Exploding smoothie

rosalie-lavender

This reminds me of the day we picked up my son from uni. I had got a smoothy in the cool bag that needed using up. When we bought some milk the smoothy was moved to the bottle holder at the front of the van we were travelling in. Unknown to me it was rather warm where the smoothy bottle was stored and the bottle got forgotten about.

Until halfway home when there was a loud bang and my son got covered in strawberry yogurt smoothy.:eek:

So smoothies can explode if they get warm and ferment. It doesn't actually take that much pressure to build up to make the lid pop off. Our bottle certainly hadn't bulged out that I had noticed.

The best bit in our case was that my son was sitting where I would normally have sat. He only sat there because he had to get out to deliver a letter. :rotfl:

ceewash

Thank you for that reply. I won't accuse the young man of being a "lying idiot" as others have suggested. Any tips for getting smoothie off paint work. It was strawberry and banana.

Serendipitious

I had an innocent smoothie once that erupted from its bottle due to fermentation, so yes, it can happen. Fortunately it was only tiles and worktop that were affected, so they were easy to clean.

Are the walls washable? If so I wonder whether a small amount of biological washing powder dissolved in warm water might help? Try it on a small patch first perhaps? But if it is still stained after a washdown, it may actually be cheaper to repaint than to buy loads of cleaning agents.

Might also be worth phoning a professional cleaning company to get some free advice?

agrinnall

ceewash wrote: »

http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/beware-of-the-smoothie-taste-explosion-literally-26282247.html
http://www.thefreelibrary.com/100,000+EXPLODING+SMOOTHIES+ALERT%3B+Fruit+drink+fans+are+hit+by...-a0157926447

So both stories are about the same bad batch of Innocent smoothies from 2007. Now if the smoothie in question was in that batch then I'm not surprised that it might explode after fermenting in the bottle for 6 years. But as that doesn't seem very likely I'm sticking with the simple explanation that it was students being students. If you are convinced that isn't the case then perhaps your son (or the purchaser of the smoothie) should have put in a complaint to Sainsbury's.

Valli

Wiping it off won't help - what were the ingredients in the smoothie?

It will need properly cleaning off, with hot water, possibly some detergent and some elbow grease.

But in order to properly advise how to clean it off we would need details about the type of surfaces upon which it has landed.

sodukoman

Time for your sprog to learn how to clean and then learn how to 'brush up' on their decorating skills perhaps?

rosalie-lavender

ceewash wrote: »

Thank you for that reply. I won't accuse the young man of being a "lying idiot" as others have suggested. Any tips for getting smoothie off paint work. It was strawberry and banana.

Try asking on the old style board and see if anyone there has any ideas. That board is a wealth of information.

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/forumdisplay.php?f=33

davethorp

ceewash wrote: »

It was strawberry and banana.

I'd imagine the process to remove it will be the same whatever the flavour

TurnUpForTheBooks_2

agrinnall wrote: »

So both stories are about the same bad batch of Innocent smoothies from 2007. Now if the smoothie in question was in that batch then I'm not surprised that it might explode after fermenting in the bottle for 6 years. But as that doesn't seem very likely I'm sticking with the simple explanation that it was students being students. If you are convinced that isn't the case then perhaps your son (or the purchaser of the smoothie) should have put in a complaint to Sainsbury's.

This is the reason the UK needs more Science and Technology students. We have a country full of "grads" in something or other who assert they know it all. In truth they mightn't have much of a clue about even one of the simplest forces of nature (fermentation) especially when the natural science has been modified (exacerbated) by some not exactly bombproof manufacturing and packaging process

I don't suppose any of the undergrads in this case kept the remains of the pack? The solution is of course for them to contact Sainsburys and explain what happened and try out their negotiating skills for claiming the cost of redecoration. Sainsburys often build shops targeted directly at nearby student accommodation and in some cases may even share the same landlord, so feeding and watering students is a significant business for them.

Students are of course not to be ignored when they complain. They should be taken as seriously as any other member of society - perhaps more so - unless they are yer actual Bullers of course ...

ceewash

agrinnall wrote: »

So both stories are about the same bad batch of Innocent smoothies from 2007. Now if the smoothie in question was in that batch then I'm not surprised that it might explode after fermenting in the bottle for 6 years. But as that doesn't seem very likely I'm sticking with the simple explanation that it was students being students. If you are convinced that isn't the case then perhaps your son (or the purchaser of the smoothie) should have put in a complaint to Sainsbury's.

Re:my original question. Has anyone else complained about the same problem. This wasn't a question about the honesty of my son's mate.
I do believe it is possible for fruit to ferment and cause this sort of reaction. You don't need a PhD in science to know that.
As for cleaning it. They had made a good job of cleaning all surfaces apart from the ceiling which was emulsioned. It has left a greasy stain.