# Getting the smell out..solutions?



## Just Cliff (Nov 27, 2008)

I have been trying to get the smell out of some barrels that had pickles in them. They are made of HDPE and are of course food grade. I usually use them to put chicken feed in for storage. Now. I would like to put a few other things in them. I have tried baking soda, Bleach and Dawn dish soap. I'm still have a residual smell. Anyone with two cents....Please jump in.

Also. Has anyone had any issues with vacuum bag sealed food taking on odors? I was thinking it may not be a problem if the sealed bags do not take on odors.


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## AngieM2 (May 10, 2002)

Okay - here's a wild idea - I know you said baking soda - but have you tried baking soda and vinegar and let it foam? It takes out dyes, so maybe it would get into the pores of the plastic and come out.

Or what about closing up charcoal bricket in it to absorb the smell?


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## Roadking (Oct 8, 2009)

Vinegar? Or a vinegar / water mix? Folled by baking soda to remove the vinegar. Worked great on a cat urine carpet (took the color out, but we were going to replace it anyway). Worth a shot...
Matt


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## Roadking (Oct 8, 2009)

As Maxwell Smart used to say..."Missed it by that much"...
Matt


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## D Lynn (May 26, 2008)

Have you tried leaving them sit out in the sun for a day or two. I read somewhere that the sun steralizes things. I've done this with some other smelly things - seems to help. :shrug:


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## texican (Oct 4, 2003)

I gave up on pickle buckets... too much trouble, and no matter how 'clean' it smelled, the pickle odor would come back like a bad penny. I'd find a source for frosting buckets... they're great.


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## Sarabeth (Sep 14, 2008)

I have to agree with texican - too much trouble, and the smell seems to just come back. I've tried vinegar, baking soda, water, set in the sun, on and on.....Check out bakeries, and mom and pop donut shops, if you have any of those. I'm able to get them with gasket lids for 50 cents each.


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## wyld thang (Nov 16, 2005)

is chicken feed smelling like pickles really a problem for chickens? I bet the chicken feed might eventually absorb and draw out the smell?


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## wyld thang (Nov 16, 2005)

BTW, I have a pickle barrel we used for a rain barrel for a few years, the smell is gone.


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## Our Little Farm (Apr 26, 2010)

Not sure if this will help or not, but when I needed to clean my FIL waterproof sheets, I was advised to use mouthwash, and it really worked. Everything else I tried just did not get it.

So I am wondering if it might work for the buckets too.


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## Sarabeth (Sep 14, 2008)

Our Little Farm said:


> Not sure if this will help or not, but when I needed to clean my FIL waterproof sheets, I was advised to use mouthwash, and it really worked. Everything else I tried just did not get it.
> 
> So I am wondering if it might work for the buckets too.


Maybe the alcohol/antiseptic in the mouthwash is what does it?


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## timfromohio (Jun 19, 2007)

hydrogen peroxide solution might work

other than that, +1 on the frosting buckets - the bakeries at our local food stores usually save them for customers - wife asks every time she goes to the store now


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## 7thswan (Nov 18, 2008)

I read coffee, ground. How much, I don't know.


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## Just Cliff (Nov 27, 2008)

I have tried setting them in the sun and airing them out also. I know some of you read bucket. These are 60 gallon screw top barrels and I have about 50 of them. Yeah the chicken feed does well. Chickens only complain about 1 thing, GMO corn. They wont eat it! The rain barrel thing gives me an idea. I may just fill them with water, leave the lids off and set them in the sun. I may try borax too. I have used it before to clean things. It works pretty well. I won't hurt to try any of these things though. I appreciate the input from all. I was just trying to get done a bit quicker than things are going. I'm a solo prepper, prepping for 4. My problem is time. I see the writing on the wall like the rest of you. The faster I can get done the more peace of mind I can have.


