<p>These gloves have both advantages and disadvantages.</p>
<p><strong>Pros</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>They are reusable (You should rinse them under fresh water before taking them off your hands).</li>
<li>They are long and protect your forearms from spillage.</li>
<li>You can notice leaks in this type of gloves better than in the very thin one-use-only gloves.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Cons</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>These thick gloves impede your dexterity and make it harder to grip small things or handle delicate objects.</li>
<li>Sooner or later they will become brittle and leak. Latex usually last about one year before it breaks, even if it isn't used at all. Rubber can last longer than that, but it's more vulnerable to high temperatures.</li>
</ul>
<p>And in addition to the gloves, you should always wear eye protection when working with lye. You can get simple plastic protective glasses at many construction stores, but in my personal experience the very cheap ones have uneven glasses and distort the vision. An alternative is to use untinted snowboard googles or divers goggles with the nose piece cut away.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-08-05T18:08:40.973Z
2021-08-06T16:50:10.743Z
2021-08-06T16:50:10.743Z
Elmy
<p>I'll stop short of recommending any particular product, but highly recommend wearing non-absorbing gloves when handling sodium hydroxide (lye) at any concentration.</p>
<p>Latex gloves will suffice for this, as they provide an effective barrier against both moisture and lye molecules. Latex is, however, a common allergy for many people, so you may also consider hypoallergenic materials such as nitrile.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-08-05T15:40:43.360Z
2021-08-05T15:40:43.360Z
paneerakbari
<p>Because lye is somewhat dangerous I thought that some gloves used during cleaning can also protect me when handling lye during the soap making.</p>
<p>The gloves that I have in my mind are the thick yellow ones such as these <a href="https://www.walmart.com/ip/Playtex-Living-Combo-Medium-2-Pack-Medium/641091619?wpa_bd=&amp;wpa_pg_seller_id=F55CDC31AB754BB68FE0B39041159D63&amp;wpa_ref_id=wpaqs:SdT1DeKd2XD93AM-88nFGCqRmyhlkR5QcnoX26fCEddIYPgQAsp6jmUmkwzZFwGZ9YYJoTUwhNTE3zkULQJUA7TlWPLZsKt0DTiCwYnm6YsEHOCR0DBemhV5zclJ-Fon3aFZCMVRxXNGYPCn89XFvTWiRa2ylDoKQKJnBYsKY9OPo5FAM--souHZmiwthX2JlNjY_3WoYkVJIUxhnI3EXQ&amp;wpa_tag=&amp;wpa_aux_info=&amp;wpa_pos=1&amp;wpa_plmt=1145x1145_T-C-IG_TI_1-6_HL-INGRID-GRID-NY&amp;wpa_aduid=3687fa44-cb00-4429-8594-c91e40b14949&amp;wpa_pg=browse&amp;wpa_pg_id=1115193_1071966_1025741_1712053&amp;wpa_st=Cleaning%2BGloves&amp;wpa_tax=1115193_1071966_1025741_1712053&amp;wpa_bucket=__bkt__" rel="nofollow noreferrer">ones</a> (mentioned as reference).</p>
<p>Would you recommend using these type of gloves when I make soap?</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-08-06T14:27:07.523Z
A face shield would be the first level of personal protection.
blacksmith37
<soap-making>
Can I use cleaning gloves whilst handling lye during soap making?
Dimitrios Desyllas
# Can I use cleaning gloves whilst handling lye during soap making?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2021-08-05)

Because lye is somewhat dangerous I thought that some gloves used during cleaning can also protect me when handling lye during the soap making.

The gloves that I have in my mind are the thick yellow ones such as these [ones](https://www.walmart.com/ip/Playtex-Living-Combo-Medium-2-Pack-Medium/641091619?wpa_bd=&wpa_pg_seller_id=F55CDC31AB754BB68FE0B39041159D63&wpa_ref_id=wpaqs:SdT1DeKd2XD93AM-88nFGCqRmyhlkR5QcnoX26fCEddIYPgQAsp6jmUmkwzZFwGZ9YYJoTUwhNTE3zkULQJUA7TlWPLZsKt0DTiCwYnm6YsEHOCR0DBemhV5zclJ-Fon3aFZCMVRxXNGYPCn89XFvTWiRa2ylDoKQKJnBYsKY9OPo5FAM--souHZmiwthX2JlNjY_3WoYkVJIUxhnI3EXQ&wpa_tag=&wpa_aux_info=&wpa_pos=1&wpa_plmt=1145x1145_T-C-IG_TI_1-6_HL-INGRID-GRID-NY&wpa_aduid=3687fa44-cb00-4429-8594-c91e40b14949&wpa_pg=browse&wpa_pg_id=1115193_1071966_1025741_1712053&wpa_st=Cleaning%2BGloves&wpa_tax=1115193_1071966_1025741_1712053&wpa_bucket=__bkt__) (mentioned as reference).

Would you recommend using these type of gloves when I make soap?

**Tags:** soap-making

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: A face shield would be the first level of personal protection.  

---

## 2 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2021-08-05. Score: 4 | Accepted answer

These gloves have both advantages and disadvantages.

**Pros**

* They are reusable (You should rinse them under fresh water before taking them off your hands).
* They are long and protect your forearms from spillage.
* You can notice leaks in this type of gloves better than in the very thin one-use-only gloves.

**Cons**

* These thick gloves impede your dexterity and make it harder to grip small things or handle delicate objects.
* Sooner or later they will become brittle and leak. Latex usually last about one year before it breaks, even if it isn't used at all. Rubber can last longer than that, but it's more vulnerable to high temperatures.

And in addition to the gloves, you should always wear eye protection when working with lye. You can get simple plastic protective glasses at many construction stores, but in my personal experience the very cheap ones have uneven glasses and distort the vision. An alternative is to use untinted snowboard googles or divers goggles with the nose piece cut away.


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### Answer by username_3 on 2021-08-05. Score: 4

I'll stop short of recommending any particular product, but highly recommend wearing non-absorbing gloves when handling sodium hydroxide (lye) at any concentration.

Latex gloves will suffice for this, as they provide an effective barrier against both moisture and lye molecules. Latex is, however, a common allergy for many people, so you may also consider hypoallergenic materials such as nitrile.


---

