# Does lye water become "safe" to handle after a few days?



## happilyabby (Oct 21, 2015)

I've seen where people sometimes set their soap making equipment aside for a few days...wait for it to turn into soap...and then do the cleanup. What about the container that was used to make your lye water? It's not going to turn into soap...so is it safe to handle after 24-48 hours?


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## Stacy (Oct 21, 2015)

No science knowledge behind this answer, but I'm going to say no.

The equipment becomes safe because the lye is being consumed in the saponification process. There is no such thing happening in the plain lye water. It's lye today and still will be whenever you come back to it.

I usually just rinse my lye containers out well in the sink (I'm not worried about this small amount of lye and my pipes - it's so small and the amount of water running with the rinse dilutes it even further) then wash them as normal.


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## osso (Oct 21, 2015)

No, it does not. It is still lye solution. Just rinse well.


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## BrewerGeorge (Oct 21, 2015)

Any lye residue isn't going to become more safe with time unless it's mixed with something to neutralize it (like oils).  If anything, it will become more concentrated as water evaporates.

Lye is worthy of respect, but it's not radioactive napalm.  Rinse well while still wearing your safety equipment.  Add a bit of vinegar (after rinsing) to neutralize if it makes you feel better.  Then wash with soap and water.  Don't leave it sitting around unattended.


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## Susie (Oct 21, 2015)

If you read through more threads, you will see references to master-batching.  This is when people pre-mix their lye and water in large batches, and premix their oils in large batches.  If lye water lost it's potency, this would not be possible.  Respect the lye.


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## happilyabby (Oct 21, 2015)

Thanks for the quick responses 

This was only my second batch of soap and there is still A LOT for me to learn about cold process. For instance, on this batch...I mixed my lye water in a large glass measuring cup. Then I mixed my oils in a mixing bowl. Added my lye water to the oils. Got a thick trace and then (oh no!) poured it back into my lye water measuring cup for easy pouring. *Face palm* After pouring into my molds, I realized what I'd done. I'm going to guess this soap isn't safe to use seeing as there could be unsaponified (is that a word?) lye in it?


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## DeeAnna (Oct 21, 2015)

As the others have said, lye does not "become safer" with time unless there is something for it to react with. In ~small~ quantities such as tiny drops of lye or a thin film in a container, lye can react with things like CO2 in the air, _given enough time_. So in some situations, yes, lye can "become safer", but again only in the right circumstances and given enough time.

That said, if you DON'T KNOW, then DON'T ASSUME. Treat any lye residue, however large or small, as if it is just as reactive as when the lye was freshly made. The advise that has been given to use reasonable safety gear and rinse well with water is spot on correct.

ETA:

"...Got a thick trace and then (oh no!) poured it back into my lye water measuring cup for easy pouring. *Face palm* After pouring into my molds, I realized what I'd done. I'm going to guess this soap isn't safe to use seeing as there could be unsaponified (is that a word?) lye in it? ..."

Well, the soap batter you were messing with had a lot of unsaponified lye in it too. From what I gather, you poured soap batter that had a lot of strong lye in it into a measuring cup that contained a small residue of the lye solution. If that is the case, I don't get your concern. 

Maybe there are some important facts missing -- for example, did you have a _lot_ of lye solution in that measuring cup???

ETA2: 

And you're going to get a lecture about mixing lye in a glass container. Use stainless steel or lye-safe plastic only!


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## traderbren (Oct 21, 2015)

As long as you measured your oils and lye and water correctly, I think your soap should still be safe to use. If you emptied the measuring cup completely into your oils, there should have been very little residue in the cup. When you poured the oils back in, the oils were still unsaponified, and can still absorb any lye left in your cup. Saponification doesn't happen immediately. Once your soap has saponified, you can zap test it to be sure there it is okay.

As a side note, I have read to not use glass or pyrex to mix your lye water in as small etches can cause it to burst and break.


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## dixiedragon (Oct 21, 2015)

Your soap is fine. Any lye water left on your lye measuring container would have been accounted for your in your recipe and incorporated into the soap.


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## happilyabby (Oct 21, 2015)

Thanks, guys. I'm learning a lot here. Didn't know glass was unsafe to use for lye. I will definitely take that into account for my next soap making adventure.

There was not a lot of lye solution left in the container. Only what would be left after pouring the entire contents out without scraping the sides. Hopefully my soap will make it 

Just for reference, I was following this recipe: http://www.diynatural.com/how-to-make-soap-2/


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## DeeAnna (Oct 21, 2015)

"...There was not a lot of lye solution left in the container. Only what would be left after pouring the entire contents out without scraping the sides...."

I'd say you have nothing to worry about. 

