Dishwasher with other stuff?

[baileybars]

Hi, I apologise if there is already an answer to this question somewhere else but I have been looking high and low and cannot find a direct answer!

I made my first batch of soap yesterday. When I was done, the bowls and utensils had been sitting for a bit soaking in water. Afterwards, I popped them in the dishwasher with the rest of the household dishes and ran a wash. Is this safe? I've now read that running soap batter down the drain can cause clogging, so I will avoid doing this again, but I'm more concerned about the safety of using the remaining dishes. There was barely any batter left in the bowl as I scraped virtually all of it out beforehand, but is that + the bowl that contained the lye mixture ok to wash with other dishes or do I now need to discard the dishes? Grateful for any help, cheers!

 

[lsg]

If your dishes are stainless steel, ceramic or glass, I think they will be fine with a thorough washing and rinsing. I have set aside containers and utensils that I use just for making soap.

 

[DeeAnna]

Sodium hydroxide is hazardous, but it is not poisonous. You don't need to discard the dishes. Just wash and rinse them as you normally do.

 

[Zing]

Congrats on your first loaf! When I'm done pouring, I use newspapers to wipe off my soap making equipment. Then I wait 24-48 hours and then any leftovers turn in to soap. Then I put these in my dishwasher (just got my first one ever!) -- without other household dishes -- and run on the 'heavy duty' cycle. I don't know if the segregating and heavy duty cycle is overkill or not, but it works for me.

When I first started soaping, I washed soap making dishes immediately but they were difficult to get clean. So now I let time be my friend.

 

[baileybars]

Sodium hydroxide is hazardous, but it is not poisonous. You don't need to discard the dishes. Just wash and rinse them as you normally do.

Thank you Do you know if I can wash my soap stuff (including lye water bowl) with the rest of the normal dishes in the machine?

 

[baileybars]

Congrats on your first loaf! When I'm done pouring, I use newspapers to wipe off my soap making equipment. Then I wait 24-48 hours and then any leftovers turn in to soap. Then I put these in my dishwasher (just got my first one ever!) -- without other household dishes -- and run on the 'heavy duty' cycle. I don't know if the segregating and heavy duty cycle is overkill or not, but it works for me.

When I first started soaping, I washed soap making dishes immediately but they were difficult to get clean. So now I let time be my friend.

Thank you! I just made another batch and will wait to clean out the bowls, I just wiped them. Does the same apply for the bowl which contained the lye and the lye water? Cause that obviously won’t turn into soap like the bowl that had the soap batter!

 

[baileybars]

If your dishes are stainless steel, ceramic or glass, I think they will be fine with a thorough washing and rinsing. I have set aside containers and utensils that I use just for making soap.

Thanks! Yes I also have certain bowls and utensils for soap making

 

[DeeAnna]

Thank you Do you know if I can wash my soap stuff (including lye water bowl) with the rest of the normal dishes in the machine?

Yes, but be sure to rinse the lye container well and also wipe out as much of the soap batter residue as you can. I often wash my soap making bowls and utensils in the dishwasher to remove the last bits of greasy residue.

 

[TheGecko]

I rinse my lye container in hot water, spray with white vinegar, rinse again and put in the dishwasher. I wipe down all my other soaping stuff with microfiber towels, spray with a ‘orange’ cleaner, rinse and toss in the dishwasher. Or I’ll fill the sink with soap and water and wash. I then wash out the towels in the sink and toss them in the washer. Been soaping for over a year and a half and no one has gotten sick.

ETA: The Orange cleaner is just some stuff that I picked up from the Dollar Store. And I forgot to mention that we have old pipes here...to the extent that we bought a snake. At least twice I year, I was buying 'drain cleaner' from Home Depot and put it down our bathroom drains. I now just make a small batch of fresh lye and pour...much, much cheaper.

 

[baileybars]

I rinse my lye container in hot water, spray with white vinegar, rinse again and put in the dishwasher. I wipe down all my other soaping stuff with microfiber towels, spray with a ‘orange’ cleaner, rinse and toss in the dishwasher. Or I’ll fill the sink with soap and water and wash. I then wash out the towels in the sink and toss them in the washer. Been soaping for over a year and a half and no one has gotten sick.

Thank you !!

 

[LBV]

Just a small warning. I used peppermint essential oil in one of my soaps. The dishwasher smelt of peppermint for a week.

 

[baileybars]

Just a small warning. I used peppermint essential oil in one of my soaps. The dishwasher smelt of peppermint for a week.

Oh no!! Ive done the same thing but luckily my dishwasher survived the smell... the whole house smelled of it though

 

[earlene]

The only time I actually use soap on my lye container is if I add other additives to the lye. If it's just water & Lye, I only rinse it out with a lot of cold water and let it dry & put it back in it's home on my work table. I do not leave it to sit with the soap dishes, ever, because it is the easiest to clean of everything.

The other thing I don't like to leave to sit is my stick blender. The gasket in the bell will deteriorate from prolonged exposure to lye, so I clean it immediately after finishing making soap.

 

[Zing]

The dishwasher smelt of peppermint for a week.

Oh no!! Ive done the same thing but luckily my dishwasher survived the smell... the whole house smelled of it though

And your problem is what exactly?