# Fumes?



## peregrine (Dec 9, 2008)

So I made soap recently for the first time and followed all the warnings to wait for a day when I could open all the windows to avoid fumes/avoiding breathing the fumes, etc. 

I did not notice any fumes however....??

I made my first batch on a really nice day where I could get my birds outside on the porch in their cages (I have 2 rescued parrots) because birds have very sensitive respiratory systems. 

Well, I wanted to make my second batch last night, and my husband warned me again to be careful about the potential fumes because the birds were both inside (thier cages are in the kitchen). 

The reason I had waited til nighttime was because the kids (my human children, 8, 4 and 2) were finally sleeping. I was so looking forward to making another batch and here I was worrying about the birds....I opted not to make the soap last night and of course I havent found any time today, during the day, to get started.

I will have to move the birds into another room while I soap I reckon....but seriously folks, where are these fumes I keep reading about? Are they super harmful and odorless or something? 

Thanks for your input,
Alisa :/


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## Guest (Mar 23, 2010)

the fumes are created when you mix your lye with your milk or water... they can harm your birds...and you
Barb


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

I have a tiny personal fan I put on my counter, it blows across the counter and across my lye bucket, so although I am standing over it stirring, I am not breathing in the fumes going up. It can take your breath away. I make lye water 100 pounds at a time...well 50 pounds of lye, and 50 pounds of water. But even in soap class with just 16 ounces of lye and 16 ounces of water, you dont' want to breath directly over your lye bucket as you ass your lye to your water. But enough fumes you need to move your birds out of the room, no. In the barn I just turn on the big overhead fan. vicki


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## peregrine (Dec 9, 2008)

Ah, I see why I had such low to no fumes. I read that the fumes are caused by the heat created by the addition of lye to water too fast, which creates steam....I made a 4 lb batch and added the lye so slowly it took a looong time, and I followed some online video instruction which said I should not add any more lye til the temp was less than 100 degrees. I monitored the temp after every addition of lye to the frozen milk and never saw it go higher than 105 degrees and I never added lye til it was less than 100 degrees...Not all that practical for large amounts of soap but with a super freaky first timer I guess I did pretty good!


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## Anita Martin (Dec 26, 2007)

The first time I made soap I was shaking and even though I only made one little bar, I was afraid that one little bar would sit on the counter, heat up, explode during the night, and somehow start my house on fire. 

I woke up very relieved indeed. Scary stuff.


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## Kalne (Oct 25, 2007)

Having had birds (cockatiels) in the past I would move them out of the room. We even quit cooking with non-stick pans when the birds were in their cage (which was in the kitchen) because fumes from that can be harmful to them as well.


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## MiaBella Farm (Jul 22, 2008)

Vicki McGaugh Tx Nubians said:


> But even in soap class with just 16 ounces of lye and 16 ounces of water, you dont' want to breath directly over your lye bucket as you *ass* your lye to your water. vicki


Hey lady....watch your language :rofl


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

I didn't even notice that 

Alisa that is just so completely a waste of your time adding lye that slowly to your water and taking temps. When you get information like that know upfront it's someone not wanting you to succeed. Imagine how long that took and now multiply it by 100 and how could a person make enough soap to make a living off of, doing it like that. I don't just dump/splash it in, I simply pour in a steady stream, the lye into the water, and yes it gets very very hot, and yes it gives you fumes, but I am also making a gallon at a time. But even for classes, there is fumes if lye hits water. Take with a huge grain of salt some folks information, I sometime wonder when reading some sites if these gals even soap, but you can so obviously see they don't want anyone else to. Vicki


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## MiaBella Farm (Jul 22, 2008)

Well, I do pretty much what Vicki does...pour in a steady stream and stir, with a fan blowing and my stainless steel bucket is sitting in a sink of cold water. After I get the lye/water mixed then I add in a couple of frozen water bottles to the water in the sink. This cools the lye a bit faster. While I am waiting for the lye to cool, I prepare my molds, gather any other additives I want and begin melting my oils. By the time all of that is done, the lye is cool enough to add and away I go! 

I have really got it down to a good schedule and since I soap in PVC molds, my soap batch is cool enough not to "volcano" out the top since that is the only place for the heat to escape. I also pour at a pretty thin trace. I am happy with my soaps and so are my customers!


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## Becky-DixieDoesAlpines (Oct 26, 2007)

My husband worries a lot about fumes when I soap since I am pregnant. He got me two large fans so I use those while I am mixing lye to blow any fumes away and that has worked well.


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