barrel cleaning question..

[Mudturtle]

My brother gave me a food grade barrel he used for holding/soaking oats for his chickens...55 gal with the snap down lid and screw on ring. Score right? Well there's a small problem.... If any of you have ever raised rabbits and had to clean out the nesting boxes then you already know what hit me. Ammonia. Seems like some oats were left in there all sealed up nice and tight. I haven't scrubbed it yet. But I've given it a good rinse and all but the tiniest bit is still lingering. So question is..is it safe to scrub, bleach, and air out and use if all the smell is gone or too risky and I shouldnt waste my time?

[robb]

I would think a good scrub with soap, bleach or star san rinse and air would work for a ferment barrel.

[dieselduo]

I cleaned one with garlic pickle smell in it with baking soda and that worked. It's a good cleaner and gets the smell out

[bearriver]

I wouldn't scrub it with anything.

What I would do is rinse it then spray 1:10 bleach. After it aired out dry I would rinse it again and inspect it for use. More airing may or may not be required.

Edit: wear a respirator when spraying bleach.

[Jimbo]

dont scrub it with anything abrasive. The resulting tiny scratches will harbor all sorts of shit you dont want. With a soft cloth, use some PBW and keep washing it down with the washcloth. http://www.northernbrewer.com/powdered-brewery-wash" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

[Mudturtle]

Awesome. Thanks for the info y'all. I gave it a good sniff while feeding the critters and just that little time got rid of the little bit of smell that was left. I'll give it a good spray down with water/bleach tomorrow while I clean that old chest freezer behind the barn. Forgot that was back there. So now have a fermenter closet