Most of us are familiar with solo cups as they are the saviors for many from doing our dishes. Solo cups must have served as a foundation for many parties that we have conducted.
These disposable cups are famous for their one- time use purpose and cheap rates. Today you may not have been obsessed with them unless you got your coffee cold in it. I know you still do feel a little lazy to transfer it to another container nor do you wanna make a hot cup of coffee for yourself.
Am I right? If you are lying back on that couch, thinking about whether you can microwave your coffee in that solo cup, yet confused to do so, then you have landed up at the right place, at the right moment.
The rest of the article will let you know if that solo cup with the cold coffee is eligible to get inside a microwave or not.
Can You Microwave Solo Cups?
Though solo cups come with a lot of advantages, they do have some limitations. One among them is the perfect answer to this query of yours. You CAN’T microwave your drink in a solo cup.
Solo cups are – time use, disposable cups which undergo greater deformation with slight rise beyond the optimum temperature. Since the cup is made of a thin layer of plastic, withstanding high temperature itself is a challenge. This makes microwaving your solo cups an unimaginable task.
Even if you go ahead with the experiment, the most probable result would be melting of the solo cup with the liquid all spread inside your microwave. As the very invention of solo cups is to make your job easier, microwaving them could work otherwise.
If it is so pressing for you to use disposable cups, next time don’t depend on the leftover solo cups from the last party. Instead, buy and store some microwave safe- disposable cups to use in times like these.
What happens if you microwave Solo Cups?
You know that when something is microwaved it certainly gets exposed to microwaves. Solo cups are made of a polymer plastic which gets converted to BPA (Bisphenol A) and polypropylene with heat. They are very toxic chemicals which should be certainly avoided from consumption.
Even if consumed in minute quantities they are capable of bringing in many health issues to your body such as diabetes, hormone disruption, prostate or breast cancer, reproductive disorders, cardiovascular disease etc.
With the high temperature of the microwave, these toxins will certainly get diffused with your food. But, the chances of you consuming it is very low as the solo cup could mostly melt away, making itself unsuitable for consumption.
At the same time I see a high probability in you cleaning up your microwave after this experiment.
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At What Temperature Solo Cups Start to Melt?
Most of the items made of plastic do melt at 170°C or 338°F and solo cups are no exception to it. For your kind information solo cups are made of a kind of plastic called ‘Polystyrene’ which has a melting point of 100 °C to 120°C or 212°F to 248°F.
As the cup is made of a very thin layer of plastic, the chances of it undergoing a small range of deformation (especially getting expanded) when poured something hot into it (even if it is at a temperature lower than the melting point) is very high.
Microwaving your cold coffee in a solo cup won’t be a wise idea as the microwave cavities do get hotter than 100 °C, which is well enough to melt the cup.
Are Solo Cups Microwave Safe?
No, solo cups can’t be put in a microwave. If you are thinking of getting your cold coffee hot again with the help of a solo cup in a microwave, my buddy I kindly suggest you not to do that even if you don’t have the option to pour it down.
Plastics are numbered from 1-7 range inorder to identify if they are recyclable, reusable, or microwave-safe or not. Solo cups (both red and blue) fall under number 6 category as they are made of Polystyrene or Styrofoam which are NOT microwave-safe.
Solo cups are one time usable disposable cups, specially made to make your job easier after a party. Microwaving them can get hazardous chemicals getting mixed up with your drink.
Always check for the label ‘Microwave Safe’ on any plastic products being used.
Note: Always check for the label ‘Microwave Safe’ on any plastic products being used. Products which fall under number 5 category are made of Polypropylene plastics which are heat resistant and microwave safe.
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Wrapping Up
Solo cups are saviors for many during party time. They have been brought to the market with a purpose, that is to serve as a one time use- disposable cups. So, they have been made with a thin layer of plastic called ‘Polystyrene’ (with melting point 100 °C to 120°C or 212°F to 248°F) which gets deformed at high temperatures.
Temperature inside a microwave is good enough to deform the cup or even melt it. This certainly contaminates your drink with some toxic chemicals. Thus microwaving your solo cups is certainly not a good idea.
Hoping them to do beyond their threshold limits is too much of expectations right? So, if your coffee is still cold, please transfer it to a ‘microwave safe’ container and microwave it.