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Jojoartie
09-08-2022, 11:37 AM
Hi All,
Would hand sanitizer be a relatively safe product to try to remove from a 55g drum to re-purpose for a birdman filter?
Sorry, i dont have specific ingredients but i would assume some form of alcohol was in it?
What would be the best way to try to clean the barrell? Pressure washer and some type of soap?
Thanks.

two_wheeled
09-08-2022, 12:13 PM
Could you find out what kind of hand sanitizer it was? Some are mostly alcohol based, whereas others have more potent chemicals in them. I wouldn't be afraid of the alcohol based sanitizers because I think most of that will come out OK. But others, maybe not. It's really a toss up. It would have to be washed very thoroughly, because the same chemicals in hand sanitizer will kill bacteria that is beneficial to your pond.

Jojoartie
09-08-2022, 12:26 PM
Thats a good point on the bacteria issue. I dont think i’m gonna get a list of ingredients from the seller unfortunately.

Jojoartie
09-08-2022, 12:30 PM
How about shampoos, body care products?

cottagefog
09-08-2022, 03:43 PM
Water and Dawn dish soap would work fine. I recommend Dawn for its ability to break down any oil (if any are present).

Fill the barrel a quarter, to half full and scrub the sides down with the soapy water, and do the same OUTSIDE of the barrel.

Tip it over to empty, and hose it down until there are no more suds in the barrel.

Let it sit in the sun to dry and let mother natures UV's help.

Since you wont be able to identify what was truly in the barrel I would repeat this process again.

Wash, rinse inside and out, let it sit in the sun to dry a day or two. Repeat one more time.

After it dries, now just use water and fill the barrel. Let it sit for an hour. Check the water to see if it smells, looks cloudy, oil slick, etc.

If it looks and smells like you can drink it then I am sure you have cleaned it well enough for your fish to stay healthy!


Good luck

two_wheeled
09-09-2022, 06:29 PM
^^ that sounds reasonable.