How to stop soda crystals going hard?

pigpen

Mine came in a plastic bottle and have been kept in the damp leaky under the sink cupboard and have been fine..

I did about half a cup in the WM drawer a sprinkle in the door seal and the drum.. I don't do it often so aren't fussed about using as little as possible, I don't go overboard though because it might block the pipes and then the engineer tells me off

mioliere

I've never had a problem with my soda crystals; if I did, I would definitely email the manufacturers. I'd be interested to know what they say in case it happens to me. I like GreyQueen's idea, though, and think I will do that anyway, to make them easier to use!

firefox1956

Sounds odd to me.
I would go along with the contact manufacturer idea.
I all the years we have used them they have never gone hard.
HTH

squiggles

I have had many hard lumps but not had a whole bag solid yet. I bash my unopened bag on the bench to remove any potential lumps and then pour the crystals into an empty fabric softener bottle (removed plastic label leaving transparent bottle to see contents) and store it in my cupboard along with the rest of my laundry stash.

PlutoinCapricorn

LadyDee, perhaps it is connected to the brand and/or the way they are manufactured. I have very faint memories of getting soda crystals that really were like crystals in the past, but now when I buy them the bag is all powder. Perhaps some brands have an agent that stops them hardening? I have certainly never given them special treatment.

maman

Ladydee, mine always go hard!! (I'm inclined to put some actress/bishop comment there;))


Rather than wasting it I'd suggest you put the lump and pour boiling water over it in your sink. It'll help cut grease/keep it clean. You probably won't use it all so keep the (reduced) lump you've got left for another day.


I'm going to try the milk bottle trick next time I have a fresh pack.

DriPak

For Soda Crystals to set totally solid in the bag, they have to have reached 30 deg C for some time. This is purely down to heat and not humidity. Obviously they do not leave the factory in that state and it's highly unlikely (although not impossible) that the retailer has stored them above that temperature for an extended period.

From a practical point of view, it's not advisable to keep them in the trunk of a car on a warm day for long. If they have set solid, the best thing to do is peel back the top of the bag, like an ice pop and dunk the exposed crystals into warm water. They will rapidly break apart in the water. You can then use the resulting liquor for most of the standard uses.

Unfortunately, it's just the laws of physics and can affect some other laundry products as well. As Scotty says to Captain Kirk "ye cannae change the laws of physics Cap'n".

Debran

I tip mine into an old fabric conditioner bottle - the type with a handle. Of course, it was washed and dried before I first did this. Cut a piece of the soda crystals bag and sellotape it to the bottle so everyone knows what's in it. The neck of the bottle is pretty wide so it's easy to pour the crystals into it.

Not had a problem with the crystals forming lumps.

Brambleberry

One of the bags I had (might have been dripak) advised adding a small amount of water to the crystals.

I keep mine in a repurposed Vanish tub and tried this when they went hard. It is counterintuitive, but it did work. This may be because the crystals naturally have some water bonded to them (my bag indicated the decahydrate form) and if they lose moisture, they may actually bond to each other more strongly.

In a large tub, which holds about 1 standard bag of washing soda, I added about 2 tablespoons of water and left it to stand, then gave it a bit of a prod and stir with the scoop. The crystals were much softer, but had not dissolved.

Hope this helps