Disposing inert lye

Soapmaking Forum

Help Support Soapmaking Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

TAS

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 7, 2008
Messages
160
Reaction score
135
Location
Colorado
I've never had this issue before - old lye. How should I dispose of it?
Thanks in advance.
 
Depending on how much lye that you have, I poured mine down the drain and flushed the drain with water.
 
lsg, Not sure exactly how much I have - maybe do it in small increments. Took a hiatus from 2014 to present...
 
Is it clumpy? If it was stored properly it's probably still good and only lost a few percentage points of purity. However, if it's got hard clumps that you can easily squeeze back into beads/flakes then, yeah, I'd try to dispose of it. Otherwise, maybe make a small batch, try a lower super-fat and see how it does.
 
Is it clumpy? If it was stored properly it's probably still good and only lost a few percentage points of purity. However, if it's got hard clumps that you can easily squeeze back into beads/flakes then, yeah, I'd try to dispose of it. Otherwise, maybe make a small batch, try a lower super-fat and see how it does.
It's hard clumpy and I did a batch - it's soap but very, very soft. My numbers were good so I know it was not my formula. I know that given time I will be able to use the soap but no wrapping and no using until it's cured. I live in a dry climate so I am not too worried about DOS. I don't want to risk any more batches.
 
Since lye is drain cleaner, you can use it for that. If you aren't in a hurry to get rid of it you can add a couple of Tbsp to sinks & showers periodically to keep them flowing nicely. I do it occasionally to my showers when the female long hair builds up.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top