can i use the kitchen sink for sanitizing?

BrewProject · 08-03-2006, 04:53 AM

i am new to brewing. will be bottling for the first time this upcoming weekend.

thus far, i have sanitized in one of my buckets after washing it. this is a bit of a pain since i must march off to the bathtub to fill the bucket to wash it and then fill it again to use for a sanitizing tub.

i was wondering if i washed up the kitchen sink well and then filled it with water and idophor, would it be okay? sure would make sanitizing my bottles this weekend easier. this could also make sanitizing some other equipment (airlocks, bottle fillers, rubber stoppers, hydrometer, thermometer, etc...) easier.

of course sanitizing the buckets will still have to be done in the tub...

also,
can't remember where on this site i saw it now, but i also bought a 30 inch long planter to use for sanitizing all my siphoning equipment/racking canes... thanks to whoever said use a wallpaper tray. the planter accomplishes the same result.

Wolf · 08-03-2006, 01:30 PM

That would be fine, the iodophor would sanitize the sink as well as the bottles.

However unless you have a stainless steel sink I would be concerned about staining from the iodophor.

I sanitize my bottles in my big cement sink in the basement. Each side must hold about 8-10 gallons of water.

**Yooper** · 08-03-2006, 01:34 PM

I always use my kitchen sink for all my sanitizing. I clean the sink well, then sanitize it with the sanitizer from my bucket. I fill a few bottles with the sanitizer solution, and then sanitize the racking cane and bottling tube. Then, drain those bottles and do a few more. The sanitizer is no rinse, so I just place them in the clean side of the sink upside down to drain slightly. As I soak a few bottles in the sink, I get other things ready so I'm not wasting any time waiting for the sanitizer to work. Make sure you sanitize your bottling spigot by removing it and soak that, too.

I use the dishwasher to bottle. That is, I put the bottling bucket on the counter above the dishwasher. I open the dishwasher and line up the bottles on the door (about 10 at a time). I fill the bottles one by one. Any spill or drips stay on the dishwasher door, and when I'm done I just close the dishwasher and all the mess stays in there!

I've never used my bathtub for cleaning/sanitizing. I just use my spray hose from the kitchen sink to fill and clean the buckets, dumping them in the sink. I wash the outside by placing the bottom in the sink.

Happy bottling!

Lorena

BrewProject · 08-03-2006, 02:52 PM

ok, cool, i was hoping that's what i would hear. The iodophor would sanitize the sink after washing it.

i do have a stainless steel sink, so it sounds like a plan.

btw, the dishwasher sounds like a great idea for bottling, which leads me to another question about bottling...

can i fill about 10 bottles at a time before capping? or should i bottle one and then cap that one?

thanks for the replies

cweston · 08-03-2006, 02:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BrewProject

btw, the dishwasher sounds like a great idea for bottling, which leads me to another question about bottling...

can i fill about 10 bottles at a time before capping? or should i bottle one and then cap that one?

First, get help bottling if at all possible--one to fill bottles, one to cap or something.

You can fill several at a time: it's not a bad idea to place the sanitized cap on the bottle right away, though: to prohibit any nasties from floating in there before you seal the cap.

I usually bottle/cap in groups of 12, stirring beer with a sanitized spoon to make sure the priming sugar is well mixed every 1-2 batches of 12.

BrewProject · 08-03-2006, 03:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cweston

First, get help bottling if at all possible--one to fill bottles, one to cap or something.

You can fill several at a time: it's not a bad idea to place the sanitized cap on the bottle right away, though: to prohibit any nasties from floating in there before you seal the cap.

I usually bottle/cap in groups of 12, stirring beer with a sanitized spoon to make sure the priming sugar is well mixed every 1-2 batches of 12.

another great idea about placing the sanitized cap on the bottle immediately.

btw, should i sanitize or boil the caps?

P.S. i am gonna try to get a friend to help out. if not, i will try to talk the SWMBO into it.

cweston · 08-03-2006, 03:13 PM

Sanitize the caps.

Allegedly, boiling can warp the plastic sealing liner.

BrewProject · 08-03-2006, 03:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cweston

Sanitize the caps.

Allegedly, boiling can warp the plastic sealing liner.

thanks, i'm all over the sanitizing then

Exo · 08-03-2006, 05:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cweston

Sanitize the caps.

Allegedly, boiling can warp the plastic sealing liner.

I think I read somewhere that if you used an oxygen-based sanitizer...like One-Step, you shouldn't use it on oxygen absorbing caps.

And this is my favorite bottle-washing and drying tool:

**the_bird** · 08-03-2006, 05:21 PM

I thought I heard that you weren't supposed to boil those types of caps... I;m confused....

The "no-boiling" thing strikes me as something which somebody is worried about in theory but that doesn't actually happen in practice. I've had zero problems boiling, you're only bring them up to 212 degrees, remember.