Return to the Frugal Gardening Forum
| Post a Follow-Up
Are these buckets safe to use?
| | |
Posted by gryphonsmoon 7 (My Page) on Sun, Jun 12, 05 at 14:14
| I'm doing a container garden this year, and most of my containers thus far are free buckets that I got from bakeries etc. Since the buckets were use to hold food materials, I haven't worried overly much about how safe they were to use with my vegetable and herb plants.
The other day, however, I was given more free buckets, and I'd like your opinions on how safe they are to use. Two were originally used to hold laundry detergent with bleach. Another was for joint compound, but it had a paint bucket inside it, and is now full of paint fumes as well as whatever residue it may have had before. And the last one was used to hold chlorine granules for a pool.
Obviously, I'll be washing these out thoroughly. But I also know that plastic can absorb stuff that it's been in contact with. Do I need to worry about dangerous chemicals leaching back into my soil if I use these?
Thanks for your advice.
-Kimberly |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Are these buckets safe to use?
| | |
| How many buckets do you need?? (just kidding) I use my empty cat litter containers. Listen, yes, there are chemicals that will leach out, but only trace amounts and I doubt it will do a lot of damage. If you can still smell the fumes after you wash really well, I wouldn't use that bucket. But, that's just what I would do. |
RE: Are these buckets safe to use?
| | |
See my post on Frugal watering system & tomato cages(pic),
My bucket is one I received Calcium Hypochlorate in. It's used to shock my pool. I rinsed it once and have used it for 2 yrs now, no damage. I wouldn't worry about it. Like the previous poster said, "trace amounts". |
|
|
|
|
