How do you clean and sanitize containers for oil?

[C Dizzle]

I was wondering how you all clean, and especially, sanitize your buckets/bottles/etc. for oils. I've read many of you melt and stir palm oil and put into smaller containers. Surely it needs to be sanitized. What do you use?

 

I've read a lot of different ideas on here. Some say bleach, others say 91% isopropyl alcohol, others say chlorox or lysol wipes. What have you used with success?

[TallTayl]

For soap oils i just scrub with dawn and hot water. Rinse and dry. I use the same pails to soap in.

Lye will take care of any incidental stuff. No need to overthink much for soap oils. Just keep covered to prevent dust and stuff from getting in.

The only time i sanitize with bleach solution is when making lotion or other water based product. For those products i have dedicated stainless steel vessels used to heat and hold the ingredients at a temp that kills most pathogens well enough for a broad spectrum preservative to be effective.

[Jcandleattic]

Exactly what TT said. I do the same thing... 

[Candybee]

Lots of hot soapy water! Since I reuse the same buckets over and over again I always give them a good cleaning everytime before use.

 

The buckets I use are the same ones I used to get my oils in when I used to order them from Soapmakingresource.com. SMR always use buckets. So if you don't like transferring them from Soaper's Choice bottles you could order from SMR.

 

Anyway, I just kept the empty SMR buckets and now use them to transfer my oils in from the bottles I order at Soaper's Choice.

[C Dizzle]

The only time i sanitize with bleach solution is when making lotion or other water based product. For those products i have dedicated stainless steel vessels used to heat and hold the ingredients at a temp that kills most pathogens well enough for a broad spectrum preservative to be effective.

 

Do you also sanitize plastic bottles you are putting liquid hand soaps, shampoos, and shower gels in? I would imagine so

[TallTayl]

Packaging for hydrous products, yes, gets an alcohol bath before filling.

[C Dizzle]

I'm guessing isopropyl 91% or 99%?

[TallTayl]

I use 91% mostly to spray on top of my soap in the mold to prevent ash. For sanitizing some chemistry industry friends recommend 70% because 91% evaporates too quickly to be effective on surfaces.

[C Dizzle]

Are you supposed to fill up the empty plastic bottles with the 70% and just pour it out, or reuse it? Seems like you'd have to use an awful lot to fill em up, let em sit, and pour it out

[TallTayl]

Are you supposed to fill up the empty plastic bottles with the 70% and just pour it out, or reuse it? Seems like you'd have to use an awful lot to fill em up, let em sit, and pour it out

I use a fine mist spray bottle to wet the insides. swish. let sit for a few minutes. dump out and dry upside down. All of this is as I am preparing to package so they are not sitting around for long.

[Candybee]

I have an alcohol spritzer bottle I always keep filled. I do something similar. I spritzed the inside of my containers and equipment and wipe then down with clean paper towels. Sometimes I spritz the paper towels too.

 

The alcohol spritzer bottle also comes in handy for the summer for mosquito bites. I spritz the bite area with alcohol and it helps takes the itch right out.

[C Dizzle]

Interesting, and that makes sense. Thank you so much! I want to try my hand at shampoo, shower gel, or liquid soap, but am trying to research and figure out as much as possible before diving in. I bought far too much glass I can't use for soy candles as I didn't research properly how much testing went into it, and have a bunch of glass just sitting around. I guess I'll post it in the classifieds.