What's in Propolis remover?

[simoncav]

Hi all,
I've just finished my last bottle of Propolis remover originally bought from Th****s. It comes as a spray and works very well, cleaning my gloves and hive tools etc but I'm wondering if I can buy something with a similar effect from the supermarket.

Does anyone have any idea what the active ingredient is? It's certainly not bleach....

Thanks in advance

 

[herefordshirehoney]

Oven cleaner has previously been mentioned - but cant see it being that good for bee's =)

 

[jackbee]

i've used std bleach spray from supermarket and that seems to work fine. I know it doesn't answer your question, sorry, but just an alternative.

 

[garlicpickle]

Hi all,
I've just finished my last bottle of Propolis remover originally bought from Th****s. It comes as a spray and works very well, cleaning my gloves and hive tools etc but I'm wondering if I can buy something with a similar effect from the supermarket.

Does anyone have any idea what the active ingredient is? It's certainly not bleach....

Thanks in advance

Thor*es site says the active ingredient is potassium hydroxide.

 

[oliver90owner]

Thor*es site says the active ingredient is potassium hydroxide.

Beats me why it should be potassium and not sodium hydroxide., the latter being just as effective and about half the cost of KOH.

Justification for the cost, maybe?

 

[MrsB]

I use a mix of 1 kg soda crystals to 5 litres of water with a squirt of fairy liquid and store in a lidded bucket. Cleans hive tools, gloves, feeders - anything really. You can also add soda crystals when washing your bee suit.

 

[Lorenz]

Bleach and caustic soda (NaOH) work well and are cheap. Need to be careful though - both can cause havoc undiluted.

 

[jackbee]

Great wellies Mrs B

 

[Luminos]

Great wellies Mrs B

 

[user 6228]

soda (sodium carbonate), Sodium hydroxide, potassium Hydroxide dont do any good to Alumimium ...

 

[user 6228]

Acetone removes propolis and does not disolve skin or aluminium unlike potassium or sodium hydroxide

 

[alldigging]

It's sold as a tincture with alcohol but http://www.beesfordevelopment.org/portal/topic.php?id=141&p=67 says
70% or higher proof alcohol is needed.

(So vodka won't do?)

 

[rayz_x]

Surgical spirit will take off propolis - cheap too and not so bad for your skin. Don't know what it would do to bees but I wash gloves after cleaning them.

 

[REDWOOD]

It's sold as a tincture with alcohol but http://www.beesfordevelopment.org/portal/topic.php?id=141&p=67 says
70% or higher proof alcohol is needed.

(So vodka won't do?)

Depends who makes it, my mate makes moon shine that will remove paint

 

[alldigging]

Surgical spirit will take off propolis - cheap too and not so bad for your skin. Don't know what it would do to bees but I wash gloves after cleaning them.

so I could soak this porter escape in that and it'd get rid of the gunk? I have been toying with the idea of sitting there picking at it with a point instrument.

 

[jackbee]

so I could soak this porter escape in that and it'd get rid of the gunk? I have been toying with the idea of sitting there picking at it with a point instrument.

just pop it in the soda solution you keep hive tools in, takes propolis off easily