Help! My stanchion smells like sour milk!

[savingdogs]

I almost put this under homemade products, because I have a lovely wood stanchion my hubby made me from the Fias Co Farms diagrams. It works awesome, so I don't want to replace it. It is just made of unfinished wood. I have a linoleum floor in my milk room and I milk indoors, in what is essentially a laundry room, so I have hot water and such, so I thought I could keep everything clean and sweet smelling....... but not so........

I don't understand why I'm getting this SOUR MILK smell and when I wash the stanchion, it seems to be coming from there. All the other surfaces are washable. The stanchion does have the spaces between the boards that are hard to clean.

I kinda have two questions.....what can I do to clean that NOW? Should I take it outside and hose it down? Use bleach? Vinegar?

And two, in the off-season for milking, should I prime and paint the stanchion to make it easier to clean next milking season?

This stanchion has only been used since February.

Thanks in advance for your help.

 

[aggieterpkatie]

Hm....are you getting milk on the stand? If so, stop!

I'd try to wash it down outside and try spraying it with the bleach or vinegar and let it dry in the sun.

I have a wood milk stand and it sometimes gets a little milk on it accidently but it doesn't smell. I wonder why yours does?

 

[savingdogs]

It isn't expensive or nice wood, I think it is pine. I wipe it down EVERY time I milk so don't really understand the bad smell either. And it is most definitely sour milk smell.

 

[justusnak]

If possible, I would definitely take it out and spray it down, use some soapy water...then do a vinegar rinse. Let it sit in the sun to dry really well. Then seal it as soon as possible. Sour milk... I can't stand that smell.

 

[ohiofarmgirl]

oh no one ELSE every has this problem! ha ha ha ha ha ha

just kiddin

yep drag it outside on a sunny day, hose it off - scrub it if you must and pour on some bleach - then let it dry in the sun and be out there all day. the sun will really help get that smell out.

 

[aggieterpkatie]

Hey you know what? I think my dad *did* seal my stand after he made it. Definitely seal it ASAP (well, after you scrub it and let it dry).

 

[savingdogs]

Sun? what sun? We have a thunderstorm rolling in right now.

Do you guys paint your stanchions?

 

[aggieterpkatie]

Mine isn't painted, just sealed wood w/ a big old blue splotch from the teat dip and little chicken poo stains here and there.

 

[savingdogs]

Mine has a nice even mud colored stain.

 

[freemotion]

Mine is not sealed and is doing great in its third season. I have a mat on mine....a rubber mat, the cheap kind that you use to stand on in front of the sink or as an entry mat to put shoes on or something. I got it at a discount store for $5. It stops spilled milk or wayward squirts from getting between the boards and I can take it out and hose it and leave it in the sun when needed.

I just took the entire stand out a few days ago and scrubbed it down with disinfectant and a brush and hosed it well, doing so several times until it was pretty darn new looking, then I let it sit in the sun all day. Same with the mat. It looks/smells great now.