Does anyone clean their equipment - especially poly hives/nucs - with caustic soda? If you do, how do you dispose of the resultant liquid (ie the used caustic soda) when you've finished?
Others who use polyhives no doubt can advise you. I wouldn’t consider caustic soda for anything personally, it’s horrible stuff and as you point out it’s a liability to dispose of.
Normal washing soda or standard washing powder in warm water does a good job cleaning most tools and hive parts.
I agree with Patrick, i suspect washing soda is what you've been told about.
Caustic soda will burn you when it comes into contact with your skin and I believe gives off gases you don't want to inhale at the same time. However I ain't a chemist.
Let me never fall into the vulgar mistake of dreaming that I am persecuted whenever I am contradicted - Ralph Waldo Emerson
Thanks for the thoughts and suggestions everyone. I've only recently started to use caustic soda - usually in the form of a popular oven cleaner - and been impressed with the results. I've even more recently started to use a 'tub' of caustic soda, again good results, but what to do with the resultant liquid? I could just stick it down the drain as caustic soda is a recognised drain cleaner, but its got bits of wax in it and I don't want the wax to accumulate in the drains.
Looks like I'll be going back to using washing soda (and bleach).
Thanks again.
I've found the "caustic soda" you buy in small fancy bottles and tubs has been 'cut' with a filler and isn't much ,or any ,stronger than washing soda crystals.
Real caustic soda can dissolve aluminium.
Whatever the soap is in Brillo pads is I don't know but they do a sparkling job on slotted steel queenX's