Buy Benzalkonium chloride

yfaykya

Tried this is gardening forum but got no replies..

Anyone know where I can buy Benzalkonium chloride?
It's the active ingredient in a lot of moss/lichen removal products. Much much cheaper to mix myself. For sale on Amazon at http://www.amazon.co.uk/BAC-50-Benza...onium+chloride but does not ship to Ireland.

See http://www.psifly.com/cr2/index.php?topic=24991.0 for some background..

Thanks!

locum-motion

yfaykya wrote: »

Tried this is gardening forum but got no replies..

Anyone know where I can buy Benzalkonium chloride?
It's the active ingredient in a lot of moss/lichen removal products. Much much cheaper to mix myself. For sale on Amazon at http://www.amazon.co.uk/BAC-50-Benza...onium+chloride but does not ship to Ireland.

See http://www.psifly.com/cr2/index.php?topic=24991.0 for some background..

Thanks!

Sorry, but are you trying to buy the actual pure chemical, so that you can mix up something yourself?

Mix it with what?
What concentration would you use?
Using what equipment?
How will you dispose of what you don't use?
How will you clean the equipment you use afterwards?
How will you dispose of the solvents you use to clean the equipment?
How will you protect yourself from exposure to the raw chemical?
Do you know how toxic or otherwise the raw chemical might be?

Now, maybe you already know the answers to all of these questions and more, but I suspect you might not.

I will tell you this; I am a pharmacist, and I wouldn't dream of trying to buy something like this to prepare at home. I wouldn't even dream of trying to prepare something like this at work, where I have access to equipment, information sources and waste disposal methods that the average Joe Soap might not have access to. There is a reason why products like this are made in proper chemical facilities, and a reason why it has a great big black 'X' inside an orange box on the packaging, and a reason why bodies like the US Environmental Protection Agency have a 126-page document that says how to use it safely.

Don't even dream of preparing something like this unless you can answer all of the questions I have asked, and more.

longhalloween

yfaykya wrote: »

Tried this is gardening forum but got no replies..

Anyone know where I can buy Benzalkonium chloride?
It's the active ingredient in a lot of moss/lichen removal products. Much much cheaper to mix myself. For sale on Amazon at http://www.amazon.co.uk/BAC-50-Benza...onium+chloride but does not ship to Ireland.

See http://www.psifly.com/cr2/index.php?topic=24991.0 for some background..

Thanks!

parcel motel?

locum-motion

longhalloween wrote: »

parcel motel?

I didn't realise Parcel Motel sold things!

zl1whqvjs75cdy

Use parcel motel for delivery my. It essentially gives you an English postal address.

yfaykya

locum-motion : Thanks - I assumed if you could buy handily in the UK then it would not be too dangerous. I had planned to make a version of a product called "wet & forget" - I see others online have just mixed Benzalkonium chloride with water (3.5-5%). I would not have considered that chemical mixing as such but what do I know!! I have bought Wet & Forget before which is > €40 for 5 litres. So :

Mix it with what?
Water

What concentration would you use?
3.5 - 5.0 %

Using what equipment?
The sprayer I have. ie what I have already used a 5% concentration in.

How will you dispose of what you don't use?
The shelf live is a long time. Either way I planned to pretty much use it all.

How will you clean the equipment you use afterwards?
Rinse with water as I would with the commercial product.

How will you dispose of the solvents you use to clean the equipment?
N/A

How will you protect yourself from exposure to the raw chemical?
I was only planning on using gloves in a ventilated area. I would only be mixing a small amount at a time to make up the 20L end product. The amazon product that does not ship to Ire was 50% so I would have needed 2L at a time in the water. I just planned on pouring 1.5-2L into sprayer and filling with water.

Do you know how toxic or otherwise the raw chemical might be?
Probably not. I know it used to be used in antiseptic wipes and creams.

Either way I think you have spooked me off it.

Thanks.

locum-motion

For clarification:
I wasn't trying to scare you off buying products containing the chemical as an active ingredient.
I was trying to point out the folly of buying raw chemicals and mixing stuff up yourself!

Now, as it happens, that particular chemical isn't going to kill you stone dead the moment you open the container or anything like that, but nevertheless an attitude of "sure I can just mix up anything I like myself" is not a healthy or sensible one! Although they might prove tricky to obtain, using an actual commercially available preparation is much more sensible.

ianobrien

OP, read the MSDS sheet before you try to get your hands on it.

As for buying, as somebody who is used to handling toxins I would be slow to mix at home having read the MSDS. Its not for my own safety but for others and wildlife in case of an accidental release.

yfaykya

Just remember I started this thread to see if I could buy it ... even mixed already!! I would prefer not to have to mix so if I could buy it pre-mixed then that will do nicely!