using old litter pail for food storage

I've decided to transition the orange and white guy (see found cat in car thread for info on him - apparently he's here for a while) to what Top Cat is eating to help build his muscle mass as he still seems to have a lack of muscle tone. So I've bought a bigger bag of Taste of the Wild today that I haven't quite yet opened. I want to keep it fresh longer so I've decided that I want to use a leftover litter pail to store it.

Obviously, I will be cleaning it out first. Since it only contained unused litter, I figured it will be ok if I rinse it out thoroughly. Now, since it does have residue from the unused litter, when I rinse it out outside, is it necessary to use soap or it is safer to just use water. Either way, I will do a final rinse inside with very hot water. I don't want to get the kitties sick.

I would not ....

I do that. I keep the senior food in a Scoop Away pail and the regular food in a Tidy Cats pail. I thoroughly washed them a couple times before I filled them up, and when they are empty I wash them out again. I am the type of person that reuses things though- I don't see the point in paying a buttload of money on a container for something like that. The thought of it just seems stupid to me (then again I'm a college student so naturally there isn't that much money to play with lol). I have been using the same containers for a couple years now and I love it. It keeps the food fresh, bugs out, and its convenient to store. Why waste money when you are already buying the container?

My dad recycles - he washes the pail out with dish soap & rinses well. He's got plenty of healthy cats
I would do the same, except I can't find UNSCENTED cat litter in the pails

There are different types of plastics. Those made for use in food - food grade. And those used for non-food items - such as litter would be.

The containers are fine to reuse for a lot of things, but don't pour food straight into them unless you're 100% sure they're food grade plastics. Chemicals can leech out over time. If you want to store the food inside an old litter pail while it's still in it's bag - that's fine.

This has actually been discussed on here before.

Originally Posted by strange_wings

There are different types of plastics. Those made for use in food - food grade. And those used for non-food items - such as litter would be.

The containers are fine to reuse for a lot of things, but don't pour food straight into them unless you're 100% sure they're food grade plastics. Chemicals can leech out over time. If you want to store the food inside an old litter pail while it's still in it's bag - that's fine.

This has actually been discussed on here before.

Click to expand...

I will do that. Being a college student like many on here, I have to reuse what I can.

Originally Posted by strange_wings

There are different types of plastics. Those made for use in food - food grade. And those used for non-food items - such as litter would be.

The containers are fine to reuse for a lot of things, but don't pour food straight into them unless you're 100% sure they're food grade plastics. Chemicals can leech out over time. If you want to store the food inside an old litter pail while it's still in it's bag - that's fine.

This has actually been discussed on here before.

Click to expand...

I was going to say the same thing. I doubt food grade plastic is used for those containers the litter comes in.

Leaving the food in the bag, and storing it in one of those things is a handy idea, though.

Originally Posted by Starfish

I will do that. Being a college student like many on here, I have to reuse what I can.

Click to expand...

Yup, the benefits of being a college student.... poor and reusing stuff lol