How do I clean my new 55 gallon blue barrels?

[bixa525]

I just purchased 3- 55 gallon blue water drums from Emergency Essentials and am getting ready to fill them. I opened the bung holes and there is a distinct plastic smell in the barrels. What is the best way to get rid of this smell and do they need thoroughly cleaned or just disinfected to get rid of smell? Also can I sit them on my basement floor without any worries of leaching from cement into the barrels? Thanks!

[cpwhip]

I would use vinegar,water fill um and let them sit a few days.

[610Alpha]

You might want to put them up on a couple of boards if you are concerned about leaching from the concrete. Try bleach to get rid of the smell...let us know what works :)

[Matt In Oklahoma]

clean barrels 1/8bag of pool shock or 1/2cup of bleach, tomatoe paste or pickle barrels 1/2 bag of pool shock and rinse well.
Shouldnt be any leaching but make sure everything else is around it is up on pallets in case one leaks

[ibetiny]

Resist the urge to go to the local car wash and hose them down, someone told me that they recycle water. The trick is to get them about 1/8th to 1/4th full, add your bleach\soap\cleaning agent, then seal up and roll around the garage for a while. Then dump and rinse. (worked good for me.)

[Matt In Oklahoma]

Resist the urge to go to the local car wash and hose them down, someone told me that they recycle water. The trick is to get them about 1/8th to 1/4th full, add your bleach\soap\cleaning agent, then seal up and roll around the garage for a while. Then dump and rinse. (worked good for me.)

hahahhaha I'm gonna tell a story on myself. When i got my barrels I went to the carwash to get the pickle smell out. Didnt work so in my infinte wisdom i grabbed the full bottle of dishwashing liquid which surely would work. I pour in the whole bottle into the barrel, grab the highpressure hose set it to soap setting and within a minute I cant see my full size pickup for the suds. I run out of money trying to rinse it all off having only took a few extra quarters because surely, again in my infinite wisdom, I wouldnt need much cause i'll finish rinsing at home. So as i drive home slowly full of suds in the bed and a hardly cleared windsheild the bibbles begin to subside. As I almost reach my turn I see in my rearview mirror a giant soap bubble clot leap out and hit the car square in the windsheild behind me, completley covering it. I slump down into my seat, eyes barely above the dash, in full tier level one OPSEC mode of course, with my trail of bubbles and people telling me i'm #1 in their book with their fingers behind and beside me. I manage to get home with no one following me, no cops and before the neighbors awoke to point and laugh.
No carwashes shouldnt be used for this tasking perhaps and i'm suing dawn for PTSD LOL
BTW the barrel still smelled like pickles, no bueno

[barfife]

way too funny!! LMAO

hahahhaha I'm gonna tell a story on myself. When i got my barrels I went to the carwash to get the pickle smell out. Didnt work so in my infinte wisdom i grabbed the full bottle of dishwashing liquid which surely would work. I pour in the whole bottle into the barrel, grab the highpressure hose set it to soap setting and within a minute I cant see my full size pickup for the suds. I run out of money trying to rinse it all off having only took a few extra quarters because surely, again in my infinite wisdom, I wouldnt need much cause i'll finish rinsing at home. So as i drive home slowly full of suds in the bed and a hardly cleared windsheild the bibbles begin to subside. As I almost reach my turn I see in my rearview mirror a giant soap bubble clot leap out and hit the car square in the windsheild behind me, completley covering it. I slump down into my seat, eyes barely above the dash, in full tier level one OPSEC mode of course, with my trail of bubbles and people telling me i'm #1 in their book with their fingers behind and beside me. I manage to get home with no one following me, no cops and before the neighbors awoke to point and laugh.
No carwashes shouldnt be used for this tasking perhaps and i'm suing dawn for PTSD LOL
BTW the barrel still smelled like pickles, no bueno

[Bama]

I used about a cup of clorox and filled to the top with water. I sealed the barrel and let it sit for a day or so. Drain and rinse. Let it dry completely in the sun, it should be ready. This also works on coolers that are musty or stained.