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## texican (Oct 4, 2003)

Just Cliff said:


> I have tried setting them in the sun and airing them out also. I know some of you read bucket. These are 60 gallon screw top barrels and I have about 50 of them. Yeah the chicken feed does well. Chickens only complain about 1 thing, GMO corn. They wont eat it! The rain barrel thing gives me an idea. I may just fill them with water, leave the lids off and set them in the sun. I may try borax too. I have used it before to clean things. It works pretty well. I won't hurt to try any of these things though. I appreciate the input from all. I was just trying to get done a bit quicker than things are going. I'm a solo prepper, prepping for 4. My problem is time. I see the writing on the wall like the rest of you. The faster I can get done the more peace of mind I can have.


What kind of chickens do you have that wont eat gmo corn? My chickens will eat anything, literally, moving or not moving... I daresay they'd eat me if I cut myself in the right place! It's been my experience that just like with humans, most animals subscribe to the old saying, Hunger is the best Spice.

That same saying might be your only answer to your pickle "barrels". I've had a couple of those, and basically used em for storing feed, hauling garden water, etc. If you don't mind your breakfast, lunch, and supper, smelling of pickles, you'd be golden. If you really Love pickles, you'll be in heaven.

Good luck!


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## PrettyPaisley (May 18, 2007)

Texican-my chickens won't eat lettuce. My grandpa told me "everybody knows that" but I had no idea! 

We put our pickle buckets in the sun. I'll have to check to see if the smell came back; we had temps under 50 last week so they are still out in the cucumber patch. I was using them as clotches. Get it, pickle buckets for cucumbers?


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## Spinner (Jul 19, 2003)

DH used to be a truck driver and they sometimes hauled foods that left an odor in the trailers. He would buy a 1 lb can of coffee and sprinkle it on the floor of the trailer to get the smells out. Don't know if it would work in a barrel, and coffee costs much more now than it did back in the 60's when he did that.


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## Cyngbaeld (May 20, 2004)

Before you put food in the barrels, get some activated charcoal. You can buy it at many stores that sell aquarium supplies. Make up several sachets of charcoal and distribute thru the barrel as you pack it. The charcoal will help to absorb the odors.


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## wyld thang (Nov 16, 2005)

borax is great stuff

yes, my pickle barrel is 50 gallon, orange with a spigot at the bottom and the screw on lid.


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## manygoatsnmore (Feb 12, 2005)

I can't add anything to the suggestions - they already listed everything I'd try. I just wanted to tell you how jealous I am of all your huge pickle barrels! I'm still trying to come up with a local source for big blue barrels here.


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## Just Cliff (Nov 27, 2008)

manygoatsnmore said:


> I can't add anything to the suggestions - they already listed everything I'd try. I just wanted to tell you how jealous I am of all your huge pickle barrels! I'm still trying to come up with a local source for big blue barrels here.


Make Sure to check dialysis centers. I scored pretty well at them on the blue barrels. The locations around here get acid in them to use in the equipment. Since acid is very soluable in water, they are very easy to wash out. 
Remember if any acid is left in the barrel!!! 
Add acid to water NOT water to acid.


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## NamasteMama (Jul 24, 2009)

Nothing works, but time for pickle barrels. Ours are about 3 years old and the smell is finally gone.


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## texican (Oct 4, 2003)

PrettyPaisley said:


> Texican-my chickens won't eat lettuce. My grandpa told me "everybody knows that" but I had no idea!
> 
> We put our pickle buckets in the sun. I'll have to check to see if the smell came back; we had temps under 50 last week so they are still out in the cucumber patch. I was using them as clotches. Get it, pickle buckets for cucumbers?


My chickens will fight to the death over lettuce. Reckon my chickens don't know any better.


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## Bat Farm (Apr 21, 2010)

Put a couple of apples cut into quarters in them and let them sit for a few days. It works for smelly closets and cars too. I don't know why.


