+brilang Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 I have managed to snag a peanut butter jar from the household recycling. It has been washed three times in the dishwasher. Yet when I opened the jar today, days after it was washed for the 3rd time, it smells strongly of peanut butter. How should I get the smell out? Would this be an allergy hazard to those with peanut allergies? Quote Link to comment
+narcissa Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 Do not use old food containers as geocaches. Peanut allergies aside, it will attract animals no matter how hard you try to clean out the food residue. Quote Link to comment
+BAMBOOZLE Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 Vinegar,WD-40, paint thinner. It's been a long time since I found a peanut butter jar but as I remember they were pretty good at being water tight. Quote Link to comment
+L0ne.R Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 I have had good luck with Kraft peanut butter jars. I hand wash mine and haven't had any trouble with animals. The occasional issues I've had with animals has been when I cover a container in camo duct tape and place the container on the ground. Rodents love the taste of duct tape and chew parts of it off. I usually spray paint my Kraft pb jars and I usually hang them in trees. So far, so good and I've been using them for years. However, I have seen pb jars that are quite leaky. They don't appear to be Kraft jars and all of the leaky ones I've seen didn't have a gasket in the lid. I remove the paper gasket and replace it with a thin circle (cut to the same size as the paper gasket) of fun foam to use as a seal to prevent water from seeping in. In terms of allergies, note in your cache description that you are using a peanut butter jar. Anyone with an allergy can skip it. Quote Link to comment
+Gitchee-Gummee Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 (edited) If you can smell it... betcha a bear can smell it better. Bears LOVE peanut butter. Use something other than that container. Simple as that! Edited June 17, 2014 by Gitchee-Gummee Quote Link to comment
+Snoogans Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 10 to 15% bleach and water and soak the entire container for at least a couple days. That and Krylon fusion paint (for plastic) will eliminate the smell forever. Quote Link to comment
+J Grouchy Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 I have one I just soaked for a day or two with detergent and water inside...then I rinsed it and ran it through the dishwasher. Around here they actually seem to hold up well enough. I haven't found any that have been chewed or are filled with water. Quote Link to comment
Mr.Yuck Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 I have had good luck with Kraft peanut butter jars. I hand wash mine and haven't had any trouble with animals. The occasional issues I've had with animals has been when I cover a container in camo duct tape and place the container on the ground. Rodents love the taste of duct tape and chew parts of it off. I usually spray paint my Kraft pb jars and I usually hang them in trees. So far, so good and I've been using them for years. However, I have seen pb jars that are quite leaky. They don't appear to be Kraft jars and all of the leaky ones I've seen didn't have a gasket in the lid. I remove the paper gasket and replace it with a thin circle (cut to the same size as the paper gasket) of fun foam to use as a seal to prevent water from seeping in. In terms of allergies, note in your cache description that you are using a peanut butter jar. Anyone with an allergy can skip it. Thanks for the testimonial! I was surprised there were a few "don't do it" responses early on. I think just about any plastic screw top container makes a good cache container. Of course there's the washing issue, and I do think there has been drama around here in the past regarding peanut allergies. A LONG time ago. Quote Link to comment
+narcissa Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 Thanks for the testimonial! I was surprised there were a few "don't do it" responses early on. I think just about any plastic screw top container makes a good cache container. Of course there's the washing issue, and I do think there has been drama around here in the past regarding peanut allergies. A LONG time ago. I've seen too many food containers chewed or thieved by critters, even when they've been cleaned and spray-painted. Also, some land managers specifically ban containers that have had food in them. And while I've seen some peanut butter jars do very well in the right hiding spot, I've also found many that didn't. Their suitability probably varies by region - we get harsh, long winters and have lots of wildlife around here. Quote Link to comment
+The_Incredibles_ Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 I've found lots of peanut butter cache containers. I guess it depends what area you're in as to whether or not it will work regarding the local animals. Quote Link to comment
+L0ne.R Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 I've found lots of peanut butter cache containers. I guess it depends what area you're in as to whether or not it will work regarding the local animals. I agree. In my area we don't have bears. We do have a lot of coyotes and rodents. If you place a thin plastic type of food container (folgers bucket, take out food, margarine tub, yogurt tub) there's a decent chance that eventually it will be chewed through by rodents. Thicker plastic containers usually survive. Quote Link to comment
