I have a shot-glass style glass I’ve used to measure RoundUp herbicide, and I recently used my Pyrex measuring cup to measure out carpet cleaning solution. If I scrub them out, is there any risk to me if I use them for food stuff later? Do toxic chemicals somehow linger on the surfaces of glass, or can I just toss them in the dishwasher and be ok?
Unless you are a plant, I’d say there is very little danger from being poisoned by Glyphosate, especially in the minute quantities that might be left on the glass…
I have sacrificed a set of measuring spoons for pesticides and such, but I doubt there’s a lot of risk from either of those products if you clean the glass carefully. I would wash it by hand, carefully scrubbing all the interior surfaces. I might then also run it through the dishwasher. But my dishwasher sometimes leaves reside from starchy foods, and I wouldn’t trust it to remove poison from my cooking utensils.
Glass is really, really good at not accumulating residues, which is why it’s the material of choice for laboratory vessels to begin with.
I also use a graduated shot glass for chemicals. On those occasions where I will be mixing cocktails (for me only) I wash it with soap and water and use. It never occurred to me that the glass would have a residue after a decent cleaning.
An alternative to using your day-to-day glassware is to use disposable cups.
- Fill a measuring cup with water to the amount of herbicide you need.
- Pour the water into the disposable cup.
- Mark the height of the water in the cup.
- Dump out the water.
- Fill the cup with herbicide to the same level.
This way you can throw away the disposable cup when you’re done. If you use your glassware instead, be sure you clean it immediately afterwards. Otherwise, it would be too easy to set it down and forget to wash it or someone else could not realize what was in it.
I have SEPARATE measuring cups for pesticides/herbicides in my shed. No way am I using those for food after pouring chemicals into them!
However, as a life-long lab rat, the idea of using the same container to measure chemicals and also food for human consumption fills me with deep-seated horror and disgust.
As an added note, the health department will not let restaurant workers even use the same sink [as food prep] as they do for washing their hands.
Same kind of thing with handling raw meat. All sorts of rules to keep it away from foods which will not be cooked (lettuce, etc.). Even how it is stored in the refrigerator so meat juices will not accidentally drip onto salads.
I can’t imagine any problem with re-using glassware that’s been thoroughly cleaned and scrubbed after use with common household chemicals or a low toxicity herbicide like glyphosate.
On the other hand, why not just have a dedicated glass container for measuring out chemicals and another strictly for food use, suitably labeled?
*for some reason I’m reminded of a Big Bang Theory episode involving Sheldon and his urine samples…
I’m pretty paranoid about keeping food and chemical items separate. You are probably in good shape as long as you follow all the right precautions, but nobody ever intends to make a mistake. If you miss a step or mix up chemicals, bad things could happen. What happens if children or house guests try to be helpful, but don’t understand your procedures?
For Roundup, I bought a concentrate container that came with its own measuring cup attached to the lid. For most other non-food use, I have a set of measuring cups and spoons from a garage sale, and a pair of funnels. Those things stay in the garage and never go up to the kitchen.
I watched with interest as a housemate filled up an empty cordial bottle (sweet non-alcoholic drink concentrate), with dish washing concentrate.
I was not something I would have done myself: my parents taught me not to do that. But it’s a wide world, and I’m not a dictator.
Then I watched casually as another housemate poured dish washing liquid and water into a cup in the sink (presumably to wash it – you might want to do that when living with a shared kitchen), turning to alarm when she took a drink.
I guess my parents were right about putting poisons into food containers. Who’d have thought it?
Keep in mind that whatever you used to scrub it clean is probably contaminated. You might be able to get glass clean, but a sponge or scrubber is likely going to absorb the herbicide. You would need to throw away the scrubber after cleaning the glass.