Dish soap is a very important cleaning product for the kitchen. It is used to clean the food debris, stain, and greasy substances from glasses, dishes, and pans. But there might be situations where dish soap can come in contact with fire.
Now, the question may arise, is dish soap flammable? Or can dish soap catch fire? The short answer is a big No! Dish soap is not flammable at all.
In this article, we’ll answer all of your queries about the flammability of dish soap.
Is Dish Soap Flammable
Dish soap itself is not flammable. If somehow flammable gas bubbles get trapped by dish soap, it can cause a fire. Hence, clean any grease traps before using dish soap. Now, before going to brief discussion, let’s know the materials of dish soap.
Material of Dish Soap
Dishwashing liquids are a mixture of various chemicals to help clean dishes. One main component is water, and detergents are the main active ingredients. There are other stabilizing and thickening agents, surfactants, salts, hydrotrope, fragrances, and preservatives. You can also read chemicals formula of dish soap.
- Detergents are used in dish soap because they do not form soap scum by reacting with minerals in the water.
- Surfactants are used to remove persistent food debris and greasy substances. They also help to create foam.
- Some dish soap contains Phosphate. This Phosphate makes the utensils more cleaned, but it is harmful to the environment. This is because Phosphate causes Algal Bloom which is harmful, and it goes back to the environment with wastewater.
- Fragrances and preservatives protect the product from spoilage and give it a pleasant smell.
- Hydrotropes are used to increase the surfactant solubility in water. They provide more dissolution of the dish soap to water and thus increases its cleaning efficiency.
Why Dish Soap Is Flammable?
As we have said earlier, dish soap itself is not flammable, but if dish soap traps flammable gas bubbles, it can catch fire.
However, if dish soap is heated to a certain temperature, It will melt but will not catch fire easily. That’s because most dish soap has flashpoints around 1000 degrees Fahrenheit.
Lye is an important ingredient if you want to make dish soap at home. It is also known as Caustic soda or Sodium Hydroxide. This is a highly flammable substance. When heated, Lye releases Hydrogen molecule, which is a very flammable substance. So, you should not keep Lye near a fire to avoid any accident.
Some essential oils are sometimes used in dish soap making. Most importantly, these oils are also flammable substances.
So, some of the ingredients that are used to make dish soap are flammable, but dish soap itself is not flammable.
What Temperature Does Soap Burn?
While soap making, the soap base may burn if it becomes too hot, and it will be very tough to work with. At 120 degrees Fahrenheit, the soap base starts to melt. We always should look the temperature reaches 140 to 150 degrees Fahrenheit or more, the base starts to burn.
If the soap base starts boiling, you should know that it is burned. You can use a microwave for soap making, you should use short heat bursts. However. Using a turkey roaster or crockpot with various temperature control settings to heat the soap carefully and slowly is advisable.
In production plant, the worker always monitor the temperature with a temperature gun while working. There is no going back if the soap is burned.
Is Hand Soap Flammable?
No, Hand soap is not flammable. Soap has a lot of different ingredients. There are so many different types of soap available today. It can be a liquid or a solid.
Some people think that hand soap is flammable. They think that it can get burnt if it gets in touch with fire. But that is not true at all!
Soap is not flammable. It is not dangerous either. In fact, it is one of the safest household products you can use.
It contains a small amount of Alcohol. This is the only reason why some people think that hand soap is flammable. That’s because alcohol is a highly flammable substance.
You may think that soap can burn your skin. This is really a misconcept. If you are allergic to some of the ingredients used in hand soap, you might get rash on your skin as an allergic reaction. Rash and burn are two different things. If you are allergic, you should check the ingredients of hand soap before buying.
Are Soap Suds Flammable?
A lot of people think that soap suds are flammable, but this is not true. Soap-suds are not flammable. This is because soap and water are not flammable.
Soap-suds are made when soap is mixed with water. Both soap and water are not flammable. So, soap suds are not also flammable.
