# Cleaning a bucket...



## Horsegal16 (Oct 2, 2009)

Use vinegar (apple cider) preferablely. It is a good, natural and safe disinfectant that won't hurt a horse, also use hot water to help kill any germs from the previous horse. Hope that helps.


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## Allison Finch (Oct 21, 2009)

I use a 10% bleach solution. It will disinfect better than ACV, IMO. One part bleach, 9 parts water. Just rinse it out. I dip my brushes and grooming tools in it and scrub them. Then just lay them, bristles down, to dry. It helps prevent the spread of skin fungus from one horse to another.


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## sillybunny11486 (Oct 2, 2009)

I love using mouth wash for my brushes. Bleech can change the color and possibly warp the plastic. 

For buckets I scrub super well with commet.


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## mls (Nov 28, 2006)

sillybunny11486 said:


> I love using mouth wash for my brushes. Bleech can change the color and possibly warp the plastic.
> 
> For buckets I scrub super well with commet.


Bleach warps buckets? Changes the color? I let a bleach solution sit in a bucket for a day to disinfect it. Never had any issues. Our buckets are old!

We also use a dairy grade disinfectant that is intended to clean milking equipment.


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## gypsygirl (Oct 15, 2009)

i use bleach as well, with no problems.


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## Alwaysbehind (Jul 10, 2009)

I use bleach or Listerine.

I use Listerine for the daily scrubbing. It keeps the buckets nice and fresh all summer long. And no need to do a major rinse. The cool mint smell seems to be liked by the horses.


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## sillybunny11486 (Oct 2, 2009)

> Bleach warps buckets? Changes the color? I let a bleach solution sit in a bucket for a day to disinfect it. Never had any issues. Our buckets are old!
> 
> We also use a dairy grade disinfectant that is intended to clean milking equipment.


No, I mean the brushes. Ive made my grooming supplies look a little funky a few times with bleech. If the buckets are old and have alot of scratces or things like that I just recycle them and buy new ones. I dont think plastic buckets really hold bacteria, unless they arent rinsed well or have imperfections (bite marks ect...)


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## riccil0ve (Mar 28, 2009)

Bleach is fine, just use hot water to neutralize when you rinse it out. =]


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## TwisterRush (Sep 8, 2009)

i would use white vinegar and warm water, with some dish soap if you wish  
Works just as well


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## Alwaysbehind (Jul 10, 2009)

sillybunny11486 said:


> I dont think plastic buckets really hold bacteria, unless they arent rinsed well or have imperfections (bite marks ect...)


Hmmmm, they seem to get green algae like slime quite easily in the warmer months so I am willing to believe they can harbor other germ type things too.


Bleach is not a horrible thing. Rinse it and that should be good enough. People put bleach in wells to sanitize and kill things. The tiny bit of residual will not hurt the horses water.


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## GoldRush (Dec 14, 2009)

Really depends on what you used the bucket for. If just for dry feed, washing, whatever, it really doesn't matter...white vinegar works great. If the bucket was eaten from, then Listerine (minty) is a great choice. Bleach, harch cleaners like Comet, can leave an odor behind that the horse will be sensitive to, unless rinsed super well. A bit of mint Listerine or equal with baking soda to scrub is best bet, since it will kill off a bunch of bacteria lurking in the plastic. The horse won't mind the scent either!


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## GoldRush (Dec 14, 2009)

Oh, and congrats on your new pone!


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## barefoothooves (Sep 6, 2007)

I don't like bleach for use on live tissue (HOOVES) but for non-oragnic items, it's great. And, bleach, if rinsed well, isn't going to harm your horse. It kills all the little nasties, and in this case, I'd use it over apple cider vinegar, personally. Just give it a decent after rinse and let dry.


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## RoadRider / Rios Dad (Jul 2, 2009)

I use muriatic acid. It is used around my pool. It really removes the green from water troughs, any scale buildup just rinses right off. It doesn't harm plastic and a quick rinse is all I do. We dump it in the pool to adjust the PH and it doesn't harm us.

CLR would do the same thing to clean buckets or troughs


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## Alwaysbehind (Jul 10, 2009)

RiosDad said:


> CLR would do the same thing to clean buckets or troughs


What a great idea. That tough stuff that gets on the trough will probably wash off much easier using CLR. Great idea. Thanks!


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## horseloverd2 (Jan 23, 2009)

Thanks everyone, I used bleach. Worked nicely

And thanks so much GoldRush, I love her! <3


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## nrhareiner (Jan 11, 2009)

Bleach is fine. You do know that Chlorine is put into tap water right???

I use house hold bleach to bleach out my well. A stronger type is used in Pools. It dose not take long for Chlorine to evaporate out of water. Just give it a good rince and fill it back up.


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