Rinsed IBC totes: flushed inside, not reconditioned
A rinsed tote has been emptied and its interior flushed to remove the prior product. The original bottle stays in and the tote is not formally reconditioned or pressure-tested, so it is not food or pharma grade.
01What this grade is
Rinsing is what a plant does itself, with a hose and a drain, after the last pump-out. It is quick and it removes most of the last contents. It does not remove all of them, and it does not make the tote certified. A rinsed tote is a used tote that has had a wash.
It sits mid-ladder for that reason. A rinsed tote with a water or food-ingredient past is a perfectly fair tote for rainwater, irrigation or dry goods, and the cheapest way to get a sound bottle and cage.
02What to look at
| Part | What you should see |
|---|---|
| Bottle | Used, with a clean look and maybe a faint smell |
| Heel | None, or a thin film at the bottom |
| Cage | Used, sound |
| Plate | Any date: a rinsed tote may be out of test |
03What it fits and what it rules out
| Fits | Rules out |
|---|---|
| Rainwater and garden water | Food or pharma use: it is not food or pharma grade |
| Irrigation and farm water, with a known history | A hazmat fill that needs a current test date: rinsing does not retest |
| Dry goods and parts storage | Drinking water |
04Which way it trades here
Mostly sellers post it: plants that rinse their empties before they go. Buyers who want water totes take it.
It is the grade most often offered to gardeners and growers, and often the cheapest sound tote.
05What to put on the ticket
- What the tote last held, and how you rinsed it
- Whether any heel remains
- The size and the count
06What a rinse does and does not do
A rinsed tote has had its interior flushed to remove the previous product, without replacing the bottle. It is not food grade or pharmaceutical grade, and it is a poor candidate for a use that depends on a clean contact surface. It is a fair candidate for water, for rinse-stage jobs and for a buyer who will refill with the same product.
The weakness of a rinse is the plastic. Polyethylene can absorb small amounts of what it held, and a flush with water removes what is on the surface and not what soaked in. A rinse that followed a food ingredient leaves little concern, while a rinse that followed a solvent leaves a lot. The ticket should say what the tote held and how many times it was flushed.
The heel, the product left in the bottom after draining, decides whether a tote is rinsed or dirty. A tote with a small heel and a quick rinse is rinsed. One with a thick heel that needs to be dug out is dirty.
?Questions on this page
What is a rinsed IBC tote?
A tote emptied and flushed inside, with the original bottle left in and no formal test.
Is a rinsed tote food grade?
No. A rinsed tote is not food or pharma grade.