I dyed waxed and stored clean traps in new totes that I washed and cleaned last summer .. I just opened the totes up and they smell like a chemical plastic smell… what do I do now? Do I have to boil clean and re-dye and re-wax? Can I leave the lid off to air out? Will it bother fox and coyotes?

leave the lid off a few days and come back and smell them.

If it is in the wax you may have an issue. Sit them out and let them air out, it may help. Put them in a different bin overnight and then give it the sniff test the following day. Or put a couple of pine tree branches in a different bin and close it up. Should take on the pine smell. But, I am not sure if you want that smell either. If nothing helps, hang the traps up, put a torch to them, melt off the wax and re wax them. I stopped using wax for the same reason. But I have to admit, a nice fresh dyed/wax trap is awesome!

Just let em air out. You're putting too much thought in this.

Let them air out, if they stink in a week or two, consider doing something about it. But some time in nature should remedy that

I cover all barrel or tote stored cleaned traps with peat, dried leaf litter and some dried dirt from my area. It will cleanse and deodorize my traps until use. Never seal either container completely keep the lid loose or offset the lid so it can breathe.

I do what you did and never had a problem. I take the traps out of the totes about two weeks before season and let them air out in the back of the barn

Thank you for the help and information guys!! I really appreciate it!!

I've had the same thing happen to traps stored in a closed-up tote. I think the plastic off-gasses, and the traps took on the order of the tote. Do as Mr. Jameson suggests, and that will really help.

Stop sniffin them

Toss in some branches from the trees in the areas you plan to trap in. I tossed in a couple pine branches in the one tote I store Rams in and worked good. None of my traps I use regularly get stored in those plastic containers though.

… this right here

I’d let them sit in the back of the truck till you get to the trapping area then I’d plant them!

Yep lol