How do I get the alcohol smell out of my fermenting bucket?

Question

I just made my first batch of home made beer. The bucket has a strong alcohol smell and I have washed it and sanitized with bleach but I cant seem to get the smell out of it. Is there a trick or is the bucket always going to smell that way?

Answer 1

It's not the alcohol you smell, it's the rest of the ingredients that have imparted a smell. They're insignificant enough that they won't taint your next batch. However, that's pretty much the nature of plastic...it absorbs strong odors.

The worst smell I ever got was an infected fermentation that chased everybody out of the house when I opened the lid. I thought it tainted the bucket permanently. I got it fixed by putting about a cup of bleach in it and filling it up with water and letting sit for about 24 hours. ZERO smell left...all fixed.

Answer 2

Vinegar works pretty good for getting bad smells out of pans and clothes
let bucket simmer on the stove with a little bit of vinegar if you can or fill the bucket with vinegar and let set for 30 minutes then wash with hot soapy water and rinse
Look up this site, it has lots of uses for vinegar

Answer 3

I don't know about making beer but I do have four kids who have made some nasty smells. Baking soda helps, maybe you could scrub the bucket with a lot of it and hot water then just let it sit water and all for as long as possible then rinse. hope this helps.

Answer 4

Put a lot of dishwashing liquid and hot water in it, fill to top. Let it stay in the bucket for a day. That should work.