Cleaning Baker's Buckets

[SeanD]

I just got these great 2 gallon plastic buckets from a bakery. They had icing in them and I can't get the smell out. I've tried a 24 hour soak in a bleach/water solution, but it's still there. Any home remedies out there?

[firetech]

I use alot of recycled bakery buckets if you are just using them for sap collection there is no issue in my mind. I even use some juice concetrate buckets wash'm ,sanitize'm and air out what you can. Put them in service as sap collection only hot syrup my release flavors from the plastic.Have a sappy season.

[Fred Henderson]

I have in the past used the same type that had dill pickles in them. The sugarhouse smelled like garlic whenever I went in but it put no tasted in the syrup or sap.

[Flatfoot95]

I too exclusively use bakery buckets, 3 and 5 gallon. I cleaned them all out with bleach and hot water. There is still some odor in them but I have never had any problems with leaching of taste into syrup or sap. I use the pails for syrup too. I run the syrup through some prefilters and orlon filter then into the buckets. I have used them now for about 3 years....no problems.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

I have used 5 gallon pickle buckets for aprox 15 years and draw off hot syrup in them. They smelled like dill pickles for years, but had not effect on syrup or sap regardless of how long it was in them. Clean them really good with soap and water and even let some water and baking soda soak in them a couple of days if you are really concerned and they shouldn't affect your syrup in any way.

I worked at Chick-fil-a as a shift mgr when I was in college, so that's how I came across the buckets and still have a bunch of them and use them the entire season for everything.

[maplehound]

Sean D, I am surprised that they have any smell in them. I have used alot of those 2 gallon icing buckets in the past and never had a problem with odor. I always washed mine in straight hot water, since the icing is mostly sugar it would just melt away. If they do have some odor though try a vinigar solution, that should help.