Use your plastic barrels as rainwater barrels.
Used plastic barrels come in a variety of sizes, and can be re-purposed in a number of ways. The barrels can be used for storage in the shed, for composting, or to capture rainwater for use on your lawn and garden. No matter what your intentions for the plastic barrels, you will need to clean them before use to remove any leftover odor, bacterial growth or chemicals. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Rinse out any debris with the garden hose, then discard the water.
2. Pour 1/4 cup of dish soap into the barrel, along with either 4 cups of liquid bleach or 4 cups of white vinegar. If you will be using the barrels to store food, vinegar is a natural, non-toxic disinfectant and cleaning agent. Never mix bleach with vinegar.
3. Fill the barrel halfway with water from the garden hose.
4. Dip a sponge into the cleaning solution, and wipe the upper edges of the barrel. Repeat until you have cleaned the barrel to your liking, then let the water sit in the barrel for two hours to kill any bacteria.
5. Discard the water, then rinse once more with the garden hose. The barrel is now ready for use.
Tags: garden hose, plastic barrels, with garden, with garden hose