Clean up stray lye crystals?

[Jeep]

This was my first time making a batch and I added the lye crystals to a sheet of notebook paper on a scale on top of the kitchen counter and am now paranoid about some stray lye pellets on my countertop or floor. I wiped up with vinegar but what else should I do.

I also spilled a little on the countertop when stirring my soap batter, again I wiped with vinegar.

Any help is appreciated. I searched the web and there is not much help for cleaning up of the lye crystals.

 

[jules92207]

I am no expert but it sounds like you should be fine. I often just use a soapy sponge to wipe up after and never found there was a problem.

 

[Seawolfe]

It's not plutonium :wink: I just wipe up with a damp paper towel or rag.

 

[Susie]

There should be no problem, but you need to weigh the lye into a container with sides rather than a sheet of paper. I either use an old, clean, cream cheese or lard container to weigh the lye. After I dump the lye into the water, I just set it into the sink and run lots of cold water into it. Paper, to my mind, is not a valid weighing device for caustic granules that could spread over an entire room.

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

^^^ What Susie said!

I use an old margarine-type pot to pour my lye in to before I pour that in to the water. It holds my lye stirrer (stands next to the lye water) until I pour the lye in to the oil, then both pots get a decent rinse out while I stick blend

 

[DeeAnna]

And let's suppose a stray granule did escape your cleaning. What will happen?

First, the granule will absorb water from the air and turn into a tiny droplet of saturated lye water. Next the lye solution will react with carbon dioxide in the air and turn into soda ash (sodium carbonate) in water. Next the droplet will dry, leaving a tiny white spot of pretty-much-harmless soda ash crystals.

Is there some potential harm in this process? While the granule is solid or when it is a concentrated lye solution, it could cause a tiny burn if it got onto skin and was not wiped or rubbed off. So, yes, some potential for harm. On the other hand, the process of a very tiny droplet of sodium hydroxide turning into soda ash is pretty fast. Any soaper who leaves lye solution standing for a time knows something about this -- the white crust on the top of the lye solution is soda ash (unless you've stirred the solution with an oily spoon).

So, yes, something to be aware of ... a problem to minimize ... but it's not something to obsess about or be terrified of.

As an aside, chemists do weigh small amounts of dry chemicals onto paper, and it's a safe and useful practice if done correctly. That said, I 100% agree with Susie that the amount of lye needed for soaping is best weighed into a container.

 

[pamielynn]

If you decide to start measuring in a container, wipe it down with a dryer sheet first. Seems to help contain the strays. I also wipe the top of my scale first with the dryer sheet. I don't get the crystals jumping all over the place anymore.

 

[Jeep]

Thanks for the replies, the YouTube video I watched the guy making soap used an envelope to weigh the lye. I realize now that's not the best idea.

So the NaOH would be considered harmless after it absorbs water from the air and becomes soda ash?

My soap batter did not ever trace and I left with a small batch of batter, how is it safe to dispose of?

Sorry for so many questions!

I was trying to plan ahead and make some inexpensive gifts for the family as I'm in grad school and it turned into a cluster.

 

[Seawolfe]

Jeep - post your recipe. The clever people here may be able to help you.
If it were me I might pour it in a mold anyway and hope it sets.

I use disposable plastic cups for lye weighing - that I rinse out and re use

 

[Lindy]

Jeep are you using a stickblender or stirring by hand?

 

[Jeep]

I am using a wooden spoon to mix by hand with, I got the recipe from another site.

1 oz caster oil
4oz coconut oil
15 oz vegetable oil
7.6 oz cold h20
2 oz lye

 

[Jeep]

So I have cleaned the floor and countertop with soap and vinegar, assuming any stray lye crystals got away would the have turned into soda ash by now?

I'm assuming I can use the kitchen for cooking again

 

[DeeAnna]

"... the guy making soap used an envelope to weigh the lye..."

Um, yeah, you're right, he does. Did you also notice he uses a dry stick to stir the lye and there are shreds of the bark falling off the stick into the soap? This particular video has a few shortcomings. :thumbdown:

"... using a wooden spoon to mix by hand with..."

Wood disintegrates fairly quickly in lye ... even an official wooden spoon sans bark. Better to use a silicone spatula or a stainless steel spoon. Best of all, a stick blender is wonderful.

"...assuming any stray lye crystals got away would the have turned into soda ash by now?..."

YMMV, but yes that would be my opinion.

 

[seven]

]
I use disposable plastic cups for lye weighing - that I rinse out and re use

me too. after a while, if it's starting to show wear and tear, i just throw it out and replace it with a new one

 

[Jeep]

Thanks everyone. What does YMMV mean DeeAnna?
Has anyone heard of the NaOH turning into carbonate before adding it to the H20?

It was real humid here in nebraska yesterday and I mixed it outside but the lye water mix did not give off heat or raise in temperature so I'm wondering if by not adding it in immediately it turned to soda ash before I added it.

 

[scotsman]

@pamielynn thank you for the suggestion about the dryer sheet. Stray crystals always seem to stick to the sides of my lye container. I will try the dryer sheet with my next batch

 

[Dorymae]

Thanks everyone. What does YMMV mean DeeAnna?
Has anyone heard of the NaOH turning into carbonate before adding it to the H20?

It was real humid here in nebraska yesterday and I mixed it outside but the lye water mix did not give off heat or raise in temperature so I'm wondering if by not adding it in immediately it turned to soda ash before I added it.

YMMV= Your mileage may vary.

I don't believe the amount of lye you needed for a batch would have turned to soda ash. More likely because you were hand mixing you never reached trace. Trace can take hours to see with hand mixing depending on the recipe.
However as long as the lye and oil were well mixed and did not separate and your batter was uniform when you poured into the mold, you will get soap. It may take longer than usual, so don't be disappointed if you can't unmold for several days. Just watch the batch and see if it begins to get harder each day. If it doesn't than there may be a problem somewhere, but I'd be hopeful that it will work out.

 

[pamielynn]

"... the guy making soap used an envelope to weigh the lye..."

Um, yeah, you're right, he does. Did you also notice he uses a dry stick to stir the lye and there are shreds of the bark falling off the stick into the soap? This particular video has a few shortcomings. :thumbdown:

I was wondering if she was talking about that video

 

[JusDin]

...and I mixed it outside but the lye water mix did not give off heat or raise in temperature...

I would be concerned with a lack of rise in temperature that the lye was possibly no good? I've never had a lye + liquid not get warm at the very least. Even with only 2 ounces of lye and cold water, I would think there should have been even a small change. I'm no expert in this, so possibly DeeAnna or someone with more knowledge than I could jump in...

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

I would be concerned with a lack of rise in temperature that the lye was possibly no good? I've never had a lye + liquid not get warm at the very least. Even with only 2 ounces of lye and cold water, I would think there should have been even a small change. I'm no expert in this, so possibly DeeAnna or someone with more knowledge than I could jump in...

That IS a good point. Unless it was added painfully slowly, it should have at least got a little bit warmer