"...I was following this recipe: http://www.diynatural.com/how-to-make-soap-2/ ..."

now that we know what recipe you used ... this will trigger another round of advice. Here are several things that come to mind --

1. Do NOT measure by volume. Get a scale that weighs in grams and use it instead.

2. Never use someone else's recipe without running the recipe through a soap calculator. Always. Even the best of soapers make mistakes ... and bloggers aren't always right. A couple of good calcs -- http://soapee.com/calculator or http://www.soapcalc.net/calc/SoapCalcWP.asp

3. Never substitute one fat for another (I'm looking at the blogger's instruction to use "...⅔ cup other liquid oil – like almond oil, grapeseed, sunflower of safflower oil...") without running it through the soap calculator to confirm the amount of lye won't change. Sometimes it doesn't make a difference, but if YOU don't know that to be true, then it's far better to double check than take someone else's word for it -- point #2 applies here.

4. You don't need the soap to be at a pudding like trace, as the blogger instructs. It was an okay thing to do for a first batch, however. Just something to keep in mind for future batches.


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## happilyabby (Oct 21, 2015)

That you so much for the advice and references, DeeAnna. I need to make myself more familiar with using a soap calculator.

Also, can you recommend a site for purchasing supplies? I'm in need of a good scale.


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## Seawolfe (Oct 21, 2015)

For scales, the most common recommendation seems to be for the KD7000 or KD8000. Mixing bowls and such can be bought at the dollar store or I like to use buckets from the hardware store - just make sure that anything you will mix lye in is HDPE plastic.


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## snappyllama (Oct 21, 2015)

A note of caution... please find a different container for mixing your lye solution. Glass can shatter without warning! Pick plastic with a 2 or 5 at the bottom or stainless steel containers for anything that will come into contact with lye. Not even Pyrex can be trusted.

I know you've probably seen folks in books and videos happily using glass who say they've never had a problem, but it simply isn't worth the risk.


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## DeeAnna (Oct 21, 2015)

I don't know of any one-stop shop for soaping supplies. Most of us hobby soapers might use several to a half dozen suppliers for fats, lye, fragrance, etc. 

I have several "My Weigh" scales from oldwillknotscales.com and like them for soaping, but my opinion is definitely am not the last word on this topic! Best way to get a sense of what people like for a soaping scale is to look for posts on this topic. This will get you started: https://www.google.com/search?q=scales+buying+site:soapmakingforum.com


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## galaxyMLP (Oct 21, 2015)

I also have a pretty good scale from walmart. I use it multiple times a week and I love that it has an 11 lb capacity. Thats pretty high and more than good enough for my 3/5 lb batches. 

The specifications don't say what it weighs to but its:

min: 0.05 oz or 1 gram
max: ~11 lbs or 5 kg

I find it is quite accurate and it has been working on the same 4 batteries for 1.5 years. Its taken a couple of splashes of raw batter too so I'd say its pretty robust. I love that the top is glass so its easy to clean. 

If you are weighing out something that weighs very, very little (<0.15 oz or <3 grams) you have to do it quickly otherwise the "floating zero" kicks on and it actually continually re-zeros. I've had this problem with some essential oils/powders. I felt like I kept weighing stuff out and it wasnt changing. You can also use something heavy (like a glass container instead of light plastic) to weigh into so that doesn't happen. 

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Professional-Electronic-Kitchen-Scale/38241740


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## navigator9 (Oct 21, 2015)

As far as clean up goes, I soap in the kitchen, so as soon as I add my lye to the oils, I place the stainless steel saucepan that I had the lye in, in the sink, and run water into it, to dilute any drops of lye that might remain, and after I finish soaping, I wash it. There's no reason I can see to wait to get that one cleaned. As for the soap pot, I scrape every last little bit that I can with my spatula into the mold. We pay a lot for our ingredients, and I hate to waste anything. What little residue is left, I wipe out with a paper towel, and discard. Then I wash that pot. As you continue soaping, you'll find your own routine that works best for you. I doubt that any two of us do it exactly the same way. Kind of like making spaghetti sauce. :grin:


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## The Efficacious Gentleman (Oct 21, 2015)

navigator9 said:


> ..... I doubt that any two of us do it exactly the same way. Kind of like making spaghetti sauce. :grin:




You open the jar and pour out your soap? 

As others have said, rinse it through with water and then wash normally is my routine with lye containers. Lye is a drain cleaner, so it is not usually a bad thing unless you have a septic tank


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## TwystedPryncess (Oct 21, 2015)

a good lye calculator for beginners is at Brambleberry. I used that one when I began. It's accurate and no fuss. There are plenty of tutorials right here to search out to help you learn to use SoapCalc, which is more intense.

