What are the proper safety precautions when working with lye?

What are the proper safety precautions when working with lye?

Working With Lye (Sodium Hydroxide and Potassium Hydroxide )

• ALWAYS wear goggles, gloves, and protective clothing when handling lye.
• NO short sleeved shirts, short pants, or sandals.
• ALWAYS work with lye in a well ventilated area.
• Remove contaminated clothing immediately.
• Clean up spills immediately.

What kind of gloves do you use for lye?

Sodium Hydroxide: This chemical is highly corrosive and can easily cause skin burns if you handle it unprotected. If the solution you are using contains up to a 50% concentration of sodium hydroxide, it is safe to use a nitrile or vinyl glove.

How can I use lye safely?

Wear Proper Safety Gear: When working with lye, wearing protective safety gear is a must. This includes eye goggles, gloves, long sleeves and long pants. Covering your skin helps protect it from spills or drops of lye solution. Some soapers also like to wear surgical masks to avoid breathing in any fumes.

Do nitrile gloves protect against lye?

Chemical-resistant gloves are made of nitrile and are allergy-free. These gloves are 6 mils thick and provide light duty protection from chemicals. These sheer, lightweight chemical-resistant gloves are disposable and are perfect for protecting hands from the lye in uncured soap.

What precautions should one use when working with sodium hydroxide?

What Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is needed when working with sodium hydroxide? Eye/Face Protection: Wear chemical safety goggles. A face shield (with safety goggles) may also be necessary. Skin Protection: Wear chemical protective clothing e.g. gloves, aprons, boots.

Does lye eat through plastic?

Plastic. The right kind of plastic container is the best choice for mixing and storing lye solution. The green “E” means the plastic has excellent chemical resistance to alkali, so these plastics are the ones to look for when choosing a lye storage container.

Will lye eat through latex gloves?

Wear Gloves and Protective Goggles The lye crystals, lye water, and raw soap batter is caustic and can burn you. Rubber gloves and protective eye goggles are a necessity. Put your gloves and safety glasses on before you begin soap making and don’t remove them until clean up is done.

What soaps make gloves?

All soapmakers should wear gloves that can withstand exposure to lye solution, raw soap, and fragrance materials. I personally prefer nitrile gloves, as I’m allergic to latex. They come in a variety of lengths, so you can get more forearm coverage, if you wish.

Is lye safe for pipes?

Reactions of Lye and PVC Since lye is so basic and caustic, it can harm PVC piping. The chemical should not react with the surface of the PVC piping, but if used incorrectly at high concentrations, it could eat away at a crack or flaw in the piping, causing it to fail.

Is lye a hazardous material?

We all know that lye is a hazardous material. Since we use it safely every day, it may not seem so hazardous to us.

What are the risks of sodium hydroxide?

Contact with very high concentrations of sodium hydroxide can cause severe burns to the eyes, skin, digestive system or lungs, resulting in permanent damage or death. Prolonged or repeated skin contact may cause dermatitis. Repeated inhalation of sodium hydroxide vapor can lead to permanent lung damage.

How would you handle small spills and the Personal Protective required to work with Naoh?

Immediately flush with large amounts of water for at least 30 minutes, lifting upper and lower lids. Remove contact lenses, if worn, while flushing. Seek medical attention immediately. brush off excess chemical and wash gently with large amounts water for at least 30 minutes.

What should you wear when working with lye?

Wear Proper Safety Gear: When working with lye, wearing protective safety gear is a must. This includes eye goggles, gloves, long sleeves and long pants. Covering your skin helps protect it from spills or drops of lye solution. Some soapers also like to wear surgical masks to avoid breathing in any fumes.

Is sodium hydroxide lye safe to use?

During this process it’s important to make safety a top priority. Sodium hydroxide lye is an inorganic compound commonly found in drain cleaners like Draino. Sodium hydroxide lye is highly caustic and has the potential to burn the skin. Like driving a car, sodium hydroxide is safe when handled properly.

Is Lye safe to use in cold process soap?

But because lye has the potential to be extremely dangerous,  it’s important to take every safety precaution when making cold process soap. Sodium hydroxide lyeis available in various forms, such as flakes, pellets and powder.

What kind of container should I use to mix Lye?

The container should be a sturdy, heat-resistant plastic or glass. I don’t recommend mixing lye solution in a metal container. This is because the lye solution gets incredibly hot. It’s also because lye and some metals produce a hazardous reaction.