So I finally bought a used barrel to use as a table in my home bar. I'm super excited but the smell is pretty strong....This held whiskey and a barrel aged gose, so it's whiskey and fruit smell which isn't super pleasant. Is there a method fellow BA's use to either clean/eliminate the odor for barrels?
Then I think some good 'ol elbow grease is what you'll need. I'm no expert here but I'd try using a hot Oxyclean solution and scrub brush with a thorough rinse. Sitting it outdoors in the sun after the cleaning will probably help too. Edit: After it's dry, a coating of polyurethane will seal it and dress it up a bit to look like finished furniture. (If you like a semi-shiny or shiny finish.)
Thanks for the advice! Rinsed and cleaned out yesterday and will use some oxyclean and seal today/tomorrow.
I'm guessing 'rinsed and cleaned' refers to the inside? Just a thought, but if it was my barrel I'd get the inside dry as possible before sealing by removing the bung and setting the barrel outside in the sun as suggested by @PapaGoose03, or direct a heater fan at it. Maybe even drill another bung hole in an inconspicuous spot, like on the bottom, to allow air flow while drying. Anything to reduce the risk of retained moisture causing mold/mildew inside.
Sumpin' like that ... (Entry by appointment only. So far - no requests . I was inspired at a young age by the theme to The Addams Family.).
