Using Sodium Carbonate (washing soda) to clean sprayer - questions

[Green]

I've never properly cleaned my sprayers yet. Stuff builds up over time, though. I'm thinking of picking up some "washing soda", which is the exact same thing..."sodium carbonate...not bicarbonate or baking soda...as tank cleaner). It's a white powder, I believe.

Main issue is, what do you do with the rinsate? Sodium is not good for soil, so it can't be sprayed somewhere outdoors, can it? It's also alkaline, I believe. Have to save it and bring it to a hazardous waste collection??

I think this is way better than using ammonia, for one.

Morph...any ideas?

[MorpheusPA]

You're lucky I ducked in.

Sodium carbonate is commonly called washing soda, as you noted, and sold in the laundry aisle of the grocery store. It's completely safe to use up to a cup at a time to clean out your sprayer. Dump it down the drain, the only thing that might happen is that your pipes will be slightly cleaner. Dumping it on the lawn can do a bit of damage, so I recommend against that.

Half a cup in really dirty laundry on warm or hot will cut right through motor oil or the heaviest grease. I use 1/2 tbsp in every load as part of my normal mix (1/2 tbsp washing soda, 1/2 tbsp borax, 1/2 tbsp grated soap).

[Green]

Thanks.

Can't really go down the drain, because the residual chems from the sprayer that would get removed are not good for the pipes and the wastewater treatment system.

Save it for hazardous waste? Seems like a lot of work.

Next time you pop in...

How much extra water would need to be added (in gallons) if flushing it outdoors into a natural area to dilute the sodium down enough to not cause soil/microbe/wildlife issues (since it's not good for the lawn soil and the grass)?

Also, I've gotten humic acid stains on my clothes. Not sure how to get them out, and if it needs to be done properly on the first wash, or the stain becomes permanent if you don't get it out the first time. And not sure if this or other laundry powders (like Borax) can actually be used in HE front loaders without causing problems, let alone how to do so...any input into that? Not to mention what type of fabrics/clothes these things are ok on...

[MorpheusPA]

I was being a tad flippant about the drain, but for most stuff in your sprayer, it actually wouldn't be a problem if you rinsed it a few times outside with just water, then cleaned it. If you do it outside, I'd probably dilute at least six to one (six extra sprayers full of water to the one of the cleaning solution).

HA stains can be a bit of a nightmare to get out (it's like dried acrylic paint of the umber variety; you can get the acrylic paint out, but the umbers hang around). Borax is fine on colors and any non-gentle-treatment-only fabrics (cotton, linen, rayon, polyester, but I wouldn't use it on silk). The aforementioned washing soda might also help. If the garment can tolerate bleach, that might also work. However, HA is going to be a tough one to get out.

The other solution (pardon the pun) here is to redye the garment dark brown, or repurpose it to gardening only. I have an entire set of clothes for that.