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So I unpacked the box on the floor

Posted: Thu Sep 14, 2017 9:26 pm
by golf_lover44
that sat in approximately 12 - 16 inches of flood water. Most cans were wrapped in newspaper & there was newspaper between the layers of cans, so the water wicked up all the way to the top. Keeping them in the cardboard box didn't help either. Many of the steel cans look like they're adding rust, and the aluminum ones have residue from the dirty water; several had the newsprint stain their paint. (Ever use Silly Putty to "copy" the comics onto it? Same thing.)

So what should I do to clean them as best I can? To reduce the smell, remove the newsprint impression on the paint, and hold the rust at bay?

Re: So I unpacked the box on the floor

Posted: Fri Sep 15, 2017 8:49 pm
by LostHoosier
I have good luck cleaning cans with Windex and paper towels, followed by a wax with MacGuires Gold Class pure Carnuba wax.

Re: So I unpacked the box on the floor

Posted: Fri Sep 22, 2017 3:03 pm
by JAL
WD40.

You can spray them, but quicker and easier, is a small rectangular Tupperware container. Go to Lowes and get a gallon of WD40, pour some in, lay can in on it's side, and spin coat it. Set them on old newspapers to drip dry. You can do dozens of them quickly - displaces moisture and will be a corrosion protectant, which auto wax won't do.

JAL

Re: So I unpacked the box on the floor

Posted: Fri Sep 22, 2017 5:41 pm
by golf_lover44
I saw on the news the other night that the flood water contained E.Coli - something like 100 to 150 times the safe level set by the EPA (of FDA, didn't catch which agency). Anyways, I wiped my hands with disinfectant wipes after handling the cans, but they have a bad odor from the flood water. I've tried rinsing them out in fresh cold water but that didn't make the smell go away, or even lessen. Any ideas on deodorizing them?