Soap bubble contains air inside them. Air is not a flammable substance that can cause soap suds to catch fire. Only if any flammable gas gets trapped inside the bubbles, it can catch fire.
You have probably seen some people light up soap suds. But how do they do it? This is mainly a party trick. They incorporate methane or propane gas inside the bubbles. When they bring fire near the bubbles, the bubbles get burst. Then the gas inside the bubbles gets released and causes fire.
Is Soapy Water Flammable?
Soap is made from oils and fats, and these components are flammable. Oil and fat are naturally flammable, but when they turn into soap, they become inactive. That’s why soap does not contain any of the chemical compounds to catch fire.
Water is also not a flammable substance. When soap and water are mixed together, they create suds. Suds contain air inside them. Air is also not flammable. So, soapy water is not flammable. Rather, it is safe to use in the kitchen.
Can Soap Put Out A Fire?
Yes, liquid soap or soapy water can put out a fire. If you use a soap bar to fight a fire, you will not get a satisfactory result. The soap bar will be melted and burnt. But, If you use liquid soap or soapy water, you can put out the fire.
Oxygen is a very important element in causing a fire. If you want to put out the fire from something that is already on fire, you can use liquid soap or soapy water. The soap will cover the surface of the burning substance.
Thus, it will make the fire starve of oxygen, and the fire will gradually be put out. The soap will also draw heat from the burning substance and cool it.
Why Do Firefighters Use Dish Soap?
Firefighting foam is one of the best ways to put out a fire easily. It was invented by Aleksandr Loran in 1902. There are some ways by which firefighting foam puts out fire. One way is making the fire starve of oxygen, and the other is to make the fire cool down.
When dish soap is mixed with water, it helps to put out the fire. When applied to a burning substance, it creates a layer between the fire and the burning substance. The dish soap layer makes the flame starve of oxygen, and as a result, it extinguishes the fire.
You have to remove heat to make the fire cool down. Water is the most effective way to remove heat. Dish soap mixed with water will also remove heat.
Now, surely you have the answer that why firefighter use dish soap. Firefighters use dish soap to put out the fire because this makes the fire starve of oxygen and also removes heat from the fire.
FAQ
Is bar soap flammable?
No, Bar soap is not flammable. If it gets touched by fire, It will burn. The main ingredients of soap are fats and oils. These are highly flammable substances, but when soap is formed, it does not contain fats and oils to catch fire after saponification. Bar soap is very safe to use in the kitchen.
Can bath bubbles catch on fire?
Bath bubbles are not usually flammable. Bubble baths are created from novel foam. The novel foam is delivered to the bathtub via gaseous propellants. These propellants include butane, propane, and isoprene.
These are highly flammable substances. If they get trapped inside the bath bubbles and if the gas comes in contact with fire, they will catch on fire. Bath bubbles are very risky for those who smoke during a bath or use candles in the shower room.
Is shampoo flammable?
At a base level, shampoo is soap. It cleanses the hair. Soap is not flammable. Shampoo is one type of liquid soap, and it contains water. So, shampoo is not also flammable.
Is liquid detergent flammable?
Dry detergent is flammable, but liquid detergents are not flammable because of their water content. The liquid detergent will not catch fire because its water content will put out the fire.
Is Dawn dishwashing soap flammable?
No, dawn dishwashing soap is not flammable. Rather, many firefighters use dawn dish soap to put out fires.
When mixed with water, dawn dishwashing soap creates a covering layer over the burning substance that makes the flame starve of oxygen. The layer will also remove heat from the fire. The absence of oxygen and heat removal will put out the fire.
Verdict
Dish soap is a very important cleaning product. We need to use dish soap very often. There are many rumors about dish soap.
One of them is, is dish soap flammable? Surely, you have the answer now. The answer is no, dish soap is not flammable.
Not only this, dish soap even helps to put out fires. For this reason, many firefighters use dish soap to extinguish fires.
If you are worried about the flammability of dish soap, through out this from now. It is a cleaning product that you can use safely.
