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Well today I managed to score some food grade barrels for a screaming deal. I got 3 55Gal blue, 2 15Gal whites, and 10 5Gal buckets. All have been cleaned out and I can't really smell any left over scents from what was in them before. Have plans for a fruit press so had to scale up the fermenters from one single can last year to this dream team!

Now my question is what is the best way to go about cleaning these guys out to make sure they are good to go? I was thinking a light bleach or a vinigar cleaning then a good go through with a good dish soap then maybe a last go round with a brewing sanitizer. With this being my firs time using barrels that were not brand new just thought I would get some input. Thanks in advance y'all.

Bleach don't use no vinegar. That will come
soon enough

So I'm tole

Been away from distilling for over three years, I was working on the family tree.
But I still have around six wine bottles of beautiful apricot vinegar. It wasn't supposed to happen but it is really nice.
The Baker

trigger985 wrote:...what is the best way to go about cleaning these guys out to make sure they are good to go?..

As goose eye recommended, its best to use dilute chlorine bleach to sanitize. But you want to use DILUTE chlorine, only about 1 cup per 50 gallons of water. If you are on "city water" that is chlorinated, you can use that and you probably don't need to add more chlorine. Let it soak for 15 - 20 minutes and drain. Turn the fermenter upside down and let it dry out in the sunshine. Then you're ready to go. You shouldn't have to rinse it out any better before starting your ferment.
ss

What was in the barrels?


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Two of the 55G barrels had cheese colouring in them, the other 55 and the buckets had fruit juice, and the two 15G barrels had the iodine mixture used in fairs to dip the uters in after milking. The ones with iodine I will be treating with vitamin C (something acid not just lemon juice or something) and the rest I will soak and rinse with city water from the hose then most likely use a brewers sanitizer before the first ferment. That should be good I figure

trigger985 wrote: I will soak and rinse with city water from the hose then most likely use a brewers sanitizer before the first ferment. That should be good I figure

Starsan sanitizer is a great product.