how do I super sanitize?

liebertron · 02-06-2012, 03:20 PM

I think its time to do a super sanitize. It's been a year since I bought my equipment and I really want to completely clean out my tubing and buckets. Can I use bleach? I want it CLEAN.

**microbusbrewery** · 02-06-2012, 04:01 PM

It's probably been said a bunch of times but it's always worth mentioning again, cleaning and sanitizing are related but not the same thing. In order to properly sanitize your equip, you first have to make sure it's clean. But rememeber, sanitizers aren't cleaners.

Re tubing, it's not a bad idea to replace it from time to time so that may be your best option especially if you're using cheap vinyl tubing.

If your equip is dirty, a hot mixture of PBW or Oxyclean and a little elbow grease gets thins nice and clean. Keep in mind abrasives and scrubby pads can scratch plastic equip so use care.

Once it's clean you can sanitize, but if you aren't planning on brewing right away it's kind of pointless (because you'll just have to sanitize again before you brew). You can use bleach but it tends to be harder to rinse off. Also bleach loses potency as a sanitizer depending on how old it is and/or how it has been stored...and it can pit stainless steel. For sanitizing, I like Iodophor and Star San and I tend to alternate between the two.

postal_penguin · 02-06-2012, 08:16 PM

Chuck the tubing, its cheap and easier to just get new stuff.

I soak my equipment in soapy water, rinse, soak in Oxyclean with hot water, rinse, 10% bleach solution in hot water for 10 minutes, rinse, rinse, rinse and then sanitize with Star-san.

**scottland** · 02-06-2012, 08:19 PM

Hot water and PBW. Scrub as needed. Once you've thoroughly rinsed off the PBW, soak in star san for at least 3 minutes. That's all that's needed.

Plastic tubing is cheap and easy to replace.