How do you get rid of the rubber smell?

[K0k0shka]

I got my chickens one of those very popular black rubber livestock bowls as a waterer. As I've read, it did come with a very (VERY!!!) strong rubber smell. I looked up how to get rid of it, and have been trying to get rid of it, but it just won't go away! I left the bowl outside to air out for a few weeks. I scrubbed it with dish soap. I soaked it in a 50% vinegar solution for 24 hours. I left it outside again. Nothing helps, and it still smells, except now it smells like rubber AND vinegar Has anybody found an effective way to get rid of the stubborn smell? How long does it take for the smell to go away?

 

[Mother of Chaos]

I got my chickens one of those very popular black rubber livestock bowls as a waterer. As I've read, it did come with a very (VERY!!!) strong rubber smell. I looked up how to get rid of it, and have been trying to get rid of it, but it just won't go away! I left the bowl outside to air out for a few weeks. I scrubbed it with dish soap. I soaked it in a 50% vinegar solution for 24 hours. I left it outside again. Nothing helps, and it still smells, except now it smells like rubber AND vinegar Has anybody found an effective way to get rid of the stubborn smell? How long does it take for the smell to go away?


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I abandoned mine. I figured that it the smell is that strong and persistent (and awful), it must be outgassing something pretty potent. I didn’t even want to plant in it.

I wonder where it wound up…

 

[K0k0shka]

I abandoned mine. I figured that it the smell is that strong and persistent (and awful), it must be outgassing something pretty potent. I didn’t even want to plant in it.

I wonder where it wound up…

The smell is strong enough to make me question the safety at first, but these bowls are used on all kinds of farms, rescues, zoos and generally in places where the people have a commitment to the safety and well-being of the animals, so if they deem them safe enough to use, then I trust their judgement better than my uninformed suspicion. I have volunteered at a rescue place and used the bowls there, and they had zero smell whatsoever, so I know it goes away eventually... I just want to know what I can do to help the process (the current staff at the rescue where I volunteered don't know who bought the bowls when and what they did, so that hasn't been much help).