Flood Water

[Soul Chile]

During the crazy rain that we experience in Chicago last week, our basement flooded. Water came in from the sewers lines and so it came up out of the floor drain and the toilet. The toilet was clean but the insurance company told us that it's still considered biohazard. In the flood all of my 5 gallon buckets (used for water changes and what not) either were tipped over and filled on accident or were used to collect and dump water out of the basement.

So now I need to do a water change plus running a dehumidifier 24/7 next to my tanks isn't helping any. :duh: lol but I was wondering what I needed to do now to clean/disinfect my buckets without using anything that is going to harm my fish. Suggestions?

Thanks, Soul
:help:

P.S. if you've heard of the town of Westchester on the news regarding the floods, that town is not even a half mile South from my house.

 

[fishycat]

50/50 bleach & water mix? Um, go buy new buckets? Ew... I'm sorry for the horrible situation - good luck!

 

[RiVerfishgirl]

Mix a cup of plain bleach per gallon of water. Let it sit for a couple of hrs then scrub it really well and rinse. Fill with plain water and add dechlor to make sure no bleach is left.

Should be good to go after that.

 

[67chevelle]

New buckets are cheap. Just replace them.

 

[Soul Chile]

Thanks for the suggestions.

Buckets are indeed cheap but so am I. lol Living on a college student budget forces me to try and save my pennies. And since our insurance isn't covering anything (apparently seepage is not the same as sewer water that backs up) I need to save ALL the money I can!

 

[pik01]

doesnt that always seem to be the case with insurance companies? Go with the bleach method and I hope everything turns out okay for you.

 

[fishorama]

Bleach is the way!

 

[GCL]

Free buckets at your local supermarket

I've gotten buckets from my local supermarket. The bakery. Ask them for any empty and uncleaned buckets they may have. You don't want them if they've cleaned them as they put them in big dishwashers with soap.
Buckets are usually used for icing.
Takes awhile to clean them out with very hot water. But they're free, and you can get a variety of sizes. If you can't get that "sweet" smell out completely, let them sit in the sun.

 

[RiVerfishgirl]

Restaurants also often have food grade buckets. Which means they'll be safe for fish.

 

[jbradt]

New buckets are cheap. Just replace them.

Yep... this. safest way to go IMO.