Exploding smoothie

TurnUpForTheBooks_2

The fermentation will be as a result not of any special error but of a combination of:
(a) more contamination than usual of the contents by the yeast types which cause the fermentation. This is almost bound to happen with the vagaries of farming the fruit, fruit-picking, the weather in the run up to picking and general cleanliness in processing the fruit and 'pasteurisation' process.
and/or
(b) a significant break down in the cold chain between manufacturer and the time of the explosion in the kitchen. This is most likely to happen in individual shops when pallets are neglected at room temperature for two long whilst being moved between storage refrigeration and display refrigeration. Alternatively display refigeration may not have been working correctly, or a customer has dumped the item somewhere unrefrigerated and hours later it has found its way back into the display. Fermentation will also occur once bought and especially after it has been opened when there is of course immediate risk and likelihood of further contamination. The refrigerator in the shared accommodation may also be faulty.

I believe the speed of fermentation can be exponential under some conditions which might counter paddyrg's assertion that it couldn't happen without someone first noticing the balloning of the carton.

In either case there is a health risk as well as the inconvenience / actual property damage in this case.

I am sure Sainsburys will take this seriously if the OP's offspring's mate gets right on to it. The more information that can be given, the more likely Sainsburys will be able to readily consider the problem.

Jamie_Carter

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.

Yes, contact the manufacturer, and claim off them (as someone else has already suggested).

Jamie_Carter

ceewash wrote: »

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.

Remove as much of the stain as possible then remove any trace of the detergent. Apply gloss paint to the area of the stain to seal it. Then repaint the whole ceiling with emulsion in the original colour.

Florasaurus

I always find that sugar soap, hot water and a good bit of elbow grease gets stuff off walls/ceilings. If it can cut through a couple of years worth of grease on the ceiling from my cooker it should be able to work it's magic on smoothies!!

If that doesn't work, get one of the £3 tester pots from Homebase or B&Q and just give it a quick paint over

Florasaurus

And guys, who cares how it exploded?! S**t happens, it's not just students who this happens to. The actual question was how do you get it off, not I would like your opinions on how the smoothie exploded!!

POPPYOSCAR

Serendipitious wrote: »

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?

Yes I was thinking the same.

Why would they lose their deposit? Surely it is not a huge area and would be quite cheap to paint over.

nimbo

these are great: https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=magic+sponges&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&gws_rd=cr&ei=M_Z3UpHcHZOQhQfAr4HICg#q=magic+sponges&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&tbm=shop

it may be difficult to use on the ceiling, and I would highly recommend having a sensible student hold the ladder while another does the scrubbing, but they work a treat...

ceewash

POPPYOSCAR wrote: »

Yes I was thinking the same.

Why would they lose their deposit? Surely it is not a huge area and would be quite cheap to paint over.

It is a large kitchen/lounge area and I think the whole room would have to be repainted not just the ceiling. The cost is £175 apparently. Will suggest the magic sponge though. These student accommadation companies are very keen to keep the deposits if there is a reason to.

POPPYOSCAR

ceewash wrote: »

It is a large kitchen/lounge area and I think the whole room would have to be repainted not just the ceiling. The cost is £175 apparently. Will suggest the magic sponge though. These student accommadation companies are very keen to keep the deposits if there is a reason to.

It cannot possibly cost £175 in paint no matter how large the room is.

If you are talking about getting someone in to do it, then why? They can paint it themselves - it is easy.

nimbo

POPPYOSCAR wrote: »

It cannot possibly cost £175 in paint no matter how large the room is.

If you are talking about getting someone in to do it, then why? They can paint it themselves - it is easy.

there may be 10 of them - and although it could work out cheaper to paint themselves if they then get paint all over the carpet it may work out cheaper to get someone in... (I have images of me as a drunk student painting a ceiling here - it might not end well)...

at this point I personally would spend the cash on the magic sponge thing - as they will come in handy when they move out anyway, and work it from there...