How to Clean a 55-Gallon Drum for a BBQ

Remove the bung cap on the drum and insert a garden hose. Fill the drum to around 1/4 of its capacity and add a large box of baking soda along with at least 1/2 bottle of common white vinegar, which you can buy in any grocery store. Replace the bung cap and turn the barrel on its side. Let it sit for a minimum of 12 hours and rotate it every few hours so that the solution has a chance to soak into every crevice of the interior. Flush the barrel with clean water several times after you are finished.

Clean the drum with bleach for algae growth or otherwise. Fill it to around 25 percent capacity and then add a bottle of bleach. Replace the bung cap and put the barrel on its side and roll it around a few rotations. Let it sit overnight, rotating it a couple of times to ensure all of the interior growth and areas are covered. The following day, flush it several times with clean water to ensure you remove all of the bleach.

Burn any additional material from the interior of the drum for additional cleaning. This can be done either after the drum has been cut for grilling by filling the two halves with charcoal or firewood and letting it burn for several hours, or it can be done after the grill has been constructed, prior to actually using it for the first time.