+Chief301 Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 I've used peanut butter jars a couple of times and they do OK in the right location. Notably, I have this cache.... http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=80f091c1-c849-4cdd-b374-b0044fbffcc5 .....tucked in the base of small hollow tree at a boat launch. A couple of weeks ago we had some record rainfall and the cache location was underwater for about a week. I tried to get in there with knee-high rubber boots but couldn't even get close, the water was too deep. So knowing the container was a PB jar I really expected the worst. When the water finally receded I checked on it and to my surprise, shock really, the thing was bone dry on the inside. I couldn't believe it. I don't know if that jar is more watertight than I figured, or maybe it floated on the rising water or what, but there it was. Gratifying. 😊 Quote Link to comment
+Mudfrog Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 10 to 15% bleach and water and soak the entire container for at least a couple days. That and Krylon fusion paint (for plastic) will eliminate the smell forever. I've had good luck using that approximate recipe on peanut butter jars and spice bottles. A bit of bleach, liquid dishsoap, and water do the trick nicely. I do have to say that the spice bottles are harder to get the smell from. Even so, i've never had a problem with animals. Of course, we don't have bears down here either... Quote Link to comment
+DanOCan Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 I've hidden a number of caches using various peanut butter or mayonnaise jars and haven't had any issues. I usually just give them a run through the dishwasher and call it good. Quote Link to comment
+Chief301 Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 When I use a PB or mayo jar, I wash it by hand with dish washing liquid and very thoroughly scrub all surfaces inside and out. Rinse several times, then fill the jar with water and a little shot of bleach. Shake the bleach solution vigorously for a couple of minutes then let the solution sit in the jar overnight. Then another thorough rinsing. When dry, I spray paint the whole outside of the jar with OD green matte paint....I figure in addition to camouflage it will help prevent UV degradation of the plastic. Quote Link to comment
+brilang Posted June 17, 2014 Author Share Posted June 17, 2014 Thanks. I'll try the bleach solution. We have squirrels and bears in my local geocaching area, so it does have to be as clean as possible. Quote Link to comment
+CanadianRockies Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 There's a local geocacher who has placed at least a hundred peanut butter jars. She sends them through the dishwasher once and then hides them. She says only one of them has been gnawed on by critters. Another local has placed hundreds of match stick containers along mountain trails, and the squirrels love them. About 5-10 percent of the time, we'll find find the wire holder but no container anywhere nearby. Quote Link to comment
Luckless Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 I like how water tight peanut butter jars are- better than a lot of other containers. I try to remember to write that the container is a peanut butter jar to alert anyone with a peanut allergy- not sure if too many people with peanut allergies cache. Quote Link to comment
wrangler clem Posted June 18, 2014 Share Posted June 18, 2014 My daughter has a peanut allergy. But no worries. Hers is not that bad. She can eat at the local ice cream place that has peanuts there and doesn't have a allergic reaction. But she can't eat them. Quote Link to comment
+Harry Dolphin Posted June 18, 2014 Share Posted June 18, 2014 Thanks. I'll try the bleach solution. We have squirrels and bears in my local geocaching area, so it does have to be as clean as possible. Hmm... I've had several Lock and Locks, never used for food storage, that have been chewed on by our local bears. Quote Link to comment
+Pork King Posted June 18, 2014 Share Posted June 18, 2014 ...not sure if too many people with peanut allergies cache. That's a weird stereotype. Quote Link to comment
+Ambrosia Posted June 18, 2014 Share Posted June 18, 2014 I dunno, at least half of the pb jar caches I've found were warped and/or wet inside. Quote Link to comment
+.LMN. Posted June 18, 2014 Share Posted June 18, 2014 The PNB jars I've found have been really sturdy but hard to get larger swag in. I think the dampness also depends of how the finders close them. Quote Link to comment
+larryc43230 Posted June 18, 2014 Share Posted June 18, 2014 ... I think the dampness also depends of how the finders close them. This applies to just about every sort of cache container out there, from nanos to ammo boxes. --Larry Quote Link to comment
+.LMN. Posted June 18, 2014 Share Posted June 18, 2014 ... I think the dampness also depends of how the finders close them. This applies to just about every sort of cache container out there, from nanos to ammo boxes. --Larry Of course! Quote Link to comment
+BCandMsKitty Posted June 18, 2014 Share Posted June 18, 2014 I have managed to snag a peanut butter jar from the household recycling. It has been washed three times in the dishwasher. Yet when I opened the jar today, days after it was washed for the 3rd time, it smells strongly of peanut butter. How should I get the smell out? Would this be an allergy hazard to those with peanut allergies? hand wash ... then dishwasher a couple of cycles ... then slosh in about half full of bleach, add water to overflowing then tighten the lid on so liquid is touching the inside of the lid and leave for a couple of days. Never had a problem with them. Quote Link to comment
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.