Has anyone ever used white vinegar or baking soda to clean out the grey and/or black tanks? After a busy summer of RVing we want to put it in storage with everything as clean as possible.Thanks in advance for any reply of experience.

I don't think you'll find many folks who go to that extreme to clean the waste tanks. Usually it's not necessary if they're functioning as they should. There are chemicals you can get for freshening, but they don't need to be sterile. I usually just dump and add a1/2 gallon or so of rv antifreeze to protect the seals and call it done. Maybe abit more in the black tank. Never had a problem.

I think using dawn and some calgon to soften water and the bag of ice cubes and drive around is very effective. Then if you don't have a built in cleaning valve get one of the cleaning wands that connects to hose and is inserted from the inside. That should clean it pretty well.

Try The Geo Method to keep your tanks clean.They don't need to be sterilized.

the OP... NObaking soda will only freshen the smell of the empty tankits actually a decent way to freshen your fresh waterput a spoon full in your hose before you connect and turn on the watervinegar is a mild acid..don't know if it would help or hurti have doubts about it doing any significant cleaningmaybe if you used a few gallons

RVChippys wrote:Has anyone ever used white vinegar or baking soda to clean out the grey and/or black tanks?Nope, mainly because vinegar, baking soda, or hydrogen peroxide won't sanitize, but bleach will. Read this.At room temperature only bleach will sanitize. Plus, you only need a 50ppm bleach solution (1/4 cup per 15 gal of holding tank capacity).To sanitize like bleach but using vinegar or hydrogen peroxide, you'd have to heat the liquid to 130 degrees F and use full-strength solutions -- that's 15 gal vinegar or H2O2 per 15 gal holding tank capacity. $$$Use bleach.

Vinegar or Baking soda | Good Sam Community

RayChez
Explorer
Oct 19, 2014
OP does not say what kind of coach he has, but on mine it has a sprayer on each tank and when I am going to let it set for awhile I flush them real good. Leave the water running on the sprayer until you have about 3/4 full, then dump. Do this on each tank and if you have been using a enzyme in your tanks, it will leave them like new.
Monaco_Montclai
Explorer
Oct 19, 2014
don't ever plan on putting anything in that wont come out, by the valve. the grey water tank and the black WATER TANKs don't have to be that clean. but I do use the I-----c----e-- thing every now and then.now its all happy-camping
cpoo
Explorer
Oct 19, 2014
Use both. It will get real clean. Leave toilet lid down and valve closed.

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