How to clean oil out of containers

[Widgeon]

We buy linseed oil in 25L containers and split the cost - it's the cheapest way to get a good quality product. The plastic jerry cans the oil comes in would be really useful as water carriers if only I could get the oil out! I have tried a couple of methods but it hasn't worked and there's still an oily residue in the containers. Any brilliant ideas for removing it? Scrubbing is not an option as they're big containers with a relatively narrow screw cap.

 

[Barton Bounty]

Have you tried fairy and a toilet brush?

 

[Widgeon]

Have you tried fairy and a toilet brush?

Yes I tried that, it helped a bit but not much - the container's too big to get to most of it to scrub - I'd need an 18 inch long brush, and a toilet brush wouldn't fit through the cap. I guess I could adapt some kind of extra long loo style scrubber.....

 

[cobgoblin]

Liquid dishwasher detergent and hot water might work.

 

[Steerpike]

Have you tried Milton sterilizing tablets, I use them to clean my containers if they get a bit funky.

 

[Widgeon]

Liquid dishwasher detergent and hot water might work.

Dishwasher detergent, good idea.

 

[Widgeon]

Have you tried Milton sterilizing tablets, I use them to clean my containers if they get a bit funky.

Also a good idea!

Thanks....I'll give both of these a go.

 

[Steerpike]

I try to let them soak overnight

 

[meleeka]

I’d just keep filling and emptying until the oil has gone and then soak with a Milton tablet. Be careful when using detergent. I had one that got mild colic when I did this many years ago. Linseed oil won’t harm them, but detergent might.

 

[Honey08]

Warm it up so the oil is as liquid as possible- pour as much as possible out. Then fill 1/4 of the tub with hot water and loads of fairy liquid. Shake it like crazy, pour out, repeat. Do it several times. Rinse loads.

 

[The Fuzzy Furry]

Add a can of full fat cola to it when soaking overnight.....

 

[Widgeon]

Add a can of full fat cola to it when soaking overnight.....

oooo.....good idea! I'll try that, and slosh it around a bit.....

 

[Pinkvboots]

Yeah cola gets rid of most things god knows what it does to your stomach though

 

[HorsesRule2009]

I would think fairy/dish soap and hot water and shake.
Could possibly by a small bag of cheap rice and add in (raw) it will mean it is slightly abrasive when you shake

 

[Widgeon]

Could possibly by a small bag of cheap rice and add in (raw) it will mean it is slightly abrasive when you shake

That's a good idea, I'll try adding some rice - I've done Fairy and boiling water any amount of times now but it doesn't do the job.

 

[Hackback]

You probably need to use the fairy neat without water initially to break down the oil, difficult though when it's on the inside of a container. I'm interested to know if the coke idea works!

 

[Goldenstar]

Milton won’t help .
Fairy is your best bet it’s a good degreaser use really hot water and rinse with hot .
dishing washing tablets , you would need so many I suspect it would be cheaper to buy containers .
get the containers warm before you start with the water .
It will be hard going they make varnish out of linseed oil for a reason .

 

[Widgeon]

It will be hard going they make varnish out of linseed oil for a reason .

good point!! I think I'm going to try coke and rice...if nothing else it'll be interesting.

 

[sbloom]

You can get super long bottle brushes, have a look on Amazon.