Krinic1985,

This is a mixed forum, what chemicals are you worried about?
What are you making, and what method are you doing if you're making soap?

I make candles for now but plan on making soaps too.. I don't have too many things to cook in and the things I do have I don't want my other scents and waxes to stick even after I clean. So I use boiling bags. I am not sure what else is best to do. Any suggestions?

Krinic1985,

I'm a soap guy, I do not make candles, so I'm unfamiliar with the ingredients needed for such a craft.

Maybe post with a title pertaining to candles, and maybe a chandler will drop by and help ya?

It's been pretty slow 'round here.

For soaps, you need to use a stainless steal bowl for the lye bath. For the batter, to which you mix in the lye bath, you can use hard plastic or stainless steal. You will NOT be able to use plastic, it will melt. For cleaning, you either leave gloves on and wipe out while still soft, toss the paper towels and then wash the dish, or just leave sit (this is what I do) and then scoop out the hardened soap the next day and wash the dishes.
You must use silicone, plastic, or stainless steel utensils, including the spatulas. Any other metal will corrode and the glass will etch and then break when you least expect it too.

It has been many years since I did candles, but I never had a problem cleaning when the wax was warm. You just wipe out your pots when the wax is warm by taking a paper towel and removing the excess. If that means heating it back up a bit, that's what you do. The wax and the FO's will not harm your pots, but these should be dedicated wax pots. You can get a cheap one at the good will or a yard sale to save money, or order a melt pot from a candle supply place. Those are nice when money isn't an issue, because they sometimes have a handle, and almost always have a pour spout. In fact, brambleberry.com (a soap supply place)just began carrying one and I think it was 22$ if I recall correctly.

Hope this helps!

I reread what I wrote and it appears I left out the word "bag" after I wrote you won't be able to use plastic, referring to soap making. You won't be able to use plastic bags is what I should have said.