One of the questions I hear most often from new soapmakers is: “How do you clean your soapmaking dishes? Is it okay for soap batter to go down the drain?”
It’s a great question. After all, we’re working with sodium hydroxide, oils, and raw soap batter. Having a simple cleanup routine makes the process safer, easier, and much less intimidating.
Here’s exactly how I clean my soapmaking dishes after every batch.
Use a Dedicated Bin for Dirty Soapmaking Dishes
While I’m making soap, every dirty bowl, spatula, measuring cup, pitcher, and spoon goes into a dedicated plastic bin.
This does several things:
- I always know which items may still have raw soap batter or sodium hydroxide on them.
- It keeps my work surface uncluttered so I have plenty of room to continue making soap.
- My kitchen sink stays free of dirty soapmaking dishes until I’m ready to wash them the next day.
As I put items into the bin, I scrape off as much soap batter as I reasonably can. I don’t worry about getting everything perfectly clean—I just remove the excess.
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Let the Soap Batter Saponify Overnight
Once I’m finished making soap, I simply leave the bin alone until the next day.
This gives any remaining soap batter time to continue saponifying.
Instead of washing fresh soap batter down the drain immediately, most of what remains on the dishes has had time to become soap.
Soak Your Soapmaking Dishes in Hot Water
The next morning, I fill the bin with hot water and let everything soak for about an hour.
By this point, cleanup is usually much easier than it would have been immediately after making soap.
Wash Your Soapmaking Dishes
After soaking, I rinse everything thoroughly and wash everything by hand with Dawn dish soap while wearing gloves.
I use Dawn because, even though the batter has saponified, there are still plenty of loose oils left on bowls, spatulas, pitchers, and other soapmaking dishes. In my experience, nothing cuts through oils better than Dawn. If I’ve found something that works better, I haven’t found it yet.
I also recommend wearing proper gloves while washing your soapmaking dishes. It’s a simple habit that helps protect your hands from any traces of uncured soap that may remain.
If you’re not sure what type of gloves to use, watch my video on Choosing the Right Gloves for Soapmaking:
Should Soap Batter Go Down the Drain?
This is the question most people are really asking.
The best way to protect your plumbing is to scrape as much excess soap batter and loose oil from your soapmaking dishes as possible before washing them. I don’t intentionally rinse fresh soap batter or large amounts of oil down the sink.
By letting my dishes sit overnight, most of the small amount of batter left behind has already had time to turn into soap before I wash everything.
It’s a simple routine that has worked well for me for many years.
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Help Keep Your Drains Clean
If you’re concerned about buildup in your plumbing, an enzyme-based drain cleaner can be a good option for routine maintenance.
Products such as Green Gobbler Enzyme Drain Cleaner are designed to gradually break down organic buildup, including fats, oils, grease, and other organic residue. They can also help reduce drain odors.
Be sure to follow the directions on the product, and don’t mix enzyme cleaners with bleach, chemical drain openers, vinegar, or other household cleaners.
Remember, the best thing you can do is scrape excess soap batter into the trash before washing your dishes. An occasional enzyme treatment is simply another way to help keep your pipes clean.
Continue Learning with Soapy Friends
Every batch of soap teaches something new. Whether you’re learning about safety, natural colorants, or simply making cleanup easier, I’m here to help you build confidence one batch at a time.
Whether you become a member or purchase an individual class, you’ll gain practical, real-world soapmaking knowledge that helps you spend less time troubleshooting and more time enjoying the creative process.
If you’d like to continue learning and soaping along with me, here are a few great next steps:
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