Freezing water for lye mixture

[kniquy]

I currently soap in my basement. In the warmer months I have used my bulkhead area to mix my lye so that the fumes are not an issue. In these colder, snowy months I don’t have access to that area. I am considering freezing my water for my lye mixture.

Am I correct in thinking that freezing the water either eliminates or significantly reduces the fumes from the lye? Making it safe to mix lye in the basement. I have a small basement window that I can use a box fan with to help with air circulation.

Are there any pro/cons to doing this that I should be aware of?

 

[Misschief]

Freezing the water will not eliminate the fumes. When it's too cold for me to go outside, which doesn't happen often (my kitchen counter is, literally, right beside my back door), I put the bowl in the sink and cover my mouth and nose with a tea towel folded in half or quarter. The fumes subside quickly once the lye is completely dissolved.

 

[DeeAnna]

Yes, it can be done, because people use frozen milk to make their lye solution when they want to keep a milk-based soap as white as possible. But if the reason why you want to use ice is mainly a concern about safety rather than esthetics, I think there are other options that are as effective and less fiddly.

I keep a cover on the lye container until the vapor stops evolving -- say about 10 minutes. It doesn't take much of a cover either -- a folded paper towel works fine. Discard the towel after it's not needed anymore.

You could also use ice-cold water if you want to, rather than room temp water.

And you can put the container in a bath of ice water to chill the lye solution faster.

 

[Catscankim]

I start with cold distilled water. I use sugar in my recipe which tends to overheat and make it a little brown in color and lots of fumes if I add the lye all at once. So I add the sugar to the water and stir until it is dissolved. I add a little of the lye, stir, put in the freezer until it is clear. Add a little more lye...repeat 4-5 times. It is more time consuming, but I like the result and there is no fumes. With the added sugar, the end result is a milky-clear solution.

While I am doing this, I prepare my oils. After I add the cooler (room temp) liquid oils to the melted hard oils, the oils and lye solution are at about the same temperature and I am ready to soap.

 

[TheGecko]

Am I correct in thinking that freezing the water either eliminates or significantly reduces the fumes from the lye? Making it safe to mix lye in the basement. I have a small basement window that I can use a box fan with to help with air circulation.

Yes, it reduces the fumes generated by the exothermic reaction, but does not eliminate them entirely. It also has the added benefit of not having to wait as long for your lye solution to cool down.

 

[CatahoulaBubble]

I just put one of my microfiber towels over the top after I stir it. The fumes settle rather quickly.

 

[Becky1024]

I've tried mixing my lye in slushy water since I mix in my kitchen and air flow is not good. Sometimes it is hard to get the lye to dissolve even though I stir and stir and stir. What works best for me is to start with room temperature water. I put my stainless still kitchen thermometer into the water, then add a tablespoon or two of lye, stir to dissolve and watch the temperature. I try to keep it under 140F. As it cools I add another tablespoon or two (the amount depends on how big of a batch you are making). Takes a little longer to get all your lye in, but the fumes are very low.