Food grade fermenter used for something else first?

[OpenSights]

I’m waiting to get into 10 gallon, have everything but need larger fermenters. Found someone local selling some once used plastic barrels for cheap. Here’s his response to me asking what was in them...

Sorry, couldn’t figure out how to copy/paste from FB...

If I just soak with pbw for a week, should they be ok?

 

[bovine_OB]

Plastic will retain odors pretty well. I picked up a 5 gal bucket that had pickles in it, that was 3 years ago and it still smells like pickles.

 

[Maverick986]

I've had some buckets pick up smells, and have used a baking soda-water mix and it had at minimum helped. Not sure on a pbw soak, but baking soda might work.

 

[jtratcliff]

If you can request "no pickles, no soy sauce", the rest might be fine... try bleach, vinegar, pbw/oxyclean... hell, even lye...
Vinegar is an acid, the rest are bases.... the lye is caustic... each can bring something different to the table... using all
would probably be overkill....

Then some serious rinsing (multiple times!) and you should be good.

I got my fermenters from a small, local, commercial soapmaker... 7 gallon buckets that held various oils for making soaps...
After a good cleaning, they work great!

 

[Soulshine2]

sounds like theyre at least food grade which is a plus.