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## beaglebiz (Aug 5, 2008)

kitty litter, charcoal, newspaper crumbled up and sunshine are the normal cures for a fishy smelling cooler...might be worth a try


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## Just Cliff (Nov 27, 2008)

I had an idea this morning as I was filling up more smelly barrels of water to sit in the sun. As I watched the water rise in the barrel (just short of watching paint dry) I thought how nice it would be to get a break from the heat and go swimming....... hey wait.. I have never smelled a stinky swimming pool.. I went to the hardware store this afternoon and got some HTH brand "pool shock" ($4.99) Its supposed to get rid of odors and bacteria. I put some in the barrels and filled the rest of the way up. When I smelled the water, it smelled like ..well.. a swimming pool. Usually when I would fill them with whatever cleaner of the day,even bleach, I could still smell rancid pickles, This time not a hint of it. I will let them sit in the sun for a few days just to make sure. It doesnt take much either. That little 1 pound package (I think) is supposed to do a 12,000 gallon pool. I put a tablespoon in each barrel. I guess I will wait to see what happens.


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## NamasteMama (Jul 24, 2009)

Fine if your not going to use them for drinking water. Pool shock is highly toxic and should never touch anything that will be consumed.


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## Allen W (Aug 2, 2008)

Some where I read you can use dairy cleaner, the stuff they clean milk tanks and equipment at dairys with.


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## Bearfootfarm (Jul 13, 2006)

When you pour them out, it may kill anything growing nearby.

I'd turn them upside down with the lids off, and set on pallets or boards so air could circulate, and just give them some time


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## praieri winds (Apr 16, 2010)

I have used coffee grounds for household smells but nothing as far as pickle buckets and as far as the bags I use them all the time with no side effects


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## manygoatsnmore (Feb 12, 2005)

So, if it kills grass and weeds, just pour out the barrels with the pool shock water in them onto an area you WANT to kill the grass and weeds - like gravel driveways and parking areas. Rinsed extremely well, and then washed out thoroughly, all traces of the chlorine should be removed, leaving it safe even for drinking water storage. A trace of chlorine would actually keep the water "fresher". Leaving the barrels sitting, open, would allow the chlorine to dissipate over time, leaving the water in them safe to dump eventually. I'll be watching for an update, Cliff - sounds like it might just work!


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## 10kids (Jun 24, 2010)

My Dad always kept a bag of charcoal briquettes for odors. He would put a couple where ever the smell was and it always worked.


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## Just Cliff (Nov 27, 2008)

I have had some marginal success in the last 9 days. Out of 11 barrels I have 5 that smell neutral, 2 that smell like they were very hot when formed and the the other 4 have only the slightest smell. 
2 of those I emptied after a couple days to see how it was going. I did the rest yesterday. The first two needed to sit longer. They had a smell when dried out. I refilled one of the barrels that smelled like it was hot when formed just to make sure. Plastic that was too hot when formed will always smell that way it'll never go away. 
I did notice that certain barrels cleaned easier than others. I have 5 different types, all variations on a theme, probably by different manufacturers.
Fot thase that use pickle buckets, I would only put about a teaspoon of the shock in each one and let it sit for a week or so in the sun. I did notice the hotter my barrels got, the more the little clumps and residue of the shock was absorbed be the water. It probably didn't hurt that it's only been 235 degrees for the last week here!
I was also surprised that the water that I dumped didn't kill the grass, even without any rain. The day I filled them it sprinkled just a bit while I did it but ,nothing since. The grass has turned a bit yellow but not dead. I imagine when it rains that will cure itself


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## Eileen T (Jun 20, 2010)

Hi. Years ago I had some things mold in expensive plastic containers and I thougt they were ruined due to the odor that wouldn't wash out, but someone told me to stuff them with (dry) newspaper and just leave them sit for a few weeks. It worked very well.


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## FyredUp (May 22, 2010)

How about this? 

Clean them the best you can and line them with 55 gallon clear plastic trashbags. That way you can seal them and keep a barrier between the remaining smell and whatever you are storing.


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## manygoatsnmore (Feb 12, 2005)

FyredUp, The smell of pickles will go right through plastic - even the smell of bananas penetrates plastic. If I have a sandwich in my lunch bag with a banana, the sandwich picks up the banana smell. 

It sounds like the pool shock treatment, sunshine and time work pretty well - thanks for the update, Cliff!


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