I have a water butt next to my greenhouse which hasn't been cleaned
out for several years, and as a result is now very green and slimy
within. Does anyone know the best way to remove this slime, so that
it can be re-filled and used this summer?

Thank you!

Harry

Harry wrote:

I have a water butt next to my greenhouse which hasn't been cleaned
out for several years, and as a result is now very green and slimy
within. Does anyone know the best way to remove this slime, so that
it can be re-filled and used this summer?

Thank you!

Harry




Clorox (or other branded or non-branded bleach), 5% solution.

If the stuff is really thick, you might have to scrub it by hand a bit.
Bleach does a number on your hands; wear rubber gloves. If you get some
on your hands they will feel slippery. A bit of vinegar will help if
applied promptly.

If you don't like the chlorine smell, try Hydrogen Peroxide, but you
will probably have to use a fairly strong solution there, and the
grocery store stuff is about 3% out of the bottle. You could empty the
water and scrub the sides with straight peroxide from the bottle, but
the Clorox is much easier. Just mix, stir, and wait.

Rinse well before using chlorine water on your plants.

Will using Clorox or hydrogen peroxide not damage pose a danger in the
summer when watering delicate seedlings in the greenhouse? Obviously
I would rinse the inside of the butt well, but if there are traces
remaining?

Harry



Clorox (or other branded or non-branded bleach), 5% solution.

If the stuff is really thick, you might have to scrub it by hand a bit.
Bleach does a number on your hands; wear rubber gloves. If you get some
on your hands they will feel slippery. A bit of vinegar will help if
applied promptly.

If you don't like the chlorine smell, try Hydrogen Peroxide, but you
will probably have to use a fairly strong solution there, and the
grocery store stuff is about 3% out of the bottle. You could empty the
water and scrub the sides with straight peroxide from the bottle, but
the Clorox is much easier. Just mix, stir, and wait.

Rinse well before using chlorine water on your plants.

Harry wrote:

Will using Clorox or hydrogen peroxide not damage pose a danger in the
summer when watering delicate seedlings in the greenhouse? Obviously
I would rinse the inside of the butt well, but if there are traces
remaining?


The chlorine from the Clorox will evaporate in a fairly short time. The
best way to ensure this is to leave the container empty after rinsing it
and open so that air can circulate in it. Give it a week and it will be
long gone.

Hydrogen peroxide will not damage seedlings if the concentration is less
than 0.1%, a level easily attained after a single rinse. In fact, the
peroxide is commonly used as a disinfectant in greenhouses and is used
on farms as a fungicide spray (at the 0.1% level). The company that
manufactures the hydrogen peroxide as a fungicide has a demonstration
that features a bowl of goldfish swimming in a 0.1% peroxide solution.

On the other hand, the stuff they sell is a 27% solution and you DON'T
want to get that on your hands. However, if you stick with the grocery
store stuff (about 3% strength), people use it as mouthwash (I usually
dilute it at least 1:1).

If you're using the container as a collector of rainwater to water your
seedlings, the best thing to do is to keep out any light. Without light,
the algae won't grow. This means at least a cover on the container, and
if the container is plastic, probably a couple of coats of paint to keep
light from filtering through. You could even build a box around the
container (with some provision for getting the water in and out.)

bleach is best, it will keep the water sweeter longer, altho dont use bleach if the
water is used for fish. much higher concentration peroxide is found in beauty
shops... for bleaching hair. Ingrid

Dwight Sipler wrote:
Clorox (or other branded or non-branded bleach), 5% solution.

If the stuff is really thick, you might have to scrub it by hand a bit.
Bleach does a number on your hands; wear rubber gloves. If you get some
on your hands they will feel slippery. A bit of vinegar will help if
applied promptly.

If you don't like the chlorine smell, try Hydrogen Peroxide, but you
will probably have to use a fairly strong solution there, and the
grocery store stuff is about 3% out of the bottle. You could empty the
water and scrub the sides with straight peroxide from the bottle, but
the Clorox is much easier. Just mix, stir, and wait.

Rinse well before using chlorine water on your plants.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List
http://puregold.aquaria.net/
www.drsolo.com
Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Unfortunately, I receive no money, gifts, discounts or other
compensation for all the damn work I do, nor for any of the
endorsements or recommendations I make.

actually, before planting seeds can be rinsed in dilute bleach to kill fungus. a
slight residue in the water would suppress fungus around the seedlings as well.
when peroxide hits water it is readily converted to oxygen and water. peroxide is
used on a sponge to clean the inside of glass tanks to hold the algae down. a lot of
peroxide is not a good idea as it can burn the gills of the fish if they swim thru it
before it breaks down. Ingrid

Dwight Sipler wrote:
The chlorine from the Clorox will evaporate in a fairly short time. The
best way to ensure this is to leave the container empty after rinsing it
and open so that air can circulate in it. Give it a week and it will be
long gone.

Hydrogen peroxide will not damage seedlings if the concentration is less
than 0.1%, a level easily attained after a single rinse. In fact, the
peroxide is commonly used as a disinfectant in greenhouses and is used
on farms as a fungicide spray (at the 0.1% level). The company that
manufactures the hydrogen peroxide as a fungicide has a demonstration
that features a bowl of goldfish swimming in a 0.1% peroxide solution.

