Best way to clean water jugs???
- Thread starter evan
- Start date
If the question was "how do I keep dirt off of my water containers" that might work.
Is it safe to use bleach in a container that won't get anything better than a rinse before carrying drinking water?
tdesanto
Expedition Leader
I think bleach is unnecessary unless you think you've got something growing in there. Mild soap and warm water should be plenty, especially if you have a brush that can reach in there. A little white vinegar and warm water is good too. I don't like to mix bleach and plastics unless I have to. Bleach has a tendency to bond with some plastics and it's much harder to rinse away. But, if you're only using a tiny amount then that probably wouldn't be a problem either...I just don't think it's necessary unless you're trying to control the growth of some organisms.
Thanks. Approx how much vinegar would you use in 1 gallon of water?
obscurotron
Adventurer
The Valterra water tanks that I've bought all come with instructions to use bleach and water to clean them before putting potable water inside for human consumption. If memory serves, for a 7 gallon tank I used 2 tablespoons of bleach, filled it up, and let it sit for 4 hours. Dumped out the bleachy water and rinsed until the smell of bleach was gone.
I still follow this procedure for my water jugs once a year, and have done so for...what...12 years? Never been a problem.
I still follow this procedure for my water jugs once a year, and have done so for...what...12 years? Never been a problem.
off.track
Adventurer
or just a few oz' w/o water.. swirl around and rinse.
ntsqd
Heretic Car Camper
Contrast that with the cleaning instructions for hydration bags. Every one that I've had (ironically all BUT a Camelback so no idea what those suggest) say no bleach, use lemon Juice or vinegar in some cases.
I would speculate that the reason is one of two things. Either the ideal ratio of bleach is so low in actual bleach volume that it would be hard to do correctly, or the polymer that these are made from doesn't respond well to bleach.
For further data points you might look into what is recommended for RV potable water tanks.
Bleach is your friend. You can safely use it to sanitize water for drinking as well. Get the plain stuff; avoid the scented bleach
hey evan,
Just out of curiosity: what is it that's sullied your water jugs in the first place? Is it something simple like water left too long and turned funky?
The reason I ask: different 'dirt' calls for different cleaners. A disinfectant won't do much good against, say, oil or grease. Alkali cleaners won't remove the 'flavor' of paint or primer. Of course, don't try bleach and then decide to follow up with vinegar, etc.
Just out of curiosity: what is it that's sullied your water jugs in the first place? Is it something simple like water left too long and turned funky?
The reason I ask: different 'dirt' calls for different cleaners. A disinfectant won't do much good against, say, oil or grease. Alkali cleaners won't remove the 'flavor' of paint or primer. Of course, don't try bleach and then decide to follow up with vinegar, etc.
They're new. I'm new to this scene so I'm just trying to get a good idea on general maintenance so that I don't wreck the containers or poison my friends. :drool:
I think I'm going to rinse them out with a diluted vinegar/water mixture and then a couple rinses with clean water. This is actually the kind of info I would normally expect from a manufacturer but I guess Reliance doesn't provide that.
ntsqd
Heretic Car Camper
No argument that bleach is effective, but you're saying to ignore what the mfg of the system recommends? I gather that you're willing to assume the warranty obligations instead? Good!