Who solves the solvents?
September 18, 2007 6:34 AM   Subscribe

How can I clean acetone residue out of some glass jugs?

I'd love to reuse some large acetone jugs to hold drinks, but I'm not sure how to safely remove the acetone residue.
posted by OmieWise to Home & Garden (17 answers total)
 
I would think the best thing to remove acetone residue would be acetone, followed by a good rinse then soapy water.
posted by Cat Pie Hurts at 6:43 AM on September 18, 2007


non-answer: I don't think I'd put food into containers not meant for food.

otherwise, if you insist, some kind of bottle brush and a strong detergent?

the acetone itself evaporates quite easily. you should be able to tell when it's gone by the smell.
posted by DarkForest at 6:44 AM on September 18, 2007


The residue is probably impurities that were dissolved in the acetone.
...which probably is going to make them tough to remove without using something equally nasty.

Do you have access to an oven large enough to contain the jugs? You could try baking them at 500F for a few hours to vaporize whatever residues are in there, then let them cool slowly and wash them out. Repeatedly.
posted by aramaic at 6:44 AM on September 18, 2007


Try putting salt water in the jugs and shaking.
posted by bradbane at 6:49 AM on September 18, 2007


Response by poster: I don't think I'd put food into containers not meant for food.

Are there differences between laboratory grade glass jugs and food grade glass jugs?
posted by OmieWise at 6:52 AM on September 18, 2007


Best answer: Long ago when I worked in a chem lab, we sometimes acid washed glassware in conc h2so4. That'll burn just about anything organic out. But really, there's no way I'd drink anything served out of an old reagent bottle (others who worked with me did feel differently though and happily drank coffee, etc, out of lab glassware).
posted by DarkForest at 6:53 AM on September 18, 2007


Are there differences between laboratory grade glass jugs and food grade glass jugs?

It's really just a matter of how well the chemicals are cleaned out of the glass jug, not the glass itself. I just feel there's little need to expose myself to whatever residues might be present in old reagent bottles. Granted, acetone itself is not a huge concern. But then again, pure acetone would evaporate cleanly leaving no residue. Who knows what the 'residue' might be.
posted by DarkForest at 7:00 AM on September 18, 2007


Alconox, the laboratory glass cleaner?
posted by electroboy at 7:03 AM on September 18, 2007


Response by poster: I just feel there's little need to expose myself to whatever residues might be present in old reagent bottles...Who knows what the 'residue' might be.

Well, that's a fair point.

I was unclear in my question, I don't see any residue in these jugs, I was referring to any leftover acetone.
posted by OmieWise at 7:12 AM on September 18, 2007


acetone evaporates very easily. if you can't smell it, it's gone. put the bottle in the sun for a day or in some warm place. can't recommend the oven, since it's flammable.
posted by DarkForest at 7:16 AM on September 18, 2007


Yeah, if the residue is actually acetone then just uncapping it and leaving it outside will suffice. Rapidly, too.
posted by aramaic at 7:24 AM on September 18, 2007


Best answer: There won't be acetone, but acetone is a "dirty" solvent, so there are some residues. The best cleaning procedure for your purposes would be:

(1) rinse in acetone,
(2) rinse in methanol or ethanol,
(3) rinse is isopropanol (2-propanol)
(4) rinse with clean water.

Note that the order is important (it's increasingly cleanliness of solvents) and that the isopropanol in question is lab grade iso, not the iso mixed with water you'd buy at the drugstore. Also, keep in mind that it is never a wise idea to use a bottle which held harmful chemicals for food/beverages. Nonetheless, steps 1-3 (with high-purity solvents) is standard procedure in making things clean in a laboratory setting.
posted by JMOZ at 7:25 AM on September 18, 2007


Oh, do keep in mind that the flashpoint of all these solvents (especially the acetone!) is quite low. I would NOT recommend leaving a jug with any amount of acetone in direct sunlight.
posted by JMOZ at 7:26 AM on September 18, 2007


Oh, and one final point (sorry!), when I mention rinsing with the sequence of solvents, as soon as you pour one out (into a safe/approved disposal container, not down the drain!), pour the next solvent in right away; you don't want the container to get dry before pouring the next solvent in. The idea is to keep the residues well-dissolved throughout the process.
posted by JMOZ at 7:34 AM on September 18, 2007


Best answer: Acetone's miscible with water, so just serial rinses with water will get it out quickly. But contaminants in the acetone - organics, metals - may not be and may stay behind in the surface layer of glass, to leach out into your beverage over a period of weeks. I personally just wouldn't do it.
posted by ikkyu2 at 8:18 AM on September 18, 2007


Response by poster: Thanks for the answers. You all have convinced me that there's no reason to do this.
posted by OmieWise at 8:28 AM on September 18, 2007


You've gotten some good procedures for cleaning the glass bottle, but the cap might be a concern. Many reagent bottle caps have foil-covered cardboard liners which eventually get soaked with the solvent. It would be safest to toss the old cap and replace it with a new, or at least food-safe, one. Otherwise pull out that cardboard liner and wash the cap thoroughly.

(On the off-chance that your bottle has a ground-glass stopper, those are fine. Just wash it along with the bottle and you're ready to go.)
posted by Quietgal at 6:50 PM on September 18, 2007


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