How to I neutralize the smell of (VERY) spoiled milk Let's say I have a cup full of milk that had been at room temperature for months (apparently my son was running an experiment...). The smell started seeping out of the makeshift lid, and it's horrible. I have no background in chemistry but I imagine there might be a way to neutralize the smell before getting rid of the contents.
I'm worried if I just flush it down the pipes it might linger and make the whole house smell. Also, ideally I would like to salvage the cup because it's a very nice handmade glassware (he was running a fancy experiment).
Again, this has been there for months so I hope there isn't any dangerous bacteria still around, and any advice to get rid of the smell and clean the thing would be enormously appreciated.
The disgusting smell is probably butyric acid. Try adding a base: For example, washing soda (sodium carbonate), or perhaps drain cleaner (sodium hydroxide, be careful with this one, this is very corrosive to people/eyes), or even ammonia. This should turn the butyric acid into butyrate ion, which should be much less disagreeable. Then flush down the drain.