On the other hand, the stuff they sell is a 27% solution and you DON'T
want to get that on your hands. However, if you stick with the grocery
store stuff (about 3% strength), people use it as mouthwash (I usually
dilute it at least 1:1).

If you're using the container as a collector of rainwater to water your
seedlings, the best thing to do is to keep out any light. Without light,
the algae won't grow. This means at least a cover on the container, and
if the container is plastic, probably a couple of coats of paint to keep
light from filtering through. You could even build a box around the
container (with some provision for getting the water in and out.)



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List
http://puregold.aquaria.net/
www.drsolo.com
Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Unfortunately, I receive no money, gifts, discounts or other
compensation for all the damn work I do, nor for any of the
endorsements or recommendations I make.

bleach is best, it will keep the water sweeter longer, altho dont use bleach if the
water is used for fish. much higher concentration peroxide is found in beauty
shops... for bleaching hair. Ingrid

Dwight Sipler wrote:
Clorox (or other branded or non-branded bleach), 5% solution.

If the stuff is really thick, you might have to scrub it by hand a bit.
Bleach does a number on your hands; wear rubber gloves. If you get some
on your hands they will feel slippery. A bit of vinegar will help if
applied promptly.

If you don't like the chlorine smell, try Hydrogen Peroxide, but you
will probably have to use a fairly strong solution there, and the
grocery store stuff is about 3% out of the bottle. You could empty the
water and scrub the sides with straight peroxide from the bottle, but
the Clorox is much easier. Just mix, stir, and wait.

Rinse well before using chlorine water on your plants.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List
http://puregold.aquaria.net/
www.drsolo.com
Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Unfortunately, I receive no money, gifts, discounts or other
compensation for all the damn work I do, nor for any of the
endorsements or recommendations I make.

actually, before planting seeds can be rinsed in dilute bleach to kill fungus. a
slight residue in the water would suppress fungus around the seedlings as well.
when peroxide hits water it is readily converted to oxygen and water. peroxide is
used on a sponge to clean the inside of glass tanks to hold the algae down. a lot of
peroxide is not a good idea as it can burn the gills of the fish if they swim thru it
before it breaks down. Ingrid

Dwight Sipler wrote:
The chlorine from the Clorox will evaporate in a fairly short time. The
best way to ensure this is to leave the container empty after rinsing it
and open so that air can circulate in it. Give it a week and it will be
long gone.

Hydrogen peroxide will not damage seedlings if the concentration is less
than 0.1%, a level easily attained after a single rinse. In fact, the
peroxide is commonly used as a disinfectant in greenhouses and is used
on farms as a fungicide spray (at the 0.1% level). The company that
manufactures the hydrogen peroxide as a fungicide has a demonstration
that features a bowl of goldfish swimming in a 0.1% peroxide solution.

On the other hand, the stuff they sell is a 27% solution and you DON'T
want to get that on your hands. However, if you stick with the grocery
store stuff (about 3% strength), people use it as mouthwash (I usually
dilute it at least 1:1).

If you're using the container as a collector of rainwater to water your
seedlings, the best thing to do is to keep out any light. Without light,
the algae won't grow. This means at least a cover on the container, and
if the container is plastic, probably a couple of coats of paint to keep
light from filtering through. You could even build a box around the
container (with some provision for getting the water in and out.)



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List
http://puregold.aquaria.net/
www.drsolo.com
Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Unfortunately, I receive no money, gifts, discounts or other
compensation for all the damn work I do, nor for any of the
endorsements or recommendations I make.

actually, before planting seeds can be rinsed in dilute bleach to kill fungus. a
slight residue in the water would suppress fungus around the seedlings as well.
when peroxide hits water it is readily converted to oxygen and water. peroxide is
used on a sponge to clean the inside of glass tanks to hold the algae down. a lot of
peroxide is not a good idea as it can burn the gills of the fish if they swim thru it
before it breaks down. Ingrid

Dwight Sipler wrote:
The chlorine from the Clorox will evaporate in a fairly short time. The
best way to ensure this is to leave the container empty after rinsing it
and open so that air can circulate in it. Give it a week and it will be
long gone.

Hydrogen peroxide will not damage seedlings if the concentration is less
than 0.1%, a level easily attained after a single rinse. In fact, the
peroxide is commonly used as a disinfectant in greenhouses and is used
on farms as a fungicide spray (at the 0.1% level). The company that
manufactures the hydrogen peroxide as a fungicide has a demonstration
that features a bowl of goldfish swimming in a 0.1% peroxide solution.

On the other hand, the stuff they sell is a 27% solution and you DON'T
want to get that on your hands. However, if you stick with the grocery
store stuff (about 3% strength), people use it as mouthwash (I usually
dilute it at least 1:1).

If you're using the container as a collector of rainwater to water your
seedlings, the best thing to do is to keep out any light. Without light,
the algae won't grow. This means at least a cover on the container, and
if the container is plastic, probably a couple of coats of paint to keep
light from filtering through. You could even build a box around the
container (with some provision for getting the water in and out.)



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List
http://puregold.aquaria.net/
www.drsolo.com
Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Unfortunately, I receive no money, gifts, discounts or other
compensation for all the damn work I do, nor for any of the
endorsements or recommendations I make.