What's caustic soda for?

tawnyowls

Js_Other_Half wrote:

Cathy treats it with respect, and is unlikely to be harmed by it. What upsets me is the ease of which it can be bought - every local corner shop nearby seems to sell it with no advice or warning.

Indeed, and that's the problem. Caustic soda is sodium hydroxide, and if you used that in a laboratory, it would be kept in a locked cupboard, handled by people with full protective clothing, gloves, goggles, etc, yet you can buy exactly the same stuff in, as said above, any corner shop. It's not even restricted to DIY stores or anything - any pound shop will stock it as drain cleaner.

There are generally safer alternatives to use it for unblocking drains etc.

Contains_Mild_Peril

It's usually the most effective drain unblocker you can get, but as has been mentioned, it must be used with extreme caution. It's also useful as a last-resort toilet cleaner, if the lavvy pan is in such a state that normal cleaning products don't work properly (as sometimes happens if a property has been empty for years and no-one cleaned the loo when it was vacated).
As a paint stripper, it's very effective, but really for outdoor use only.
Unbelievably, I saw a bit on a telly programme about a goalkeeper who suffered horrific burns because some muppet had used the stuff to mark the white lines on a football pitch!

wilroda

I recently bought a bottle of caustic soda to clean the drains and would like to know what you all use it for.

My OH has done a wonderful job of cleaning the patio and our wooden outside chairs with it with minimal effort and he tells me that I can use it to clean the oven too although good rubber gloves are needed when you use it....

Having spent a whole pound on the bottle it has proved to be great value!

Penelope_Penguin

We have an older thread on the uses (and dangers :eek: ) of caustic soda. I'll merge this one into it.

Penny. x

Miles16v

Is it ok to use with interior plastic pipes as a drain cleaner?

Also, will it be any good at cleaning oil stains from my tarmac driveway?

wigwam_salesman

All you need to know about caustic soda is that various drug cartels and mafia organisations consider it to be the best method for completely dissolving a human body.

Tiddler_2

Anyone know where I can buy some from as need to unblock a drain

Cheers

Pink.

Hi tiddler,

You can get it from Wilkinson's if you have one near you.

Pink

Tiddler_2

Cool - cheers

tessie_bear

i sometimes use caustic soda to unblock my drain but take care with it its quite scary stuff