Soap Queen

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How to Clean Oily Containers

Filed Under: Lip Products, Tips & Tricks

Here’s a quick video illustrating one of my all time favorite clean-up tricks. After making lip stick recently, I was faced with a dark red, oily and waxy mess. It may seem like an impossible task; but with a little melt & pour soap it couldn’t be easier.

I bet you have some great tips of your own. I’d love to hear them. Please share them in the comments below.

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42 Comments

  1. Did I miss something? Are the heart molds the only mold that you can use with the melt and pour soap? I thought any mold you have on hand would work. I hesitate to try this if you must buy this mold. Personally I am not the “heart” kind of gal.

    I know that people have an issue with the price, but I hope you can use the mold for whatever soap project you have. I am currently a balm maker, but thought this was a good way to ease into the soap making arena.

  2. Hello, great post !!

    What I usually do is wipe the containers with a paper towel the best that I can, and then I sprinkle baking soda to absorb the remaining oils. Scrub and then wash with lots of water and homemade dish soap. Works for me ; )

    • Hi Rosy!

      That’s a great idea! Baking soda would help absorb that extra grease. Thanks so much for sharing, I’m going to try that out next time. 🙂

      -Kelsey with Bramble Berry

  3. Love this clean up tip-it’s awesome! I always use some not so pretty soap experiments I have to melt down 🙂
    I also like to just fill my container with boiling water, which melts down the lip balm, and makes the oil rise to the top.:)

    • Hi Cadence!

      So glad you love the clean up tip! It has definitely saved me lots of scrubbing time. Also, boiling water is a great idea! Thanks so much for sharing your expert tip. 🙂

      -Kelsey with Bramble Berry

  4. Thank you for sharing! Really interesting and informative post. I have two oily plastic containers, you help me a lot with your tips!
    Herne Hill Carpet Cleaners Ltd.

  7. This is a really neat way to clean out those containers!

    This is my trick.

    Fill the oily container with tap water, then pop it into the microwave for a few minutes.

    The oils the rise to the top.

    Then just wash the container out with a bit of dish soap and water. They will be squeaky clean, and no oil residue will be left. 🙂

    • Hi Lianne!

      That’s an awesome tip, thanks for sharing! Definitely a great option when you don’t have extra melt and pour laying around 🙂

      -Amanda with Bramble Berry

  8. Love the tips. How do you keep your pipes from building up soap mess? After a couple of expensive sessions with the plumber we are frustrated. Do wipe out the melt and pour cups and tools but the septic system really does not like it- the plumber said there was as much grease in the pipes as McDonalds! Would love a receipe for something to pour down the drain after soaping.

    • Hi Nancy!

      If there are extra oils or melt and pour, we often will pour it onto some paper towels and throw it into the garbage instead of pouring it down the drain 🙂

      -Amanda with Bramble Berry

  9. Dish soap works the best and it’s cheap. When I clean oil and mica cups from coloring soap I do the same wiping out the container first. Then put a dab of Dawn in (no water yet) and scrub the container with my hands. Then when you add water the oil and mica wash away. No colored sponges or smears on the sink. Easy peasy.

    • Hi Mokhe!

      We have done this as well, but have found that our sink usually ends up being pretty messy. I’m glad you’ve found a method that works well for you 🙂

      -Amanda with Bramble Berry

  11. Thank’s 4 the tip. I use hot water and whatever brand of dish soap I have to clean them.

    • Hi Monica!

      I have found that works fine, but this technique requires much less elbow grease! I hope you give it a try 🙂

      -Amanda with Bramble Berry

    • Hi Victoria!

      Thanks for the tip! I love using the melt and pour because you get to use up all the colorant that’s left in the container 🙂

      -Amanda with Bramble Berry

  13. I too just soak my containers and tools in hot water with Dawn for about 10 minutes, the oily residue is easily cleaned off. Then I dry them all right away with a clean dishtowel. The mold is available on the Bramble Berry site – it’s awesome – but it’s $17! That’s too pricey for me.

    • Hi Michael!

      Thanks for sharing your method! I especially like this technique because I usually have leftover bits of melt and pour that I can use up, and then I can use all the colorant left in the jar as well :). The mold is a little on the pricey side, because it’s a complex, durable silicone mold. I’m glad we are able to offer molds at all price-points! 🙂

      -Amanda with Bramble Berry

      • Those Kudos molds are expensive, but WOW are they nice! I picked up a couple on sale this year, and I like to make a bar of soap in them every time I make a batch! I was concerned they were just for M&P, but my CP soaps do extremely well in them (as long as the batter hasn’t set up too much – it’s hard to fill all those details with thick soap).

        • Hi Elizabeth!

          I’m so glad you have been enjoying those molds :). While they are pricier, I agree…they are totally worth it! I’m happy to hear they have also been working well for your cold process soap 🙂

          -Amanda with Bramble Berry

  16. Perfect solution to a very messy problem! Thanks for posting this! By the way, where can I purchase that adorable heart-shaped mold?

  18. I use Dawn dish soap. I soak all my dishes in the hottest water from my tap for about 5 minutes then wash with Dawn and an abrasive ski sponge. Works great.

  19. It really works great, but if you don’t want to make more soap, this is what you can do,instead.
    With a kitchen towel, wipe the container and collect the fats, as much as possible. Then, give it a good alcohol spray all around. The greasiness will start to melt and after you pour alcolol out, you wipe it with kitchen towel again. Then you can wash it like you regularly do. If needed, spray it again.
    It works for me, hope it will for you too.

    • Hi Diva Soap!

      Thanks so much for sharing that tip! It’s cool to learn all the creative ways people get their dishes clean! 🙂

      -Amanda with Bramble Berry

    • Hi Margaret!

      I’m glad that you found this tip helpful! It’s such an awesome way to get the most out of your colorants as well 🙂

      -Amanda with Bramble Berry