Lye terror

[crey15]

So I am still completely terrified of my lye ans proceed with extreme caution when making soap. I made a batch tonight and got a little batter on the kitchen counter. How do I clean it off? Throw away the counter? Haha jk but it totally is freaking me out

 

[Happysoap]

Always have some vinegar around. It takes about two times as much vinegar as lye to neutralise it. No big deal as long as you clean it up.

 

[AnnaMarie]

No need to freak out . You are cleaning up soap after all! Just wipe off the counter with a wet rag until clean. Rinse the rag and repeat until you feel better ( once should take care of things fine). Seriously though, don't worry. No kitchen remodeling required.
Cheers!
Anna Marie

 

[Obsidian]

I just wipe up the mess with a dry paper towel, I'll come back later and clean up with water once the soap is all done and everything is put away.

 

[seven]

^^^
that!

paper towel is ma bestfriend!

 

[Susie]

Paper towel. Come back later with water. No need for freaking. It is, after all, the same stuff that you pour into the mold, and have to clean it off all the items you used to make it.

 

[MzMolly65]

I leave dribbles sit for a 1/2 hour and when they are "firm" (not solid, but harder than pudding) I scrape them into a container and save them to use in sugar scrubs or for making embeds. But then, I hate wasting a drop and scrape all my containers and spatulas off and save that too. You'd be surprised and how that adds up. After 5 batches of soap and I have enough scraps saved for a batch of sugar scrubs or embeds.

If you're worried about your counters or table, I did see a video where the soap maker used a cotton padding to cover their table and any dribbles or spills just soaked into that. It looked like the 1/2" or 1/4" cotton padding you'd used for quilt batting and it could be washed every so often. I thought it was a good idea but since I don't mind the spills and have old counters, I can't be arsed LOL!

 

[engblom]

The most dangerous part of lye handling is while it is still in granular form or while the solution is still hot. Getting granular directly on wet skin is bad. Also it is bad to get the boiling hot lye solution over yourself.

Once you have it in the oils, and chilled down it is not that bad. I'm even washing by hand the batter off from the mixer (without gloves). It has not left any lye burn on my hands. Just wipe your splashes with anything wet (diluting the lye) and rinse your hands.

 

[crey15]

Ok thank you!!! So no need to worry

 

[houseofwool]

Ok thank you!!! So no need to worry

Nope, no need to worry - be cautious, but not worried.

 

[DeeAnna]

I hear what you're saying, Engblom, but I'd say the most dangerous part of handling lye is being fearful of it.

Fear makes a person jumpy and over-reactive and more prone to mistakes and accidents. Planning and experience will help most people relax. Plan and prepare -- use safety glasses and gloves, have fresh running water available nearby, keep inexpensive cloths or paper towels ready for use, and rehearse what you will do for first aid should it be needed.

Then let it go, focus on your work, and soap with grace and joy.

 

[newbie]

I lay down a dish rag to work on. Dribbles get caught and while a bigger dribble may soak through, you just roll up the rag and put it aside for washing. Wipe down the counter. By the time I get to doing the laundry, it's fully saponified, although I have had soap get too saponified and had a dishrag come out of the wash still stuck together by soap. Then I just soak it before washing. Disclosure: I am incapable of doing anything cleanly so I need the catch-all rag down.

 

[DeeAnna]

I like to soap on my stove top because I can use my stove hood if needed, but obviously the burners are an issue. I started out covering the burners with a big plastic cutting board, but I wasn't too happy with that. Some years ago DH bought some huge sheet pans from the local bakery that was going out of business. One of these pans is big enough to cover my entire stove top, so I use it to soap on now. If something spills, it stays contained. The pan is steel, so no worries about the lye. Works pretty slick!

 

[fuzz-juzz]

I was terrified of lye initially as well but I'm becoming more relaxed, at least about raw soap spills. I just mop them up with paper towel. Rinse with water and that's it. But being careful is the first step in dealing with lye. And not being scared or nervous because that's when accidents happen.
I'm still scared of lye granules because they tend to fly everywhere. I lost one last time I made soap and was lucky to find it on the stove. I have cat that walks all over the kitchen counters etc and I was scared it might end up on his paws or fur.

 

[SparkyM]

So long as you follow safety precautions there's nothing to worry about. One thing I do not understand is why people won't spend $15 on a proper respirator and another $15 on cartridges that filter acidic vapors. That and people not using proper chemical splash goggles - $5 at most hardware stores.

For spills like that, yes, paper towel is fine. And at final cleanup just douse a sponge in some vinegar and give the counter and lye related stuff a good wipe down.

 

[fuzz-juzz]

I have googles that come with a full face protection. Only uncovered bit is the top of my forehead and it's leak proof around eyes. I paid quite a bit more than $5 but wouldn't be without it.
As for the vapour, I just stand back for 10 sec and it's gone through the window.

 

[judymoody]

As long as you keep your gloves and goggles on until your soap is poured and your mold is stowed, you'll be fine. It is possible to trip with a mold full of fluid, raw soap batter so best to be keep protection on until the end.

I do wipe up dribbles asap. If you have a formica countertop, it can discolor/stain/change the texture of your countertop.

 

[grayceworks]

I put down parchment or freezer paper on my work surface (usually the flat stove-top) and that way, if there's spills, they're on the paper, not on the stove. Makes cleanup easy, don't have to worry about where to set my utensils down, not worried about dribbles. Even with overflowing crockpots, you can just scrape the soap off the sides onto the paper, pick up the paper, and dump it all back in the pot.

And if somehow, I've managed NOT to make a mess, then I can unmold and cut on it also after I'm done.