How do I clean and santitize a rain barrel?

[lhommedieu]

I have access to a couple of plastic 55 gallon rain barrels, and I'd like to use them to store RO water. I'm know that they've never been used for anything other than to collect rain water, but they've been sitting outside for several years with some exposure to the elements.

I'd like to flush out whatever detritus is inside and then clean and sanitize. What cleanser would you recommend for this kind of plastic?

 

[billl]

None. Rain barrels typically aren't rated for drinking water.

 

[Bellybuster]

find out if they are HDPE first. If they are food grade, pressure wash and do a hot oxyclean soak. that stuff will clean damned near anything.
Normally, you can find HDPE barrels that are already clean for about $15-20. May not be worth the effort.

 

[MannyEdwards]

find out if they are HDPE first. If they are food grade, pressure wash and do a hot oxyclean soak. that stuff will clean damned near anything.
Normally, you can find HDPE barrels that are already clean for about $15-20. May not be worth the effort.

Can you point me in the right direction?

 

[brick_haus]

Craig's list has several ads here locally. I got mine from a local dairy that buys them full of fruit juice concentrate.

 

[Munster51]

I have a local Pepsi plant. They will occasionally set several hundred out for free pickup. They have only stored the liquid in them. They take a lot of rinsing to get the smells out. Those should be your safest bet.

 

[lhommedieu]

Thanks for the replies. I had planned to check to see if they were HDPE. Probably not...

I'll check Craigslist and see what I can find.

I had planned on hot water and bleach - and lots of rinsing. Oxyclean seems like the way to go instead.