Use a pressure washer or a hose. Then set them in the sun to dry. If you don't clean them good the bees will track all that dirt across the frames and wax. I like to eat honey, not dirt! 
Whats the best way to clean up old equipment?
I happened across a guy on craigslist who had a couple of hundred supers for sale so I went to take a look and bought 21 shallow honey supers,5 Illinois,and 5 deeps with frames.They all looked like they had been assembled,painted,and the foundation was put in and then they were stacked in a barn/basement or someplace and left for a long time.They are all dusty and the foundation dont look so good but the boxes and frames look new,but really dirty.Whats the best method for cleaning up and sanitizing this type of equipment ? I am taking the old foundations out and throwing them in a solar wax melter and then after I clean everything I will rewire(if needed) and put in new foundation.
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I,m with you,I dont want to eat dirt or filth either.Pressure washer was the first thing to come to mind when I got these.I thought also about dipping the empty frames in a mild bleach solution to kind of sanitize them before I re-assemble everything.Also thought about taking a torch and hitting the insides of the boxes to clean them up.I will probably put a new coat of paint on them too.
I always take a torch to used boxes, even the frames of some boxes. It takes time, but I know I'm not introducing something. If you really want to feel better about it:
Pressure wash
Torch the inside of the boxes
Bleach the frames and air dry
When torching, if there is old wax and propolis, I use a putty knifes (thin and wide) to scrape as they are more flexible than the hive tool and easier to get into the corners and cracks.
Pressure wash
Torch the inside of the boxes
Bleach the frames and air dry
When torching, if there is old wax and propolis, I use a putty knifes (thin and wide) to scrape as they are more flexible than the hive tool and easier to get into the corners and cracks.
I am in a similar situation...What is the bleach solution ratio?
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