Has anyone successfully removed the fragrance from liquid laundry detergent bottles so that they can be used as drinking water containers? (And if you are going to tell me not to do this because it is dangerous please cite your source - they are high density polyethylene which is what tons of food containers are made from.)
By John W.
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Have tried as we boondock camp alot and need sturdy water bottles. No luck-still yucky!
Before we purchased a travel trailer my wife and I and the kids would car camp mostly down at the Carolina beach. I purchased two large heavy duty containers one 6 gallon with a spout one 5 gallon for taking water because it was about a mile and a half to drive off the beach. These containers can be purchased through numerous companies such as McMaster Carr WW Grainger and so on.
I fill them with water and rinse until no soap comes out. Once that is done and I have enough plastic containers I put them in my dishwasher, turn off the heat booster for the water, and use cold water only. I run it threw on the longest cycle I have. DON'T FORGET TO TURN OFF THE HEATING DRY CYCLE.
The bottle has BPA in it and phthalates. I wouldn't think you'd want to do this. They aren't food safe.
I have worked for the largest everything Dialysis related manufacturing company for 14 years as a polymer scientist and analytical chemist. Tasked with removing as much residual BPA as possible from our Polysulfone reactions and developing all our Analytical test methods we use for release of material.
There is NO WAY to get All residual BPA Out of polymers and NO WAY to make plastics w/o BPA, there for all plastic materials are made with BPA and so have BPA in them. You cant get them all out unless you wash with acetone which precipitates polymers, then turn the polymer back into a liquid and wash it again. Doing this process again and again might get BPA below the LOQ and LOD of the analytical instrument. But no company will spend that much extra money and that much extra time unless there is an actual causation study done on humans, not a "they drink from non BPA free Bottles and have tumors therefore BPA did it" observational doesn't work.
There is very little true scientific studies out there that show BPA has negative impact to a human body and causes X,Y,Z. Plenty of Observational or Correlation related information but it's not enough to cause the concern there is over a crucial monomer that is required to run any polymer reaction.
Through my work much research was required into other major Polymer chemical manufacturers, the people that All the OTHER companies buy their polymer plastic pellets, resins or beads from in order to then manufacture whatever their company makes with those polymers. There are only 3 PSF manufacturers in the world that make enough medical grade (and food grade) PSF materials in the quantity needed to meet our (my company's) supply needs.
I know this as fact, it is my job to know. I also know, through investigations into our suppliers' practices, prior to building our own $6.5 Million Dollar Polymer Plant Project and making our own PSF in house, that the huge massive Polymer (Plastics) Manufaturers do nothing to Remove Residual BPA from their materials. I was given their procedures and audited facilities. All the major companies, who make the plastics in tiny beads or pellets or flakes, just convert it to something else and have been for years. With no studies done on this other Derivatives of BPA (Bis-S, AFBPA, MBPA etc) and their possible effects until very recently. BPA free just means that they derivitized the BPA, turning into another chemical form of BPA with some other group attached to it or different end groups.
Thus far my company is the only one that Really is just abouy truly BPA free. We are making POLYSILFONE (PSF) polymer to be used within our Medical device side of our manufacturing plant, so we are able to have longer reaction times to be sure we get as much BPA reacted and not free as residual as possible. We achieve this by starving our synthesis reaction for BPA, using as much of it as possible durring the reaction. The absolute lowest we can achieve, letting it mix with heat for 2 days just to be sure time wasnt a factor, is between 1-5 ppm (or mcg/g) in our raw straight from the tank liquid PSF. That is the best anywhere.Unfortunately we use our true minimum BPA to make our medical device products so it's not for sale, and our methods are patented.
Other companies, making the plastic is their business. They need to have fast reaction times and fast turnover times. They dont always know what their buyers are going to use it for. No one really knows how much BPA is in that sold raw polymer plastic, because they simply convert it to something else while mostly keeping the BPA backbone. Then they can say they are "BPA free" . This gets the FDA off their backs as they are only concerned with the big bad BPA molecule.
That's all "BPA FREE" truly means. And the companies that use their materials to make containers, water bottles, jars, toys, dont know it either. They are provided with a Certifucat of Analysis (COA), that lists whatever chemicals they are specifacally concerned with, such as BPA.
