What's caustic soda for?

Ben84

Lye can be harmful if misused, but this thread is exaggerating the risks at some points.

In a laboratory environment, lye is not the scary stuff we lock away in a cupboard and worry about. It's actually low risk compared to many things used in labs.

Also, lye is not toxic. I'm pretty sure that nothing sold for ordinary consumer use is classified as toxic. I have never seen the toxic sign on any consumer product.

Lye is simply a very strong alkaline. It reacts with a lot of stuff, including skin. So it causes chemical burns if you put the powder or concentrated solutions on yourself. This danger is comparable to handling hot liquids, such as boiling water for cooking, or the hot oil when deep frying. Also, many of us have been regularly using strong lye solutions for years anyway as it's a major ingredient in many oven cleaners and drain unblocking products.

I find lye useful for unblocking drains, but mostly use it to make soap. I'm careful and use protective gloves and glasses while using it. However, it's no greater risk than everyday things like deep frying or boiling water.

antrobus

Munkee wrote: »

Any ideas, hints and tips please?

Useful for getting rid of dead bodies, if you happen to have one that you need to get rid of without attracting attention.

splishsplash

Caustic soda is very useful for cleaning anything fatty/oily or protein based. It works a treat at unblocking drains, cleaning ovens or hobs, oil stains etc. It works a treat on glass oven door or dishes with baked on stuff also. It's a main ingredient in many proprietary oven cleaner brands (Mr Muscle, Oven Pride, even Dettol Spray Power and Pure Kitchen - and you don't even need to rinse that one, according to the manufacturers!).

I've always had it in the house. Bearing in mind that it is strongly caustic - burning/corrosive - then of course it is necessary to take precautions. Just like I do with bleach, weedkiller or any other dangerous chemical I use on a regular basis.

Really no need to get hysterical about it though. Very useful stuff.

System

Munkee wrote: »

Any ideas, hints and tips please?

Dissolving bodies under patios?

ContraryMiss

Ben84 wrote: »

Lye can be harmful if misused, but this thread is exaggerating the risks at some points.

However, it's no greater risk than everyday things like deep frying or boiling water.

Have to disagree. When i was a 9 month old baby i crawled across a squeasy bottle of caustic soda (what can i say it was the 70s) i suffered 3rd degree burns to my leg. Several skin grafts. The scar now goes from my knee to my ankle and is the width of the side of my leg. As for uses, in this case it had been used to clean up in my grandparents pub. Never underestimate the corrosive nature of this solution.

welshbookworm

I used this stuff to strip 6 doors over the weekend before repainting and even with gloves I have burns all over my hands because the gloves weren't good enough!
Very effective, but needs a great deal of care using!

welshbookworm

After going to the hospital to have my hands checked out, I now have
finger in a finger stall
thumb in a finger stall
6" of plasters from my first knuckle towards my arm
8 other fingers (including other thumb) covered in Vaseline.
And I can't roll a flipping cigarette! !!!!!!!
Memo to self, cheap gloves are NOT a bargain when they don't do the job of protecting your hands!
Back to the hospital tomorrow to have the dressings changed.

Angelina-M

I'm a soap maker too and I do find it pretty incredible that the evil stuff is what makes our soap!

When I first started out I looked around for alternatives as I couldn't believe it was the best way but there were no other choices except for buying a base that someone else had made.

I started using it and treating it very carefully and I have lost my fear now. Been making soap for about twelve years and there is none more gentle than homemade

julie777

Don't know what I did wrong put put caustic soda in loo to deep clean and it set so hard I've never been able to get rid of it!

IrishWasherWoman

I have never tried this yet - always have good intentions for the future though...
Cooking oil + meths. + caustic soda makes cheap alternative to diesel fuel.
However, the manufacure of it is strictly under the eyes of:
1. HMRC (because of fuel duty exeptions)
2. The Environment Agency
3. The Health and Safety Executive.
As long as all these are satisfied with your premises, storage, usage, and production methods and amounts, you can get permission to make your own fuel, which can be about 1/4 the cost of normal prices.
Recipes, rules, and contact details available on Youtube and agency sites.