Cleaning Traps

Just cleaned out my fur shed and found 4 dozen traps that need to be power washed and the old wax removed. I used to use Sani Flush but have not seen that on the market in years. Ideas please?

Just boiling water takes wax off.

But if you're just going to re wax them, just put them back in your hot wax pot (after hosing off the dirt). The old wax will melt off and re coated with hot wax after a minute or two in the wax pot.

I know, I know....people will make a 24 step process on how to boil, re boil, strip, stir, dry, dye, buff, shine and re wax but about 23 of those steps do nothing but take time and money out of your day.

Hose em off and toss in the wax pot. Done.

Some of them still smell like skunk. I have found that doing the rewax, contaminates my wax bucket, and results in too many dug out traps. Just my experience.

Boil them good then before you take the traps out, flood the pot with water so the old wax floats over the top. Otherwise you'll be getting that old wax on the traps as you pull them out of the pot. If they still smell like skunk you could mix up some of the skunk odor removal recipe with hydrogen peroxide, dish soap and baking soda and give them a good spray or soak before waxing.

sodium bisulfate is the active ingredient in saniflush you can order it online or buy it as a pool chemical at most big box stores if that is what you like to use. I haven't ever used it but if that's what you are comfortable doing go for it.

Skunks is another thing. Wire them off and Toss the bundle in a moving stream for a couple weeks is the best cleaner I've found. I've even done this with sprayed clothing.

That said, fresh (new) wax has been the cause of many diggers. Odorless trap wax is anything but odorless. Wax traps need time to air out as well.

Many of the common liquid drain cleaners are sodium hydroxide = lye. And sodium hypochlorite = bleach?
Walmart “Great Value “ Max Strength drain cleaner has both. About a quart per ten gallons of water and boil as you did with saniflush. Should do the trick. Be sure and rinse thoroughly before wax.

We can still buy pure lye at the tru-value hardware store in the plumbing section.