Lye damage in kitchen sink

[B&E Homestead]

We are building a house and I'm thinking about kitchen sink options, wanting to make sure I don't choose something that could be damaged by lye in the process of making soap and cleaning up from it. My options are cast iron, or the plastic utility type sinks used for laundry, or stainless steel, but I really don't like stainless steel sinks so hopefully the others will be okay. Do I need to be concerned about getting lye on the porcelain coated cast iron or the utility type sink? Any advice or anecdotal info would be appreciated!

 

[Iluminameluna]

I really don't think you need to be overly concerned about the lye damaging your sink. Mostly because you shouldn't be pouring pure lye crystals onto ANY surface anywhere, unless it's by accident!! In which case, you're to flood that, or those, surface(s) with plenty of fresh water and NOT vinegar as most ppl assume!!
So go ahead and pick your favorite sink and decorate away.
When you start making your soaps, just make sure to keep as many rags or old towels handy, and, if you're not near a faucet, keep a pitcher or 2 with fresh cool water nearby. Or do it anyway. I do, and put dirty, gunky utensils in them as I use them so they're not lying on my pretty wood tables and possibly marring their surfaces for life!! They're just plywood but my late DH made them so they're dear to me.
Have fun, and hopefully you'll also be enjoying soaping too!

 

[Obsidian]

Enamel coated cast won't be damaged by lye. In fact, a strong lye solution is used for soaking and cleaning old cast, including enamel coated.

 

[Susie]

I don't know about the plastic sink, but drain cleaners are usually lye based, so most commercially produced sinks are going to be fine with lye exposure.

 

[B&E Homestead]

Enamel coated cast won't be damaged by lye. In fact, a strong lye solution is used for soaking and cleaning old cast, including enamel coated.

Thank you! The cast iron is my favorite and probably what I'll be using for putting the spatulas and pots or bowls in till I can wash them so that was the answer I was hoping for.

...keep a pitcher or 2 with fresh cool water nearby... and put dirty, gunky utensils in them as I use them so they're not lying on my pretty wood tables and possibly marring their surfaces for life!! They're just plywood but my late DH made them so they're dear to me.

Good idea.
Wood is a concern for me too. My husband plans to build at least one wood countertop, and one of my son's has made me some pretty butcher block cutting boards. I don't want to be soaping anywhere around those if I can help it. I love the look of wood in the kitchen, but I do have a piece of salvaged Formica countertop that I'll probably use somewhere because it is so practical and durable.
Trying to design the kitchen space to accommodate soapmaking, cheesemaking, breadmaking, and all the other random kitchen science experiments I get myself into, and still leave room for regular cooking and dishes, is not easy!

 

[DeeAnna]

I agree with the others that normal soap making practices, including pouring a little lye solution down the drain from time to time, shouldn't affect your choice of sink.

I will say that if you are serious kitchen cook, a porcelain enamel, cast iron sink might not be as good a choice as it appears. I installed a pricey Kohler sink years ago and found the enamel gradually changed from show-room shiny to worn looking and lightly scratched where heavy pots and such rubbed over the surface. After about 8 years of use, there were definite patterns of wear marks over the bottom of the sink. You also don't ever want to use an abrasive cleanser or abrasive scrub pad on the enamel. Given reasonable care, the sink stayed perfectly functional as time went by, but it was disappointing how it showed patterns of wear.

I've been much happier with the Swanstone sink I've had for the past 20 years. It's some kind of composite plastic material that tolerates abrasion better than enamel. It's not that the plastic doesn't wear, it's just that the wear isn't nearly as noticeable. This sink started out with a soft matte finish and any wear over the years has blended in and looks normal. There are a couple of small nicks where I accidentally dropped a knive, blade down, onto the sink, but I can't fault the sink for that -- an enameled sink might chip too.

Stainless steel sinks are fine and certainly more impervious to knife nicks than enamel or plastic, but you want to buy the best SS sink you can afford -- thick metal, deep-enough basin, and soundproofing undercoating. I'd also look for a matte finish, again to disguise the inevitable wear.

 

[B&E Homestead]

I agree with the others that normal soap making practices, including pouring a little lye solution down the drain from time to time, shouldn't affect your choice of sink.

I will say that if you are serious kitchen cook, a porcelain enamel, cast iron sink might not be as good a choice as it appears. I installed a pricey Kohler sink years ago and found the enamel gradually changed from show-room shiny to worn looking and lightly scratched where heavy pots and such rubbed over the surface. After about 8 years of use, there were definite patterns of wear marks over the bottom of the sink. You also don't ever want to use an abrasive cleanser or abrasive scrub pad on the enamel. Given reasonable care, the sink stayed perfectly functional as time went by, but it was disappointing how it showed patterns of wear.

I've been much happier with the Swanstone sink I've had for the past 20 years. It's some kind of composite plastic material that tolerates abrasion better than enamel. It's not that the plastic doesn't wear, it's just that the wear isn't nearly as noticeable. This sink started out with a soft matte finish and any wear over the years has blended in and looks normal. There are a couple of small nicks where I accidentally dropped a knive, blade down, onto the sink, but I can't fault the sink for that -- an enameled sink might chip too.

Stainless steel sinks are fine and certainly more impervious to knife nicks than enamel or plastic, but you want to buy the best SS sink you can afford -- thick metal, deep-enough basin, and soundproofing undercoating. I'd also look for a matte finish, again to disguise the inevitable wear.

What I like so much about cast iron sinks is that a sinkful of water holds its temperature for a long time. That comes in handy when trying to keep a pot of milk at exactly 90 degrees for an hour to make cheese, or when just doing dishes. I am a little concerned about chipping and scuffing. We use a lot of very large pots around here, and cast iron pans (I do wash my cast iron pans in the sink contrary to popular advice lol). The utility tub, mainly for laundry, COULD be put close enough to the kitchen that it could possibly be used to wash or fill large pots theoretically. But I'm not sure that will be practical in real life, if I'm always in the middle of doing laundry, which is probably how it will be. We have a washer and dryer now but will be doing it all by hand when we move until we can upgrade the solar and get a washing machine. Probably looking at a year or more there. It's tempting to have one utility tub for laundry and another for dishes; they're so deep I could wash large milk pots easily, or let a day's worth of dishes pile up! But I don't know if the plastic material holds up to lye, and... my pretty black cast iron sink has to go somewhere! Would 3 sinks be excessive? Lol I also have a couple used stainless steel sinks lying around the farm so I'm pretty sink- rich right now. Gotta make up my mind though!

 

[Susie]

I would make soap in the stainless sink. If you can find a place to put it.