Removing Smells from 5 Gallon Buckets

[Isabelle]

No, my black lab is still a black lab, smells like Dawn dish soap but it beats what he usually smells like, once the peroxide is diluted in water it won't.

 

[Gazrok]

Any luck yet? I'd love to re-purpose buckets, but just can't bring myself to trust anything but new ones for food storage.

 

[Hockie]

try baking soda? it's supposed to absorb smells.

 

[old_anorak]

Pickle juice just seems to be the herpes of food smells, it never entirely goes away.

 

[Gazrok]

From Ally, on another thread.

For pickle buckets, just put some charcoal bricks in the bottom of the bucket and put the lid on for about a week or so and that should do it. If it still smells, put the lid back on and wait longer.

 

[Chicknladee]

Thanks. I'll have to give that a try...some buckets barely smell anymore...others are just as strong as day 1. I'm not sure what difference in what I've done to make some smell less than others. I'll try the charcoal thing. Hubby suggested I put a cup of straight baking soda in one and seal it up for a while to see what happens. I need to go purchase more baking soda (or charcoal brickets since I have none of those)

 

[Kenprep1979]

Finally a way that doesn't require bleach. Yes, bleach makes me a tad bit nervous. I fear poisoning myself with bleach.

if you drink city water your drinking bleach ! cleaning a bucket with it wont be near enough to poison you.

 

[Kenprep1979]

We have a cleaning company and given the choice we use vinegar quite a bit... it is a wonderful cleaner. No VOCs like many other cleaners have. My wife swears by it.

i use a vinegar /dawn mix for all my house cleaning works great .

 

[Clyde]

if you drink city water your drinking bleach ! cleaning a bucket with it wont be near enough to poison you.

I know, but I do filter my water, just because it is city water, and i don't trust the communist state of kalifornia

i use a vinegar /dawn mix for all my house cleaning works great .

I have heard that vinegar is a natural disinfectant.

 

[pashley]

i have used lemon juice on pickle jars, so it might work on the buckets. i coat the inside and lid with the juice and then close the bottle and let it set for a few days. if i can i also put in the sun. i have a bunch of these that i store beans and such in with no problem. you might have to do it twice. but it usually works pretty good.

 

[jimLE]

im glad that i came across this topic.seeing how i now have 5 buckets that needs cleaning now..

 

[Brent S]

What do you fear about bleach? (Not trying to flame you or trying to be critical at all... just wondering ... you probably know something that I don't) It kills just about all viruses and bacteria and then it rather quickly breaks down (especially in the presence of heat and/or sunlight) into NaCl (table salt).

Mind you if you drink it straight like Nadia Comaneci tried to do; it would be very bad.

I agree, bleach is wonderful stuff. I use it to clean just about everything, and it's cheap! I dilute it of course, but like bravery said, it kills just about anything. Even in Africa, with the Ebola virus, they have sprayers with diluted bleach, and it's effective. I think it's best point is it breaking down realitively quickly.

 

[Maverick]

bleach is salt, it begins as salt and ends as salt, its sodium chloride, made from water and sodium hypochlorite

On a side note, diluted bleach makes for a good wound irrigation, used it for years on my animals and me, wife and kids

 

[Maverick]

high fructose corn syrup uses sulfur dioxide and other chemicals in the process, I would be more concern with high fructose corn syrup then the simple process of bleach

 

[jimLE]

im not sure about using bleach my self..so im thinking of going with what colt posted.
Check the recycle number on the plastic and verify they are really food safe. Then fill the buckets with water and pour a cup of vinegar per gallon. Let it sit overnight. Empty the bucket and fill with water again. put a cup of baking soda in and stir it around. Let it soak overnight. Guarantee this will eliminate all odors from the plastic.

 

[Maverick]

For odor removal vinegar is a good option for some odors, lots of uses for vinegar. Bleach has been used since 1941 for water purification, military in WWII used it for purifying water. I have used bleach since the early 60s, I fill my sink up pore a little bleach in the water then clean the vegetables that I purchased from the farmers market and still use this method of cleaning purchased vegetables.

 

[Gazrok]

I had one horse that absolutely LOVED the smell and taste of bleach. Whenever I'd add a little to the water, she'd go crazy for it and lap it up, play around in it, etc. Funniest thing. (keep in mind, was just a few cap fulls, to an entire watering trough)

 

[Travis F]

Since this thread has to do with water and storage, might i get an answer. If i were to buy big buckets for storage or even drums. What water would i use? hose water? im unsure.

 

[Maverick]

Since this thread has to do with water and storage, might i get an answer. If i were to buy big buckets for storage or even drums. What water would i use? hose water? im unsure.

Tap water, if you must use a hose use a white or blue RV hose not a garden hose, depending on your storage needs treat it with something like aquamira water treatment to prolong storage out to 5 years, if you plan on changing the water out every 6 to 12 month no other treatment is necessary if using municipal treated tap water, for added safety you can use a little bleach but not necessary, if you are using well water then the water needs to be filtered and treated.

 

[Travis F]

I'd probably just use my hose and fill it up with water, thats what i did for the jacuzzi haha. But the hose thing is a really good idea. I'll probably treat the water just in case, cause im kind of lazy. Also keeping it out of sunlight? depend on the type of container or what?