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Old 01-26-2011, 04:33 PM   #1
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Is it ok to use bleach and water to sanitize your equipment


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Old 01-26-2011, 04:34 PM   #2
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Yes, but it needs to be rinsed very well. Don't over do it on the concentration either.
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Old 01-26-2011, 04:43 PM   #3
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Ok what is good half and half or less
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Old 01-26-2011, 04:45 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by uncommonsense View Post
Ok what is good half and half or less
Whoa. Way less than that. Try 1 tablespoon per gallon of water.
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Old 01-26-2011, 05:28 PM   #5
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Ok good to know
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Old 01-26-2011, 05:31 PM   #6
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Also, don't use it on your stainless steel equipment. This is a big reason why a lot of people go with StarSan. And it is no-rinse, fact acting, and reusable to a limited extent. I only use bleach anymore for soaking fermenters after use.
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Old 01-28-2011, 02:04 PM   #7
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Bleach can be used as a no-rinse sanitizer in 1tblsp/gal, so you don't need to rinse it afterwards. In fact, rinsing after you use the bleach solution is counter-productive, because your rinse water has bacteria in it, and will reinfect your equipment.

Bleach is, however, a bad choice of sanitizing solutions for a lot of reasons. First off, it's really deadly and, if you use too much bleach and don't rinse it off, you can really injure yourself and your friends. It also has a powerful smell so, even if you don't leave enough in your fermenter to hurt anybody, your beer may end up smelling and tasting like chlorine. (Ick!)

If you have access to yeast, grain, and hops, then there's no reason that you can't purchase a better cleaner. If you're concerned about cost, try iodophor, or even regular household iodine. There's a thread on this site that lists the amounts of iodine you need to use based on the brand you buy. It took me months to get through a $2.99 bottle from target.
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Old 01-28-2011, 03:18 PM   #8
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I used bleach for many years. I recently switched to star-san no rinse. It's the best improvement I've made this year and recommend it heartily.
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Old 01-28-2011, 04:08 PM   #9
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I have a bottle of bleach, but I've never even opened it up... First kit I got (hardware) came with C-Brite, which I used for my first brewing (pain in the a$$)... I went out and got a small bottle of StarSan after that and have been loving it ever since.

I keep a bucket of StarSan mixed at all times (at least 2.5 gallons worth)... Never know when you'll need to sanitize something on the quick...
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Old 01-28-2011, 04:13 PM   #10
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I keep some star san on hand too. I have a 2 qt bottle and also a spray bottle. This has come in handy many times.


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