Thirsty Hippo warning

[spheredome]

Thirsty Hippo has sachet form too but if it is a Thirsty Hippo the logo and design is very obvious. THippo sachet uses sponge within the package, so unless you poke and squeeze, it will unlikely to leak. But yes one can spill the liquid when the container falls over.

Putting the issue with Thirsty Hippo aside, I have previous used another brand with similar refillable dry agent (pour away the liquid and put a new bag in it). Once I spilled some while on kitchen tile while removing and it is gluey and extremely alkaline. In fact my skin in contact cracked and flakes after 1 day.

I was using the ones in sachet form. Not the ones in a plastic box.
Actually it may not be Thirsty Hippo brand at all.

...I bought mine from a place -- maybe Daiso. It had Japanese or Korean instructions that I could not understand....

Will it lead to some nasty (extremely expensive to treat and painful) skin aliment? ...

 

[yanyewkay]

omg... i never knew it will crack. now you got me anxious to go home to check on my stuff.. I left it there for like a few years.

 

[proteonXPR]

there may be a chance that the substance used is CaO (quicklime)? If that is the case, the substance will be corrosive.

In any case, just flushing with water should get rid of the chemicals.

CaO?~ not very likely..

but still anything in high enough concentration can be an irritant but it doesnt corrode unlike the caustics. calcium chloride is like sodium chloride (table salt)~ except the cation is calcium.. hey.. thats in milk too...

 

[Limsgp]

Refer post #21, he mentioned "extremely alkaline". And CaO can be used as a drying agent too.

CaCl2 is not alkaline. In fact, it may be slightly acidic in aqueous solution, becoz Calcium hydroxide have a low Ksp. (how did calcium hydroxide come into the picture? well, it's not a typo. it's related but I shall not go into details here)

CaO?~ not very likely..

but still anything in high enough concentration can be an irritant but it doesnt corrode unlike the caustics. calcium chloride is like sodium chloride (table salt)~ except the cation is calcium.. hey.. thats in milk too...

 

[PhotoTime]

I was using the ones in sachet form. Not the ones in a plastic box.
Actually it may not be Thirsty Hippo brand at all.

(Can Moderator change the Title to : Moisture Absorbing Chemical Sachet warning)

I bought mine from a place -- maybe Daiso. It had Japanese or Korean instructions that I could not understand.

So it was my fault actually. For not using the product in the right way. It was not the product's fault. I surfed and found out that I should only use it for 6 weeks. Then take it out and throw. But I left it in shoe box for 1 year 8 months.

I don't know how it leaked. This is my guess: It leaked because the chemical in the plastic sachet is hygroscopic. It keeps absorbing moisture....the chemical inside turns to liquid and swells. It reaches a point where liquid pressure is so great that it bursts the plastic lining of the sachet at the sides. Then the liquid mix of water and chemical flows out.

I decided to throw away my brand new unused Hush Puppies shoes. Thought over it a while....if I insist to wear the shoes. The chemical will be infused into the leather. It will penetrate the socks easily and contact the skin on my feet. For hours everyday.

Asking for trouble, right?

Will it lead to some nasty (extremely expensive to treat and painful) skin aliment?
Don't know. Never take such unnecessary risks. Chuck the shoes.

I surfed and found out that others have also experienced leaks.
http://soft.com.sg/forum/gear-guitar/47333-thirsty-hippos-any-cheaper-alternative.html

read the posts by niteblade #5 and leonardchng #6

I cannot remember what is the brand of drying agent I used before, as it has been quite a few years back. It just accumulate the water from the surrounding, and when the water level reach the drying agent, the drying agent just melt into the water, and I have to throw away the box. Never encounter leakage then.