tea tree oil smell

[neil smith]

just picked up 5 s/steel 205 litre barrels to make my small brewery set up,but after washing out with caustic and then steam cleaning they still smell of there original contents which was tea tree oil,any ideas how to get rid as i think it could taint my brew.Cheers.

[bungle666]

you could try a soak in some thin bleach/water mix....

B..

[Blackaddler]

Strong stuff tea tree oil. However, you might well find that the smell dissipates after a few days.

Can be toxic to cats, apparently.

[sean_mc]

Where did you buy them Neil and do they have anymore?

[neil smith]

i bought them from a barrel firm in silvertown they have 2 left the guys name is steve,phone 02075112785.they are the nuts and cheap.

[neil smith]

you could try a soak in some thin bleach/water mix....

B..

i will give it a go,how strong about 5 litres per 205 litres do.

[Blackaddler]

i bought them from a barrel firm in silvertown they have 2 left the guys name is steve,phone 02075112785.they are the nuts and cheap.

Sounds interesting. Have you got a pic?

[JammyBStard]

If it's an oil you might do better with a cloth and 99% pure isopropyl alcohol

[sean_mc]

Too far for me sadly, thanks for the info though

[dcq1974]

Main component of tea tree oil is 4-terpineol which is only very slightly soluble in water.
The use of a solvent like IPA as mentioned will certainly help and is used in industry to dissolve essential oil in

[JammyBStard]

And another thought; warming it up should make the oil less viscous! (Not the IPA that'll just dissapear if you warm it up)

[neil smith]

i think ive done it,i put some bleach in and water and left outside with lids off for 2 weeks,now no smell at all so thanks for tips,Neil