Cleaning plastic buckets

[Rick_Seebeck]

Is it enough to wash out my plastic buckets with just very hot water and a brush? A couple of them still smell a little musty even after the hot water wash. Should I use detergent?

[tappin&sappin]

You'll get many opinions on the subject of cleaning...

When I clean my sap buckets at the end of the season, take a 3 gallon bucket, fill it w/ hot water and then put a cap full of clorox bleach in the 3 gal bucket of hot water. I then scrub the buckets w/ that water and then rinse very well w/ cool water.

I've had no problems w/ doing this. For my storage tanks during the season though, I just use hot water, scrub and then rinse w/ cold water.

- Jake

[skinny78]

We use a 20:1 water and bleach solution, scrub with a pad, then rinse with clear water. Never use a detergent on anything that touches your sap/syrup it will give an off flavor in your syrup.