Chapter 3: Equipping a Home Chemistry Laboratory 43as a field-expedient fume hood. But in fact, unless you limit
yourself to using only nonhazardous chemicals, the kitchen is
about the worst possible choice for a part-time chemistry lab.
Food and laboratory chemicals are a dangerous combination.Still, thousands of home chem labs over the years have
been set up in kitchens, and the kitchen may be your only
option. If so, take extreme care to prevent any contamination
from occurring. Protect the counter or table surface with a
resilient mat, and clean up thoroughly after each lab session.
Make sure that all of your equipment, and particularly your
chemicals, are returned to their storage containers and that
none are missing.Laundry room
Many laundry rooms are ideal candidates for a part-time
chem lab. Laundry rooms are usually well equipped with
electric power, water, drain, lighting, and have adequate
ventilation. There is often sufficient storage and if not, it’s
usually easy to add more. There is probably a suitable work
surface available, and if not it’s usually easy to add a fold-
down or other temporary work surface. The floor of most
laundry rooms is concrete or vinyl, which minimizes the
danger of damaging it with spills. In most homes, the laundry
room is the best choice for a part-time lab. Of course, you
have to clean up carefully after each lab session to avoid the
risk of staining or damaging clothes.
Spare bathroom
A spare bathroom is often an excellent location for a part-
time chemistry laboratory. It provides running water and a
drain, plenty of electric receptacles (with ground-fault circuit
interrupters), good lighting, and good ventilation. Many spare
bathrooms are a bit short on storage and counter space,
but that’s often easy to remedy simply by constructing a
collapsible framework that supports a plywood work surface
over the tub. Particularly if you live in an apartment, a spare
bathroom may be the best choice for a part-time chem lab.
Basement workshop
A basement workshop area is generally not an ideal
location for a part-time chem lab, but may be the only
option. On the plus side, storage and work surfaces are
usually not a problem, the floor is often of concrete or
another relatively impervious substance, and electric
power is usually available. However, ventilation is often
inadequate, and many basements have no water supply
or drain.
Garage or garden/storage shed
For some people, the garage or garden/storage shed will
be the location of last resort. There are some good points
to using such a location as a part-time lab (or even a full-
time one). Storage and work surfaces are usually plentiful
or can easily be made so, ventilation is often adequate, there
is probably electric power available, and spills that damage
the floor or work surfaces are of less concern than they would
be in a finished area of the house. Weighed against this, it may
be a long trek to the nearest sink and drain (although you may
be able to use the garden hose as a water supply). Perhaps
the worst aspect of using such a location is the lack of climate
control. You’ll swelter in the summer and freeze in the winter.
Even if you can tolerate that, it’s not the best environment
for storing your equipment and supplies or for doing
controlled experiments.TpRATUREEm E mATTERS
If your work area is not heated and air-conditioned, give
some serious thought to chemical storage. The shelf
life specified for many chemicals assumes storage at
normal room temperature. Allowing a chemical to bake
in the summer heat of a storage shed or garage may
reduce that shelf life from a year or more to a few weeks
or even days. Less obviously, storing some chemicals at
low temperatures may be a bad idea. Glacial acetic acid,
for example, freezes at 16.7°C (62.1°F), and the solutes in
solutions that are nearly saturated at room temperature
will crystallize out at low temperatures. More importantly,
some chemicals that are reasonably stable at room
temperature may decompose or become unstable if they
are stored at high temperature.