Reusing Soap Making Equipment?

[hmlove1218]

Everywhere I've read, it says not to use anything you've made soap in for any other purpose again, but they don't explain why. Do you really have to buy a whole different set of mixing cups and containers just for soap making? Can't you just wash it really well and use vinegar to neutralize any remaining lye? Stainless steel and glass are nonporous so they're not going to absorb any of the chemicals. And after it's all said and done, it's just soap that you're making. Could someone clear this matter up for me?

 

[robnbill]

I use a stainless bowl to mix my lye in and pyrex to put remeasured ingredients into prior to making the soap. These all go into the dishwasher once done and I do use them for cooking. However, anything plastic or silicon use in the soap making only gets used for soap making. This is just me. Some do not reuse anything.

 

[neeners]

most of my equipment is plastic, so i don't reuse. they are cheap or reused items themselves (e.g. yogurt containers), so i don't feel bad it's for soaping only. i like having 2 sets of stuff so i don't need to clean my soaping things immediately after using. i still have some lying around from last week that i've been too lazy to clean.....

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

For me it depends on what actually touches lye/raw batter and what doesn't

 

[neeners]

i lie, i reuse my scale.....

 

[SoapMakingTommy]

I am not sure what kind of equipment you are using but i use a blender a spoon my cooking pot pyrex measuring cups measuring spoons...., and i reuse everything, I just wash it rely well and dry it well and put it away until the next time i have to use it.
I know you did not say you wash with vinegar but just a heads up, you should wash with water first then you can use vinegar to neutralize any that is remaining.

 

[coffeetime]

The lye solution can cause micro fractures in the glass measuring cups, causing them to fail (break) later on. I used to use canning jars and then had a run of broken jars when I used them for canning. Lesson learned.

 

[shunt2011]

I have a separate set of soaping stuff. Stainless pot, spoons etc. I do not cross from soaping to cookng with the same equipment with the excepton of stainless spoons once in awhile that I only use for colorants though. Otherwise separate everything. I've noticed the spoons I've been using for soaping have discolored and I'm assuming it's from the lye mixture. It hasn't weakened them or anything just kind of darkened them a bit. I would rather be safe than sorry personally.

 

[SoapMakingTommy]

They do sell food grade lye. I wonder if you use that and have everything else food grade, would you worry as much?

 

[pamielynn]

If you get fragrance oil on your plastic, you will taste it forever.

I reuse glass and SS if it's only come in contact with lye water. Lye is used in cooking - it's not going to spoil your pots or utensils, in the way that you can never use them again.

 

[EvilTOJ]

If you get fragrance oil on your plastic, you will taste it forever.

This is the answer. The reason to use separate items is that you might taste soap or fragrance if you use them later for cooking. I already had SS cookware from making beer so that's what I use. I have a stick blender I use exclusively for soap, because I don't think I'll ever get the soap taste out of it completely. I don't use fragrances so I've never had problems with tasting it forever.

 

[hmlove1218]

Thank y'all for the answers. I wouldn't use anything plastic or silicone again because it's a porous surface and I'd be afraid it would absorb something nasty. But I didn't understand why you couldn't use metal or glass things for cooking afterwards. I guess it's just a personal preference or precaution, but I think I'll be reusing things once I get started. Thanks again!

 

[Lin]

I've also heard many warnings from people who used glass for lye water and had it eventually break. You can purchase a cheap plastic pitcher from walmart or the dollar store and make it the designated lye pitcher for under a dollar. Much better than ruining nice glass or pyrex stuff.

 

[fuzz-juzz]

If you get fragrance oil on your plastic, you will taste it forever.

That and also anything made of silicone will absorb fragrance. All my silicone spatulas and whisks smell like some kind of FO.
If you buy everything sort of cheap, there should be no need for utensils reuse in food preparation. I bought everything from cheapest places, $2 spatulas and whisks, $3 plastic jugs and bowls, etc. Most expensive was Pyrex jug that I melt oils in, it was old and scratched, so instead being thrown out, it was perfect for soap making. Stick blender I also don't reuse, $10 one has being going strong for the last year.

 

[maya]

There is also the likelihood of cross contamination of food into your soap. If you eat, for instance, peanut butter then soap with that same spoon and a minute amount of peanut butter gets into the soap. Yet, it is not labeled as peanut butter soap, what happens when one has an anaphylactic reaction?

 

[DeeAnna]

I'm with Pamielynn.

If it's had lye or soap batter in it and you can clean it up good, then it'll be fine for normal kitchen use. If I can't clean something well -- say the nooks and crannies of my stick blender -- then I do reserve it for soaping use only. Lye water breaks down into chemicals that you eat -- the Na is in table salt (NaCl) and the K is in "lite" table salt (KCl) -- so any possible trace contamination is going to be pretty benign. It's not remotely the same as using a container that's had arsenic in it, for example -- that is toxic forever.

But FOs and EOs are another story -- they can have create lingering tastes and odors, especially in plastics or in porous surfaces. Containers and utensils that I've used for full strength fragrances stay in my soap making kit.

 

[Seawolfe]

Separate stuff: the plastic drink cup to weigh my lye and the paint stir stick to mix it with water. Oh and the plastic drawer divider I use as a mold.

I bought a Pyrex glass 4 cup measuring cup to mix the lye water in, was thinking of keeping it separate, but it cleans up real well, so it goes in the dishwasher and joins the general use. Same for the other Pyrex I some times melt the oils in and mix the lye into.

I commandeered hubby's stick blender, it's cleaned up perfefectly each time after making soap, but is probably for soaping only now. We usually use my good ninja stick blender for cooking anyways.

I use the crockpot for HP, but the end soap is saponified (handy for final clean up) and the pot cleans up perfectly, so Im comfortable using it for food still.

 

[Dennis]

Concerning plastic instead of glass for lye or batter, do NOT use any plastic container with a seam. Oh boy, did I find that out the hard way. I used the batter bowl for a while then one day the seam let go and I lost most of a 42oz batch. This was heated oil only, no lye added yet. Didn't have time for pictures as the mess was epic but it would have been an award winner on the Mess and Mayhem thread.

 

[roseb]

Cross using is not worth it for me. I have separate cooking and soaping equipment. Even if it's just for colorants...I don't want to get mixed up. I use mostly plastic with the exception of my stain steel stock pot. Case in point...my stock pot smells great from all the EOs and FOs (even after a thorough washing) but I wouldn't want my food smelling like that.

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

Lye damages glass items - it actually etches glass. So the more you use it, not only is it more dangerous, it also has tiny imperfections that you will find hard to clean properly.

There is a rather good article on the basic equipment here.......................