What to store lye in???

[carebear]

Wipe the outside of the container very well with a fabric softener sheet before opening it. Every bit of it.

Once you open, wipe the inside of the mouth of the container as well. And then use a metal spoon or pour - into a glass or metal container.

Static LOVES plastic.

(I store my lye in plastic and usually pour it out, but after about 300++ batches I'm pretty good at it - a beginner should probably spoon it out.

 

[heartsong]

lye

hi there!

i don't know why, but every so often it does that to me too! i buy in bulk and do one or the other:

get a big mouthed plastic canister with moisture-proof seal and dump it out in there, then scoop out what you need with a plastic or stainless measuring cup.

also when i have time i pre-measure my lye in separate ziplocks (since my batches are all the same) i fill about 2 dozen at a time, so when i'm ready to soap, i just cut the corner of the bag and dump it in my liquids. i store all the bags in a big plastic container marked LYE!-

be careful if you have little ones!

 

[heartsong]

lye

great idea, carebear! you know some great "secrets"! i'll try the fabric sheets next time i get lye. who would have thought?-go figure!

 

[carebear]

well on a related hint, I also give my vacuum cleaner a good rub-down with them before starting - seems to cut down on the dust collecting on the OUTSIDE of the thing. (not that I vacuum often LOL)

 

[welder]

SAFETY WARNING:

DO NOT STORE OR MIX LYE IN AN ALUMINUM VESSEL.

LYE IS HIGHLY HYGROSCOPIC AND IF IT CAN GET ACCESS TO OUTSIDE AIR (poorly fit lid etc) THEN IT MAY ABSORB ATMOSPHERIC MOISTURE AND SLOWLY EAT THROUGH THE ALUMINUM.

THIS IS ALSO PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS SINCE AS LYE EATS ALUMINUM, IT PRODUCES EXPLOSIVE HYDROGEN GAS.

ALSO, NEVER ALLOW LYE TO CONTACT SUGAR. IF IT DOES, IT CAN REACT TO FORM CARBON MONOXIDE GAS.




Sorry for all the shouting (upper case lettering), but safety is important with lye.

I'm a newbie, but I'm a safety conscious one.