Got a chance to get some 55 gal plastic blue barrels extremely cheap. Had cooking oil in them.
How hard would it be to clean out the oil residue and use for water / rain water collection and storeage?
I am thinking some dawn dish soap and a power washer.

Not hard unless it's jelled and hardened

going price for them here is 10 bucks


generally not too hard , dawn and soak your rain water won't care one bit if it has some oil in it ,it keeps the mosquito's from hatching in it
it floats on top , and you drain from the bottom.

I have dumped a ton of them into the landfill, Glory Bee foods throws them out by the drop box full. Most had cider vinegar in them. Be easy if the top is removable but most just had bungs to clean out from.

wws

I bought a half-dozen that had corn syrup in them. Two I used for floats under my pool cover so just sealed the bungs with silicone. Two I cut the tops off and cleaned out with a hose and some dish soap. I use them to store dried peat moss in the trap shed. Two are held in reserve, it was a good deal so I bought extras.

And there are cities worried a plastic bag will make it to the landfill without being recycled twice previously.

When it comes down to it recycling for most items it is a joke. A feel good thing by the wackos to make them think they are on the righteous side of life. I am not opposed to recycling, the counties and cities around me harp on doing it, but they make it almost impossible to drop recycling materials anywhere. Unless you want to pay a private company to take them or "pollute" the atmosphere with your carbon burning car to drive 30 minutes or more to throw your tin cans in a dumpster that may or may not be there when you get there.

If your just going to collect water for irrigation I'm not sure I would even bother washing them out.

If you want clean barrels that aren't food grade, car washes have their chemicals come in 55 gallons.

Probably depends on what you plan to store. I had a few that just couldn't be cleaned out well enough to store potable water in. I cut the tops off and found uses for them. I had maybe 15 at one time. Got mine for free.

I do kick myself in the butt for not taking advantage of a chance to get 6 IBC totes about a year ago. They were free, too. I gave myself a good talking to over that one.

These are $5 each.
appreciate the info.
Think I will try and get a few today or tomorrow.

Cut them in half, put a couple rope handles on, and you got a dandy tub.

easy to clean just bring them to a self serve car wash or use a powerwasher

I scored a bunch of them from a place I worked at. Open ended with lids and a locking ring. Contained glue. All I had to do was let it dry, and it pealed right off. Use them for all kinds of things.

Well, she had a guy buy them all before I got back to her.
But the good news is she gets more all the time, and I put in my order for a few.
Thanks for all the good tips and info

They make good floats for water docks.

I have 2 that are dedicated to hold all my Deer hunting crap, Boots, long john's, wool clothes, rain gear etc, and between seasons they live out in the barn. I just wrastle them to the truck, shove them in and go!

Make good live tanks for keeping fish as long as your boat and motor can handle the weight

Man, I read that title wrong!