Splashes and Cleanup

[Volossya]

I have to admit, a not insignificant portion of my interest in soapmaking came from the opportunity to haul my old college lab coat and goggles out of storage and get back into chemistry. I made soap for the first time today and I'm really glad I wore them (and put cardboard down over my counter), because when stick blending I did get a splash that got onto my lab coat sleeve (and the cardboard). I got the soap to (what I think was) a very thin trace, poured, rinsed out the lye water container, took off the coat and soaked the splashed area with rice vinegar (we didn't have plain white distilled), finished cleaning up, and then put the lab coat in the washing machine. Was this the correct thing to do? What should I do differently next time (other than buy white vinegar)?

Also, how best to wash my lye water container? For my soap batter container and mixer head, I'm just letting the batter saponify and will wash it tomorrow. For my lye water container, however, I just rinsed it several times with hot water. Should I use vinegar? Soap?

 

[Susie]

Your lye water container is fine just being washed like dishes (I use soap in mine, but it is really your choice). No need to use vinegar. Please remove that lab coat as soon as you know there is a splash. Fluid resistant does not equal fluid impermeable unless they have changed lab coats lately. And you do not want that staying where it could seep through to your skin without you knowing. I stopped using any kind of long sleeved shirt for that reason. If it is my bare skin, I know there is a splash right away, and can rinse it off.

 

[bookworm42]

I used to be very cautious and used vinegar on everything. Now I just use copious amounts of water. I make sure to have an empty sink nearby and pile everything in, get lots of water on things/get containers soaking with hot water, and wash like normal dishes. No gloves or anything.
For my counter I'll wipe down with water and clean up any spills (I keep gloves on for this), then I go through with vinegar on a towel and give it a good final scrub down to get rid of any lye. My soaping counter is also our kitchen counter so I like to be careful.
Sometimes if I've made a big mess after the vinegar has dried I also go through with a Clorox wipe.
This is my process but you will develop you own over time. I do wear long sleeves when soaping but I'm also pretty cautious so I haven't spilled on myself yet (knock on wood).

 

[akseattle]

I rinse my lye water container in the sink (with my gloves on), I let all that water go down the drain. I wipe my oily containers with paper towels (I use a spatula to get out as much of the oils while I'm soaping so that I don't lazily waste any oils...). I put all my containers and soaping tools in a big bucket with hot water and I put it out of the way on the back portch. I let it all sit there until I've finished all other cleanup. I soap in my kitchen and i used to cover the counters with newspaper. I once spilled my lye water and it ate some of the grout where the backspash meets the counter top. Turned from a dark color that blends in with the counter top to white ..... Now I use some thin flexible silicone mats. Really easy to lay out, really easy to clean up., and they are impermeable. When I'm completely done with everything, I go back to the bucket filled with all tools. I take out the stick blender and take everything out to the street--- I know, terrible--- I dump the water into the street. I still have my gloves on. I go back into my kitchen, wipe all tools with a paper towel (or old recycled socks that would otherwise be thrown away becuase they have holes or I lost the mate ...). I then put everything in the sink, fill it with hot water and dishwashing liquid and wash them. I keep my gloves on for all this. Even though there is probably not any active lye, I'd rather be safe than sorry.

I turn the stick blender on in a container of hot water and let it whirl around for awhile before I take it out and wash it.

So, on occasion, I've forgotten my bucket on the porch until the next morning.I discovered my August 31 bucket of tools on my back porch in December !!!! I hadn't soaped all that time, hadn't been on my back porch. There were bits of white soap floating on the top of the water so I took it out to the street.

I was always taught not to pour oil down the drain. I know all this coagulated oil is more like soap, but just to be sure..... I try not to put too much down the drain.