 Start reading now about the acids in oils and the properties they bring to the table and learn what oils do what and why---for example-- what coconut oil brings to the table, it's pro's and cons, etc. (coconut oil is the most cleansing, but also the most drying, as a hint.)  There is a lot of info right there to keep one busy for days to weeks, depending on how many oils they want to delve into!

Anyway, the 'why' behind doing this is to get a handle on 'why' we make soap-- to know how to make a soap that is more cleansing, more bubbly, bubbly yet good for the skin, cleansing yet not too stripping.....etc. As you find out about the acids (oleic, linoleic, etc.) you will find out more about this as well.  Happy reading!  (Reading all this mess will also, in turn, make you a little more confident.)

After all the advice given just right here, your third batch should be made in much more confidence! Congrats on your first two batches already though! Yay!!


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## IrishLass (Oct 21, 2015)

Welcome, Happilyabby! 



happilyabby said:


> Just for reference, I was following this recipe: http://www.diynatural.com/how-to-make-soap-2/


 
Hmmm...I believe I've run across that recipe before here on the forum. If I recall correctly, a few of our beginners quite innocently used it as their first ever soap recipe and then came here with questions because they had some problems with it. lol

Ditto what everyone else has said. Wonderful advice. 


IrishLass


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## arizonabuckeye (Oct 21, 2015)

snappyllama said:


> A note of caution... please find a different container for mixing your lye solution. Glass can shatter without warning! Pick plastic with a 2 or 5 at the bottom or stainless steel containers for anything that will come into contact with lye. Not even Pyrex can be trusted.
> 
> I know you've probably seen folks in books and videos happily using glass who say they've never had a problem, but it simply isn't worth the risk.



Newbie here but thought I would add my two cents...

The biggest danger when using gas is that fact that mixing lye with water creates a lot of heat (exothermic reaction and what not), hot glass container used in sink (as many soapers do) contacts cold water and :Kitten Love: it will shatter. Glass and lye only mildly react so from that perspective it is totally safe to use. Stainless steel and Polypropylene (#5 on the bottom) plastics are best. I actually got larger Poly containers at a restaurant supply store that we love. Easy to pour and they are extra tall - meaning less splashing out of the container.


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## DeeAnna (Oct 21, 2015)

"...Glass and lye only mildly react so from that perspective it is totally safe to use...."

In theory that's true and may be a good rule of thumb for labware, but I don't use the same standards for glassware in the home compared with glassware in the lab. The modern-day "Pyrex" tempered glassware for the home is apparently not nearly as reliable as the original borosilicate Pyrex of our mother's day. Regardless of what side of the debate a person is on, most of us use stainless steel or  lye-safe plastic containers.


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## arizonabuckeye (Oct 22, 2015)

Probably the thing to emphasize is that you don't use containers used when making soap in kitchen/regular use. i.e. don't use a bowl to make soap then rinse it out and use it to make muffins. With how expensive glass containers can be it's just not economical to use them when making soap. "Safe" if you are careful - yes "Smart" - probably not.


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## IrishLass (Oct 22, 2015)

arizonabuckeye said:


> Newbie here but thought I would add my two cents...
> 
> The biggest danger when using gas is that fact that mixing lye with water creates a lot of heat (exothermic reaction and what not), hot glass container used in sink (as many soapers do) contacts cold water and :Kitten Love: it will shatter. Glass and lye only mildly react so from that perspective it is totally safe to use.


 
Here's the thing, though- that 'mild reaction', which chemically etches the glass, takes place each time the glass is used for mixing lye solution. Little by little, the glass is chemically eroding and weakening. It may have been safe to use on day 1 when brand new, but who is to say how safe it is to use after repeated use of consistent soaping over a period of weeks and months? Each subsequent time it's used turns into a game of Russian Roulette. We've had one too many reports of shattering Pyrex by soapmakers, even when it was used in the most careful manner (i.e., no sudden contacts with something cold), that we do not encourage it's use or espouse it as 'safe' for soapmaking. 


IrishLass


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## Susie (Oct 22, 2015)

arizonabuckeye said:


> Probably the thing to emphasize is that you don't use containers used when making soap in kitchen/regular use. i.e. don't use a bowl to make soap then rinse it out and use it to make muffins. With how expensive glass containers can be it's just not economical to use them when making soap. "Safe" if you are careful - yes "Smart" - probably not.



Stainless steel is safe for use with lye, and perfectly safe to use in food preparation if cleaned properly after soapmaking.  I would not use plastic, rubber, or silicone items for food prep after soapmaking, though.


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## The Efficacious Gentleman (Oct 23, 2015)

*Does lye water become &quot;safe&quot; to handle after a few days?*

If it's just lye, I would use a pot for soaping and cooking - we use lye in cooking at a strength higher than anything left on the container. 

But anything containing scented batter I try to keep just for soaping. Not that it's dangerous, just that Salty Sailor muffins might not be so good


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