Can caustic soda/sodium hydroxide/lye spoil?

[Corsa]

I live in a warm and humid region. The sodium hydroxide flakes have compacted a bit over the months. I am concerned that this will have an effect on the effectiveness of the saponification.

 

[DeeAnna]

NaOH doesn't spoil exactly, but it will easily absorb water vapor and react with carbon dioxide gas in the air. This will reduce the purity of the NaOH. A good sign this is happening is if your NaOH is forming hard clumps.

You probably need to work on a better storage method to ensure your NaOH stays as dry and protected as possible. NaOH will stay good for years, even decades if properly stored in an airtight container away from water and CO2.

I use a "dry bucket" method of storing NaOH and this has been is working well for me. I live in Iowa, USA, which isn't as humid all year, but the humidity can be very high during the summer. My NaOH does not ever form clumps, so I know the dry bucket is doing its job.

Here's more: https://classicbells.com/soap/lyePurity.asp Look at the end of the article for information about this dry bucket method.

Here's another thread on SMF about how to store NaOH: https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/my-lye-storage-setup.59316

 

[Corsa]

Thank you very much for the information! you clarified all my doubts and I really liked the article.

 

[Zuleika]

I'm from a warm and humid place too! I don't buy lye in bulk since I make small batches. Usually 1kg bags, then I decant them into small HDPE (500ml) clear containers with inner lids. Really helps to keep it dry as I noticed less clumping. Fills about 2 and a half containers.

Previously I had a 1kg container and by the end of it, I was scooping lumpy lye. And I didn't like having a big container with 1/4 lye left inside. Love the idea of the dry bucket. But I don't have the space.

 

[Susie]

I'll second DeeAnna's dry bucket method! I am from Louisiana, where it is warm and humid 10 months of the year. I still store all my NaOH and KOH in them before I masterbatch.

 

[justsomeguy]

NaOH doesn't spoil exactly, but it will easily absorb water vapor and react with carbon dioxide gas in the air. This will reduce the purity of the NaOH. A good sign this is happening is if your NaOH is forming hard clumps.

You probably need to work on a better storage method to ensure your NaOH stays as dry and protected as possible. NaOH will stay good for years, even decades if properly stored in an airtight container away from water and CO2.

I use a "dry bucket" method of storing NaOH and this has been is working well for me. I live in Iowa, USA, which isn't as humid all year, but the humidity can be very high during the summer. My NaOH does not ever form clumps, so I know the dry bucket is doing its job.

Here's more: https://classicbells.com/soap/lyePurity.asp Look at the end of the article for information about this dry bucket method.

Here's another thread on SMF about how to store NaOH: https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/my-lye-storage-setup.59316

Thanks so much for this! I now have two

 

[Susie]

I'm from a warm and humid place too! I don't buy lye in bulk since I make small batches. Usually 1kg bags, then I decant them into small HDPE (500ml) clear containers with inner lids. Really helps to keep it dry as I noticed less clumping. Fills about 2 and a half containers.

Previously I had a 1kg container and by the end of it, I was scooping lumpy lye. And I didn't like having a big container with 1/4 lye left inside. Love the idea of the dry bucket. But I don't have the space.

View attachment 76996

It does not have to be a bucket, it can be any sort of container that is air tight.