A New Kind Of Stink!

[Bent]

At least for me. As if the smell were not prize enough, I have also discovered three, count them THREE new invertebrates. OMG! Last August we went on the Red Lake run with the Sierra Chapter, had a great time. When Ethan and I got home we made sure that we got the trout out of the ice chest and into the fridge right away. The next morning we unpacked the gear from the XJ, cleaned it off and put it all away. Almost all of it that is. Somehow the ice chest got pushed off to a shelf by the garage door. Being by the door it has had eleven months of crap on and off of it since then. This weekend is the first time that I've needed a large chest in almost a year. Futher Mocker! It still had stuff in it; what ever it was, it was a liquid. :shiver:
I had to tell you that story so that I could ask this question, am I wasting my time even thinking about trying to clean it?
Right now the chest is outside with a strong solution of Simple Green in it. Next I figured filling it with a good mix of bleach and a little water followed by a good dose of granulated toilet bowl cleaner in the water and letting it soak again.
My wallet keeps telling me that if I work hard enough I will be able to get the stench out of it, in spite of knowing how well plastic seems to hang on to odors. My sense of reason tells me to go plunk down another ~$25 and be done with it.
Either way, I just know that there are alarms going off right now at the EPA.

Any thoughts?

 

[ChuckD]

Try a 2 liter of Coke.

 

[TheWarWagon]

$25 is nothing compared the ghosts of whatever was in that ice chest haunting you forever.....

 

[Bent]

Try a 2 liter of Coke.

Mixed with enough water to fill the chest or straight for a good washing?

 

[riverfever]

I am the worst with remembering to clean out coolers. I think we buy 3 or 4 coolers each summer. I'd ditch it.

 

[OT]

I'm bad about cleaning coolers, as well.
But, I only buy them when I break them or they get stolen.
I always pour a good amount of bleach and water in them and let them sit for a few days.
Slosh it around every so often.
Gotta let the bleach fumes do thier work on that bacteria.
You may open it back up to only find bleachy water.

 

[RichP]

Wrap a gasoline soaked bandanna around your nose and mouth when you use it, you won't notice the smell at all...just don't smoke...

 

[CanMan]

Wal Mart sells coolers for cheap. Once mine get mold stains, or stink, they go off to be shot. I hate it when I pull out a beer, and whatever the cooler smelt like, thats the taste you get in your mouth. uke:

 

[SCW]

I hate it when I pull out a beer, and whatever the cooler smelt like, thats the taste you get in your mouth. uke:

x2

If you want to try it, use warm water to help open up the plastic pores and I'd try bleach, vinegar and/or baking soda (not at the same time).

I'd ditch it, and I'm cheap.

 

[ZomBrady]

Toss it and borrow one or two of mine. I think that would be easy on your wallet and less stinky.

 

[JohnX]

I'll let you use mine...but you have to tell me what to put in it.

 

[XJ Dreamin']

I gotta go with ditchin' that one. I'd never be able to forget what was in there, no matter how much bleach I used. I did the same thing with a packet of chicken thighs in a camper trailer fridge. Holy Malloney it took a lot of Clorox to get the stink out of that place. I couldn't afford to ditch the trailer, but I've dumped plenty of coolers.

Even without the leftover fish a cooler will get musty and moldy. After a trip I rinse mine and then spray the inside with Clorox Clean-Up. It comes in a spray bottle and contains 2% Sodium Hypocloride. Tilex sells a 4% solution. Assuming you've actually emptied the cooler, spray the inside with the bleach solution and put it away with the lid closed. Next time you want it a quick rinse is all it needs. No musty, no mold.

 

[GSequoia]

I've left stuff in my cooler for good amounts of time, up to two months before uke:

My cooler smells great though! (well as good as a plastic cooler can possibly smell, you know how they always smell a little off). Anyway I tend to soak them with about a half gallon of bleach and HOT water for twelve hours (obviously the water doesn't stay hot... ). Then I'll empty it by opening the drain and allowing the bleachy water to flow through the drain to flush it well.

Next I'll generally clean it with a rag and bleachy cleaner spray. After that I'll rince it with hot water (detachable shower head helps real well here!).

When storing it I keep a box of baking soda in there.

Sequoia

 

[Ramsey]

sure you can just buy another one, but that would be letting the stink win.

 

[bajacalal]

sure you can just buy another one, but that would be letting the stink win.

Exactly. Just man up and break out a full bottle of bleach, scouring pad and rubber globes.

 

[XJ Dreamin']

Exactly. Just man up and break out a full bottle of bleach, scouring pad and rubber globes.

Yeah. With the camper trailer I'd hyperventilate outside, take a deep breath, run in, spray and scrub, spray and scrub, run back out. Repeat as necessary. You know, sometimes when you've made a mistake it's best to just move on. No need to kill yourself over a cooler.

Then again, relating your story during the next trip might help keep those pesky beer pilphering hands out of your cooler. Of course, you can tell the same story with a new cooler as long as no one knows it's a new cooler.

 

[ECKSJAY]

I've left stuff in my cooler for good amounts of time, up to two months before uke:

My cooler smells great though! (well as good as a plastic cooler can possibly smell, you know how they always smell a little off). Anyway I tend to soak them with about a half gallon of bleach and HOT water for twelve hours (obviously the water doesn't stay hot... ). Then I'll empty it by opening the drain and allowing the bleachy water to flow through the drain to flush it well.

Next I'll generally clean it with a rag and bleachy cleaner spray. After that I'll rince it with hot water (detachable shower head helps real well here!).

When storing it I keep a box of baking soda in there.

Sequoia

That's what I do...

Usually the second thing I do is fill it with bleach water again to the top and leave the lid open so the thing is in the sun most of the day. Both of my coolers have gone through that treatment.

Also helps to wash out the cooler when you get back and store it with the lid cracked open.

 

[CRASH]

Exactly. Just man up and break out a full bottle of bleach, scouring pad and rubber globes.

This sounds like my last date before meeting my wife!

 

[SanDiegoXJ]

or just open it in the back yard and let it sit in the sun for a few days. Although, considering as well as coke cleans a battery, that might just be worth a shot =)

 

[Bent]

sure you can just buy another one, but that would be letting the stink win.

Agreed, I need to fight the battle even if I get my butt kicked; It's been a life long hobby of mine. I'm going to defunkify the thing if it takes the rest of the summer. However, it would be handy to have two coolers the same. I figure that if I get another of the five day coolers just like it, I win and I win. They're just the right size to sit two wide or two deep in the cargo area. For longer runs I'll be able to use the second one with dry ice for the things I won't need to get at very often. I'll use the new one for this trip and I'll be good to go.

I'll let you use mine...but you have to tell me what to put in it.

Are you sure? I won't know what I want to take until 3:30 Saturday morning. I'll give you a call. Since you will be making a last minute trip to the store, you'll probably be running late. I'll see you when you get there.