**Ask a monkey a physics question thread**

[MadMojoMonkey]

I get it won't sell to proper chemists, but schools looking to save a few quid on test tubes?

IDK. I'm sure in America, some idiot would protest that you probably just sold the school your meth lab. Who knows if that gains traction with other members of the PTA.
Still worth a shot to phone up any local high schools (or whatever you call them in the UK) and get in touch with their chemistry and physics teachers.

Don't offer to clean anything for them. If the person whom sold you the stuff didn't clean it, then there could be a reason. It could be that they are lazy, or it could be something else.
There's no point in volunteering extra time and effort on your end when your goal is to simply buy something at $10 and sell it at $13 (or whatever).

Why buy new stuff when they're "dirty" after their first use?

In general, you know exactly what's dirtying it and that's the key.
It's not so much that it's contaminated, it's that it's contaminated with unknown substances.

Also, there's surely a large amateur chemist market.

Maybe not just chemists. I use a fair amount of glassware in my physics demos.

My brother makes vape juice and uses chem lab equipment and glassware.

I'll clean everything first with diluted bleach then rinse thoroughly with water. That's sufficient for most applications, surely?

Please don't do that.
You have literally no idea what chemicals you're trying to clean off those items, and you don't know whether any of those chemicals will interact with the bleach.

If you find a potential buyer whom is concerned about filth, then... maybe... offer to wipe them off with a dry cloth. Even water could activate an acid and that's not likely to be a big deal, given the amounts we're expecting, but it could cause some skin irritation or damage the cloth you're using.

The biggest concern is in creating toxic vapors. Not all of the things that can harm you have a bad smell, and some of the things that smell bad have done their damage if they're concentrated enough for you to smell them.

So long as I make my £500 back within two or three months, and I still have plenty of stuff left, I'll be happy.

I hope it all works out.