A typical COA provides the BPA concentration, the Molecular weight, and purity level, that's all. And so long as the companies making the "BPA Free" whatever products see a COA with
BPA = < 0.01ppm listed on it, they are good to start production. This is just the reported residual unreacted BPA left over in the polymer plastic. The company making products with this polymer then should do their own leachables test, to determine how much can leach out of the plastic. This however is not required. Some places do, but a lot do not if the polymer they use to make their product had
BPA < 0.01 on the COA.
And some companies dont care what's on the COA, it could say BPA = 200ppm . Then they make their bottles or whatever but then do leachables test, to see if any BPA comes out or leaches out of the plastic. If BPQ leaches out and is below their methods LOQ, then they get to say "BPA free", They aren't looking for the derivatives. The consumer knows nothing about their test methods used or equipment. And I can tell ya, this part of manufacturing anything that goes into or protects the body is extremely important, however the FDA does not require Food, Health supplement, food Grade materials to be tested with VALIDATED Test Methods. That's is HUGE!!! As having a validated test method is crucial when you are claiming BPA free.
All test methods for med deviceþdrug have to be validated according to FDA guidlines. They should require the same for food or food related products 100%.
NO One, no matter what they say, nothing is truly BPA free unless it wasnt made with BPA (but all plastics are currently so..). To make it funnier (to me at least) the derivatives they convert to can be just as harmful, they are still mostly BPA afterall. But the FDA hasn't made a stink about it yet and so they remain there in the plastic , with no reason to label for them.
I share this as an education. Again I am a polymer scientist and analytical chemist for the worlds largest Everything Dylaisis company Fresenius Medical Care NA. This is my job, I know what I am talking about.
Using an HDPE bottle properly sanitized for water storage is fine, especially if you change the water every 6 months. I wouldn't use it as daily drinker though because a regular metal water bottle works just fine.
SaraLee Busson
M.S. Chemistry, B.S. Bio-vet science and Chemistry
14 years in Medical Device/Drug Manufacturing
SaraLee, Thank you for your time giving this detailed answer! I have been considering the new Earthbreeze detergent just because of the BPA. As you say, though, much of manufacturing is not only ignoring the BPA issue but many others--as always, money speaks loudly and carelessly. We pray over our food and will continue to pray over everything else we come in contact with. That's the best we can do while trying to live a life free from care and my family is healthy and blessed thanks to God and His Word. Also, my husband is staying alive thanks to Fresenius and their excellent care since he has been a dialysis patient for several years. Again, I appreciate your time informing us all!
Sorry, didn't see that last part somehow. They are probably safe. However, if they are absorbing the smell, you have to wonder if they have also absorbed other chemicals from the detergent. I don't know if this is likely or not.
I have had the same thought for a while now to save these containers for emergency water. My best thought is to use the water inside for washing water vs drinking water because I figure we will need water for all sorts of things in an emergency.
Soaking in vinegar or peroxide may help. I would NEVER drink any water from these containers but for grey water uses, it is a great way to store water.
You could Try using uncooked rice with some water that's how we used to clean baby bottles when there was no sanitizer. It absorbs all smell and later u can polish yr sink with the starchy water
Have you tried rinsing w/vinegar or rotating lemon allowing them to sit for a day w/lid on then toss those add new day to day till the perfume is gone
Yes, rinse excessively well. Fill bottle with tap water adding a scoop of baking soda. Cap and let sit a day or so. Empty bottle and allow to air dry. Leave cap off a place outside in dry location for a week, a sunny spot works well. This will give the bottles a thorough airing.
Rinse, fill with water, cap and wait a day. Remove cap and smell. There should be no smell, if no smell then taste. Should only taste water. If they smell or taste soapy or whatever repeat.
Sunshine and fresh air are amazing detoxicants (not sure if that's a word, lol). I've done this and works for me.
I use a lot of white vinegar for cleaning and rinsing my hair. I save the empty gallon containers to use for refilling with water at the store to drink at home. There is no vinegar after-taste if it is rinsed out well.
There are several detergents that aren't scented. I like the containers with the dispenser spout to use for hand-washing and dish washing in the camper. Also, I've read that colored-containers are definitely not food-safe. So I buy detergent in the white containers.
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