Protective equipment

[PrettySusannah]

Just curious, what protective equipment do you wear while making soap?

 

[shunt2011]

Gloves and eye protection. Also make sure the furry kid is out of the kitchen.

 

[BlackDog]

Same as shunt, plus long sleeves and SHOES! I gave been known to lose a few batter droplets over the countertop.

 

[houseofwool]

I wear disposable nitrile gloves and goggles that fit over my glasses.

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

As above - eye protection, disposable gloves, long sleeves and something closed on the feet. Id rather be a touch warm for a wee while than have an itchy patch for a few days

 

[Steve85569]

Like has been said and +1 on the shoes.
I soap in the same room as the wood stove ( whole house heat) so I'm comfy BUT lye respects nothing and I am prone to being a bit clumsy. A little fresh batter can leave a lasting memory. (and a mark)

 

[snappyllama]

Ditto on the gloves, googles and shoes. I'm guilty of not wearing long sleeves. My unconscious habit is to always hoist up the sleeves, and I've absentmindedly done it with a little batter on my gloves. Quickly stripping off a long tee in my kitchen to run cool water over my arm could have given my neighbor a show (thankfully he had just stopped cutting down trees and was out of view). I cannot break myself of the habit of pushing up my sleeves so I have to forgo them.

My shoes are closed toe slippers since we don't wear shoes in the house. I figure they are better than nothing plus they are poofy frogs so it will take a while for any small amount of batter to eat through to my feet.

I have an apron I wear also. It's not a chemical resistant one, but does have water beading layer of some type on it (we had a spray in the garage that water proofs cloth).

 

[IrishLass]

While mixing my lye solution: Goggles, sturdy rubber gloves that are long enough to cover my forearms, and protection for my mouth & nose so that I don't breathe in any of the lye fumes while mixing.

While soaping: Goggles, disposable nitrile gloves and an apron. I like using the nitrile gloves for the actual soaping part instead of the more sturdy-type that I use for mixing my lye, because they are less cumbersome/allow for more precise hand dexterity.

I purposely don't wear long-sleeves while soaping (anymore) because they turned out to be more trouble for me than they were worth. The few times that I got raw soap batter on the long sleeves, it soaked through to my skin, and when I felt the tell-tale itching, I had to stop what I was doing, take off my gloves, take off my apron, take off my shirt (thankfully, my blinds were closed) and wash the spot on my arm before I could re-dress myself in a clean shirt and continue. If I get soap on my bare arm while wearing short sleeves, there's no need for me to stop what I'm doing to undress. All I need to do is give my arm a quick rinse under the faucet and continue on soaping. I soap in my kitchen sink, btw, so the faucet is just a few inches away.


IrishLass

 

[amd]

I cannot break myself of the habit of pushing up my sleeves so I have to forgo them.

Have you tried rubber bands to hold your sleeves in place? I've found that keeps me from trying to push them up.

Ditto everyone else on shoes and goggles. I wear nitrile gloves under my long latex gloves so I can easily switch between lye mixing and coloring and designing.

 

[snappyllama]

Have you tried rubber bands to hold your sleeves in place? I've found that keeps me from trying to push them up.

Ditto everyone else on shoes and goggles. I wear nitrile gloves under my long latex gloves so I can easily switch between lye mixing and coloring and designing.

I'll try that out! I'm very much a creature of habit so if it works that will be a miracle.

 

[paillo]

Nitrile disposable gloves (find I can reuse them maybe three times unless they get fragile), shoes, I have big glasses so usually don't bother with goggles. I know, I'm a slacker. I always have my sleeves rolled up too, if I get a little lye on an arm it's easy to rinse off, I soap in my kitchen too. An old towel or rug to protect the hardwood floor where I'm working. Most most importantly, furries out of the kitchen! And I thoroughly mop up anything within reach afterwards and do the dishes.

 

[pjones]

I just realized I am WAY too relaxed when I soap... Time to put clothes on I guess. Looks like soap making just got a little more formal.

 

[KristaY]

In addition to gloves, sleeves, apron and closed shoes, I've started using a face shield instead of goggles. It doesn't distort my vision with my glasses on as much as the goggles. Plus, when I look down it hits my collarbone area so the rest of my face is protected too. I look like a complete dork but at least my face is safe from potential flying batter!

 

[KristaY]

I just realized I am WAY too relaxed when I soap... Time to put clothes on I guess. Looks like soap making just got a little more formal.

Same principal that applies to frying bacon. My 6' 6" BIL once told the family (at a holiday dinner, no less) about the lesson he learned about not frying bacon when you're naked. Ended up wearing loose fitting pants for several days.....

 

[PrettySusannah]

I'll try that out! I'm very much a creature of habit so if it works that will be a miracle.

Or you could do what I do. I always use duct tape to secure the dishwashing gloves to my sleeves when making soap.

 

[cerelife]

Same principal that applies to frying bacon. My 6' 6" BIL once told the family (at a holiday dinner, no less) about the lesson he learned about not frying bacon when you're naked. Ended up wearing loose fitting pants for several days.....

That is hilarious!!

My 'musts' are goggles, nitrile gloves and all the furry babies locked out of the kitchen when I soap - AND I clean the counters and mop the floor with vinegar before I let them back in!
However, I am sooo not a soapy role model in that I soap in t-shirts and shorts and I'm usually barefoot (or at best wearing flip-flops). I realize this isn't the norm, but I live in the Deep South and I'm willing to deal with the occasional lye burn to soap comfortably. Plus it's easier to rinse off a fleck of lye or a splash of raw batter when you're half-naked anyway. If I ever have a serious spill, I'll only have myself to blame, since I DO know better!

 

[cmzaha]

Nitrile gloves here too, regular glasses that I were full time. Other than that usually flippy flops and short sleeves. So I am also not the poster gal for soaping. When batching lye I do wear my heavier dish washing gloves. They are chemical resistant and longer than my nitriles.

 

[Susie]

Nitrile disposable gloves (find I can reuse them maybe three times unless they get fragile)

Please do not re-use nitrile gloves. Things like this happen when you get tiny holes:

http://www.soapmakingforum.com/showthread.php?t=57977

 

[Arimara]

I use gloves, lab coat, shoes, face mask and goggles. The rubber sleeve bands don't sound too bad.

 

[hmlove1218]

Some of yall get full on mad scientist when yall soap . Definitely not a bad thing, I'm just more of a caution to the wind soaper I guess. Like others, I wear goggles and nitrile gloves, but I'm usually in short sleeves because I also have a habit of pushing up my sleeves. Not to mention, and this is personal preference only, I find long sleeves a pain as I susally get something on my sleeve and then it is EVERYWHERE. Shoes are also iffy..