One of my kids told her chemistry teacher that I had lye in the house. He gave her a very strong stare and started asking her about it. When she explained it’s for making German pretzels he calmed down noticeably. She thinks he was wondering if I was making meth in my basement.
The usual use for it, of course, is to make your own soap. To handle it, you have to wear goggles and gloves and protect most surfaces, but when you’re done you can rub it all over your body. (Well, no actually…my skin is too sensitive for those kinds of soaps. But in theory…)
