Used for what? Rainwater barrels, plant growing containers, composting, etc.

Dave

Not sure what you're worried about. if they're washed out, then they're .... washed out. Do a good job of washing them out. Soap and conditioner (yep, cars are rinsed with a conditioner, not just hair) are largely water soluble, so washing out the barrels repeatedly with water is probably going to do a decent job. I believe some people use hair conditioner on their cars! Now, car wax is different. It isn't water soluble and, while it probably isn't that toxic to plants, is going to take some work to clean up.

@digdirt2 Rain collecting for my veggies.

@daninthedirt That toxic? lol.

Well, sure, if you spray car wax on your veggies, you probably won't have any veggies. But residuals from a mostly cleaned wax container aren't likely to hurt anything. People get the stuff all over their hands when they put it on their car. Probably breathe the vapors as well. Ever seen anyone keel over from that? I've never seen an MSDS for Turtle Wax, but I'm guessing it's pretty non-evil.

Some plastics aren't intended for potable water storage. Forget about what was IN the barrels....consider the containers themselves.

I wouldn't use any plastic container that wasn't manufactured for food or drink storage. Ever.

I believe the chemicals that leach from plastics are highly biodegadable. Certainly BPA degrades readily in soil. Phthalates are readily broken down by soil microbes in both aerobic and anaerobic conditions. I think PVCs degrade as well. So if you're going to store water in containers that are not approved for potability, sprinkling that water on your garden, instead of drinking it directly, is probably pretty safe.

Now, to the extent this stuff remains in your soil, a related question is to what extent plants actually take it up and include it in their edible parts, such that it ends up in the food chain. I'm not sure if any studies have been done on this, but these are very large non-polar molecules, so it isn't likely that they will be easily absorbed by plants.

Of course, vinyl garden hoses are rich sources of these contaminants, as are plastic mulches that are routinely used in the food industry. In fact, those mulches are used vastly more than even for containers used in hydroponics. Do legally recognized organic gardening practices allow use of such mulches, and are those mulches made out of potable water storage plastics?

That's why I asked about the intended use. I would use them to compost in or to make compost tea in without concerns. I trust the effects of the beneficial bacteria in compost to control.

And if scrubbed well and then allowed to bake in the sun for a couple of weeks and scrubbed again I would use them as 1/2 barrels for growing ornamental and perhaps a few shallow rooted crops. But for potable water - no.

Dave

IF you are near a beverage mfg, like Coke, Pepsi, etc., they often have barrels they are looking to dispose of.
Craigslist or (Yahoo)FreeCycle are other sources.

It's well understood, from aeons of school science fair projects, that Coke and Pepsi aren't good for plants. Some would not call those drinks highly potable either, and might believe they don't even belong in the food chain. :)

So make sure you wash those barrels well!

So you think soap is better for plants?

If I drenched one plant in soapy water, and drenched the other in Coke, I really don't know who'd make out better. A science fair project, maybe? I suspect that Diet Coke would hurt plants less than regular Coke, as the sugar in the latter would reverse the osmosis process in the roots and tend to dry the plant out. I dump detergent-rich gray water from my washing machine and dishwasher on part of a semi-wild stand of oriental jasmine, and it's greener there than anywhere else. Betcha insect control works LOTS better with soapy water than Coke.

But both soap and Coke are highly water soluble, so cleaning out the barrels will be a cinch.

I was under the impression that soil microbe feed on the sugar in Reg Coke. Jerry Baker, Master Gardener Extraordinaire, has a recipe using coke to enhance plant growth. Claims your plants will be jumping out of the ground.

You should do that coke vs soap experiment using reg coke,

During a shortage of rain I also used the discharge water from a clothes washing machine with good results and no damage at all.

Coke to enhance plant growth? I missed that one. Yep, they'll probably be jumping out of the ground. Not a likely survival tactic for plants though. Of course, it's well understood that highly sugared liquid is bad for plants.

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/soil-fertilizers/using-soda-on-plants.htm

Now, I'm sure the Coca Cola company wants you to buy gallons of their Coke to spill out in your garden. But let's not go there. So much for master gardener extraordinaires.

<daninthedirt(Cent TX; HZ10, Sunset z30, USDA z8a) said:> <Coke to enhance plant growth? I missed that one.>

I count at least twice you replied about the coke. And also said: <Not sure what you're worried about. if they're washed out, then they're .... washed out.>

Coke vs soap then go on to worry about chemicals leaching out. So where does it end?

What do you think they make rain barrels out of?

I'll be waiting for your book. Don't forget to mention how to protect your plants from acid rain.

Plastics are not inert. As been mentioned, there are reasons for why there are plastic containers labeled as 'Food Grade'. Just you asking the question tells me that you are rightly concerned. So, yes, it can be a hassle to search around for the proper container, but if only for piece of mind, it's worth the extra effort.

@gumby_ct Didn't I leave you back in the dirt and detritus forum, where you said you'd never read anything else I wrote? Try harder.

I don't remember saying that - do you have a link?

Here I thought your coke reply was to me? Maybe you need to try harder?

Still waiting on your book - maybe that is the comment you misunderstood?

Does coke use the food grade barrels? You make gardening sooo confusing.

In any case, the entertainment you provide by disagreeing with yourself is worth the cost of admission.

I PURCHASED 2 PLASTIC DRUMS THAT CAME FROM CAR WASH THAT CONTAINED SULFURIC ACID,ALKYLSULFATE ACID AND BUTOXY ETHANOL WHAT CAN I WASH THESE OUT WITH AND I USE THESE TO GROW POTATOES IN,

Most any kind of soap, conditioner, windshield fluid, alcohol, and acid are highly soluble in water. In fact, that's why when they are used on cars, they wash off! Would be pretty icky if all that stuff stuck to cars. Works the same way with the containers that they were in.

The answer was mentioned above some 5yrs ago

<Not sure what you're worried about. if they're washed out, then they're .... washed out.>

Maybe HU wanted to see if he changed his mind?

Yes, I answered the question clearly. But maybe HU didn't believe it. Kind of strange how, instead of asking a question, many people like to hang themselves on old questions.

You'd be amazed at the harsh chemicals they use to clean bottles and cans that are used for food storage. But ... they wash out. The chemicals in your dishwasher and washing machine cleaners aren't that nice either. Good that they wash out.

The question is less how harsh they are, and more how soluble they are. The ones you named are highly soluble. Granted that some ugly petrochemicals aren't that soluble in water, but can be broken down with soap.

thanks for the info very helpful and piece of mind

Can you use barrels which had cow udder wash in take gardens out of

Questions like this come down to water solubility. If the stuff is soluble in water, washing with water will get rid of it. Soaps and detergents used with water to clean things are, for that reason, always water soluble. If you can wash the stuff off a cow udder with water, you can wash it out of the container it came in. Certainly skin conditioners (that are often in udder washes) are water soluble.