How do I neutralise a container that used to hold chlorine?
Question:I have a plastic 50-litre conatiner that used to contain chlorine (or some kind of pool-cleaning liquid), I want to know how to make it clean so that I can saftely use it to transport drinking water.
I've tried rinsing it for hours in fresh water and used a detergent but it still smells really strongly of chemicals.
Any ideas how to make it safe?
Answers:
Wash with dish detergent several times. Then fill it with water and baking soda and let it sit for a few hours.. Then rinse again.
Make sure you know what the 'pool cleaning liquid' was. If it was bleach for the swimming pool it will fade out when exposed to air for a while. If you're not sure what it is, do NOT use it for drinking water. Containers are cheap enough.
Put your head in the container, breath deeply a few times, then you really won't care anymore about anything much, let alone how to neutralise it.
Apart from that, my best advise is to dispose of it in an ecologically friendly manner and get a water container from B&Q
dry ice will neutralize the container
The plastic containers used for pool chemicals ARE NOT food-safe, so you should never use them for any food or drink. That's why the smell isn't coming out and neither are the chemicals.
I have a family member who works construction. They use a 10-gallon thermal pitcher for drinking water. It keeps the water cool and clean throughout the workday.
In general, white vinegar (acid) neutralizes chlorine and other alkalines.
It won't take much since chlorine is used to clean out drinking containers. The best thing to do is set it out in the sun with the lid off.
best thing you can do is buy a cheap container some where pound shops sell things like that do not use this bottle just incase you can never be to carefull if its held chemicals why not try asking a local fast food shop or bakers if they have one you can have when they finished they all use big wash up liquid bottles or vinger/ketchup bottles much easier and safer
Its the "or some kind of pool-cleaning liquid" bit that worries me. First find out that it was indeed Chlorine. If it was, then just rinse it out a few more times with fresh water and don't worry about the smell as that will go with time. I work in the building industry and Chlorine is used to Sterilise the pipes bringing water into your Street and Homes. When the pipes have been Sterilised and Purged to remove the remaining chemical, the water is tested for microbes and then passed for consumption. Chlorine is also added by water companies (in small quantities) to drinking water in most places, to keep down instances of waterborne infections.
Chlorine as a chemical also breaks down in Sunlight as it is susceptible to UV Light. A bottle of Chlorinated Water should in theory be perfectly drinkable (all be it a little warm!) after 24 hours of bright sunlight. If you find a quantity of Chlorine Chrystal's, by all means wash it away but do not breath the vapour as it is poisonous. Chlorine reacts quickly to water and fizzes, thus releasing the vapour.
If by chance the container did not have Chlorine in it, do not use it to store or carry drinking water. Water containers are available from high street camping shops and its not worth the health risk.
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