety.  So, add another $20 to my equipment costs.


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## Lin (Feb 3, 2014)

My soaping supplies are pretty much all red or white. I even found red silicone muffin cups and a red silicone loaf mold at the dollar store. Ruined it when I bought a cheap silicone loaf mold off ebay and it came YELLOW.... so sad. The photo showed red or blue! lol. Too bad I couldn't choose the container. The OCD part of me is twitchy now.


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