How do you clean after Soap making ?

[saqqa]

Hey guys,

Just curious to know how do you clean your utensils and hand-blender after soaping?
Especially the lye am really scared to clean it in my kitchen, as it may spill around.

You can share some tips !

 

[jcandleattic]

There are several posts about this you can search on, but the easiest I've found is the scrape with silicone spatula as much as possible to get into the mold, then wait for the remaining to solidify/saponify, and handwash with dawn dish detergent the next day, and if there's still an oily slick I'll run them through the dishwasher.

 

[Kosmerta]

There are several posts about this you can search on, but the easiest I've found is the scrape with silicone spatula as much as possible to get into the mold, then wait for the remaining to solidify/saponify, and handwash with dawn dish detergent the next day, and if there's still an oily slick I'll run them through the dishwasher.

Thank goodness, I'm new to soap making and this is what I do. I wasn't sure if waiting until the next day was right, but i would rather wash fully saponified soap than oily lye

 

[Megan]

I usually wait a day...or two...or three to do the actual soap dishes, but I rinse my lye container and special lye spatula off right after I'm done just so I don't forget about it.

 

[Jennifer Horne]

I put my dishes in a plastic storage bin and wait atleast a say, currently the dishes i made dirty three weeks ago are still in the bin

 

[Megan]

I put my dishes in a plastic storage bin and wait atleast a say, currently the dishes i made dirty three weeks ago are still in the bin

So relatable

 

[amd]

I use old bed sheets cut into rags and wipe out all of my containers and utensils. Everything goes into a large tote until it's full and I can haul it upstairs to do dishes proper. Except my lye pitcher, that just gets rinsed out and added to the tote. My stick blender goes into a tall pitcher with some dish detergent and hot water. Sometimes it sits for a few days, some times I get to it right away, but either way a few swishes around the pitcher with water and detergent and it wipes off easily under running water. Once my rag box is full, I throw those in the washer with a tablespoon of detergent and run the hot cycle. Most of my rags I've had for as long as I've been soaping (5+ years), but periodically some of them come out still oily and I bin them.

 

[Carly B]

I throw mine in the sink and spray them down and wash them as soon as I'm done. Then I will sometimes
do a second batch and wash them up as soon as I'm done. I don't have the room to let things sit, and anyway, hubby brews beer, and I've been pretty strict about him cleaning up as soon as he's done, so I have to play by my own rules.

 

[TheGecko]

Hey guys, Just curious to know how do you clean your utensils and hand-blender after soaping? Especially the lye am really scared to clean it in my kitchen, as it may spill around. You can share some tips !

There isn't enough Lye Solution left to hurt anything so I just rinse with hot water prior to washing. Soaping stuff get wiped down with old dish towels and get tossed in a basket in the garage. I then spray with an orange degreaser that I got from the Dollar store and rinse with hot water. I then either hand wash and run in the dishwasher the next day.

 

[John Harris]

Wearing rubber gloves, we just "do the dishes" the way you would after preparing a meal. Nothing fancy or complicated. Haven't had any problems yet.

 

[KiwiMoose]

I make my soap in the kitchen - so as soon as I've poured the lye solution into my oils ( before mixing it) I pop the lye water jug into the sink and run the tap until it is full and overflowing. I then return to my soap and finish mixing. Once I've poured the soap I use the spatula to scrape as much batter as i can out of the container/s and stuff it all into a small individual mold - I will use it myself to sample the soap once cured, or use it for confetti or something. I then wipe out any remaining bits of soap batter with a paper towel and put it in the bin, and pop the dishes into the dishwasher. I used to wash them by hand, but I think the dishwasher does a better job. I too clean up straight after soaping, because we need the kitchen clear to cook meals.

 

[Ladka]

I rinse the lye cup under running water immediately after use. Once I've completed the batch I scrape the batter with a silicon spatula, wipe it with paper towel if necessary. Leave to soak in water for a day or two and wash with a detergent and hot tap water.

 

[Susie]

Wearing rubber gloves, we just "do the dishes" the way you would after preparing a meal. Nothing fancy or complicated. Haven't had any problems yet.

It is so very much easier to let them sit overnight and become soap. No oily stuff left on anything. I used to clean up immediately, but putting them in a 5 gallon bucket and letting them sit until they are soap saves lots of wash and wash again. I do put hot water in my bucket to cover everything about an hour before washing so all the soap comes loose. Then just swish in the water and put into the dishwasher.

 

[sirtim100]

I have an old outdoor sink in the patio, and all the stuff goes there. I rinse out the lye container and leave it full of water. The soapy stuff stays for two or three days, depending on how energetic I'm feeling.

 

[Soulboy1973]

I make my soap then put my containers aside and once my soap is soap I wash it off in the sink. I find it cleans up better once it has saponified and is also less harsh on the skin.

 

[Mobjack Bay]

I’m in the save it for tomorrow washing camp, which is not disruptive in my household because we have a second kitchen. I’ve been wiping down with paper towels but like the idea shared above about having a set of rags for that task. I use too many paper towels. I throw my lye pitcher into a dishpan of water, along with any odd spoons that do not have batter, oil or mica on them. Anything with just oil, or with mica or TD rests on a plate while I’m soaping and then gets wiped down before going directly into the dishwasher.

 

[bookreader451]

I always rinse out my lye container and clean my SB but leave the other dishes until the next day, unless I am going to make another batch.

Sometimes I use the dishwasher on quick wash, but normally mine is full of clean or dirty dishes LOL.

 

[cmzaha]

I wipe out and off all my containers and utensils when I am done with the batch and wash everything before starting the next batch. The only area I am really OCD with is dirty dishes. I just cannot move on with another batch until all is washed. All the rags go into a bucket until I am ready to wash again then they are washed in a small load with degreaser with very little detergent since they have already become soapy.

 

[Keaton]

It is so very much easier to let them sit overnight and become soap. No oily stuff left on anything.

And minimal unsaponified oils going down the drains just to clog up the sewers in a big fatberg in a few years. Don't Google pics of fatbergs, by the way.

 

[Dawni]

I clean immediately after I soap - but I HP and I am literally using the soap I made to clean the containers they're in lol

The container I mix lye in goes into the sink as soon as I'm done with trace, and I fill it with water. My SB, when I'm done using it goes in here as well, and any utensils that touched any raw soap (which is usually minimal) and/or oil. I usually wash these next morning, after I unmold n cut, together with my cutter and used molds.