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

[arizonabuckeye]

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 :wtf: 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.

 

[DeeAnna]

"...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.

 

[arizonabuckeye]

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.

 

[IrishLass]

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 :wtf: 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

 

[Susie]

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.

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

Does lye water become "safe" 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