Sodium Percarbonate - rinse?

[trustyrusty]

Hi There, I am using sodium percarbonate to clean - the cheap no colour no frangrance laundry type.
Have I got the right product....? I am sure I was reading you dont have to rinse but maybe it was another product.....??

It does say somewhere that it can be a poison - but I guess that would be a fair amount.

As I understand it does not have to be rinsed, I probably do rinse most times anyway - but sometimes not and not thorough rinse.

I was wondering if this stuff can be bad for you, with no rinse that is...


Thanks

 

[theSeekerr]

Sodium Percarbonate is sometimes sold as a no-rinse one-step cleaner and sanitiser, but it's probably best not to treat it as one. Rinse it and use a proper no-rinse sanitiser for cold-side stuff where sanitisation is required.

My chemistry is too rusty to work through the actual safety - the first breakdown step is safe enough (sodium percarbonate -> sodium carbonate + hydrogen peroxide -> sodium carbonate + water + oxygen) but I'm a bit unclear how it goes after that - sodium carbonate is considered safe and non-toxic, but in water it does decompose into a weak acid and a strong base (carbonic acid and sodium hydroxide) which is why sodium percarbonate solution is mildly caustic. That doesn't sound 100% safe to me, but on the other hand that exact property is why sodium bicarbonate is an effective antacid, and it's considered safe in that use case, so...

Look, it's probably fine, but why chance it? Rinse your cleaner, use Star San or Iodophor to no-rinse sanitise, live a worry-free life.

 

[trustyrusty]

Thanks

The reason I ask is that my body seems to get aches and pains when I am only drinking home brew.... (no commercial stuff in fridge) all kits... don’t if something in can I don’t like ... or cleaner? It’s happened a few times to be a coincidence...

 

[djebel]

Thanks

The reason I ask is that my body seems to get aches and pains when I am only drinking home brew.... (no commercial stuff in fridge) all kits... don’t if something in can I don’t like ... or cleaner? It’s happened a few times to be a coincidence...

Try a fresh wort kit or two. That will help narrow down whether it's the cans or something else.