Recycling 5 gal. pickle buckets

[DuppyDo]

Buying new, clean and fresh food grade 5 gal. buckets for food storage can be pricey.I've found some deli's that are saving me some nice heavy duty pickle buckets. It can take a long time to get rid of the odor.I have grains and beans i want to get into storage soon. I've cleaned them a few times with bleach and soap and they still smell.My question, if food is stored in heavier 7mm mylar bags,then stored in these buckets, will the odor penetrate the mylar and affect the foods flavor..? thanks..kevin

 

[freemotion]

Personally, I wouldn't risk it. You could experiment with something that doesn't cost too much....maybe some of your chicken's feed, for example, they will eat it anyways.....and leave it in there a couple weeks and see if it smells like pickles.

I bet baking soda would work, though, as it react with the vinegar.

 

[Tallman]

If you are going to use the "air them out" method, I have found that direct summer sunshine helps. Just set them on an angle so they get the direct sun light during the heat of the day. The "air out" method does take some time, but the summer sun helps.

 

[mjdtexan]

If you dont need 5 gallon buckets and can use smaller buckets "Shipleys" donuts dumpsters are your friend. They have (with lids) round 1 gallon buckets and square (with lids) two gallon buckets. I like the square buckets because they store more in tighter spaces. It is generally a doughnut filling that comes in them and you just wash them out.

 

[enjoy the ride]

I have a pickle barrel (55 gallon) that I have been trying to get the smell out of for years. THe exposing it to sunlight made it better but when it was closed up again, the smell was right there again.
There must be something that will chemically nutralize the smell- I've tried bleach dilution and baking soda dilution.

 

[SKR8PN]

DuppyDo.......check with your local Lowes store if you have one nearby. Ours had brand new, white, food grade buckets for 2.47 apiece here a couple weeks back.

 

[Patch of Heaven Farm]

My husband is a chef and they get all thier pickles in 5 gal. buckets and he brings alot of them home for us to use. We use them for several things around the farm.....I have cut a band out of each side and made a hanging chicken waterer out of them,cut them down for dog bowls,used as chicken nest either laying down or cut in half(I just put the lid on so both halves can be used),I also store oddsand ends in them,use them to pick veggies out of the garden,to hold kitchen scraps for the compost pile,store homemade detergent and I do sore bulk grains in them.


I fill them up and put bleach and some mean green in and let them set for 2 weeks in direct sunshine and changing the solution every couple of days. Then I use baking soda and/or dish liquid/or bleach for another 2 weeks in them. I set them in the direct sun and let them get hot,then I use a box of dry baking soda for a couple days and I have had great results with no smell.

Now my husband's resturaunt goes through a few buckets of pickles a week so maybe it just depends on how long the buckets had pickles in them. Because some he brings home barely smells like pickles and others take longer to get rid off the smell. I test them after four weeks by washing them out and then putting the lid on them for a few days in the sun. When I open it if I smell pickles I use it for outside stuff and if no odor I use it for dry storage. It does take a lil time to get rid of the odor and some work but I just can't see the buckets going to the dump or having to buy them if I can get them for free and save money by using them.


mjd....I wish we had a shipleys around here! I could make rabbit waterers,egg gathering buckets, planters and storage buckets out of them. LOL :bun

Sometimes I think of another great use for them and can't help but excited!!LOL

 

[DuppyDo]

Thanks everyone for your tips and suggestions,will give them a try.Still wondering though if the pickle smell will actually penetrate a hefty 7mm mylar bag..I guess i'll do a little experiment and see, not using to much wheat or beans as not wanting to waste it, but i do want to know..

 

[denimangle]

I like the donut shop idea .. and also wal-mart bakery will let you have buckets that frosting came in for like 25 to 50 cents around here. I always a few weeks ahead and ask them to save them... Guess they just cant give anything away Wonder what they do with them other wise.

Cheryl

 

[Home Maker]

I have mostly struck out when asking for buckets, but happened to be given a pickle bucket yesterday, so I was especially glad to see this thread. I wish we had a Shipley's nearby, too! I may resort to Lowe's. Our Walmart does something with them and Sam's recycles them.