Noob-Cleaning Question

Hi everyone,

I got a beer kit for Christmas, and I'm getting ready to bottle my first batch. Excited! I've been lurking this forum for a few weeks now, and I appreciative all those who share their knowledge. Kudos to you.

I have a cleaning question. Once I bottle my batch, I'm going to be left with a dirty 5 gallon carboy.
- What cleaning product/cleanser do you recommend, and why?
- To clean the carboy, do you fill the entire carboy with water then add the cleanser? If so, how much cleanser do you add per gallon? If you don't fill the carboy to the top with water, what method do you use?
- How long do I leave the water+cleanser in the carboy?
- I have a carboy brush, is it a pain in the arse to clean the inside of the carboy with the brush? Is there a better way?

Thanks everyone!

Cleaning is why I still use a bucket to ferment. For me I have a bucket I specifically use for the cleaning solution for the bottles and other materials I am going to put the beer in. I use an iodine solution but have also used the powder star-San without problem. I also use the solution for the hoses, racking cane, and bottling bucket. Just be careful with iodine it will stain plastics. After the beer is all bottled I rinse the left over turn and flocculation out really well then put the cleaning solution in it.

I don't think I'm being overly cautious but I sanitize right after and right before using any materials. You never know what might get in or be left over so better to be safe the. Sorry.

I pour in about 1/3 warm water (not hot), dry the outside, and then swish it around. Then I get my brush in there and scrub it down as well as I can. Keeping the outside dry helps prevents slips.

If I have anything stuck, I use a little OxyClean Versatile with water as high as the gunk is stuck, and let the Oxy loosen things up. In the Oxy scoop I'd say that I use about 1/6 of it for a gallon to a gallon and a half or so?

I avoid filling my carboy too much towards the top, as I wonder how much stress it puts the bottle under...especially with warm water.

Soaking in general is the easiest way to remove things, then use a brush. You can go with or without chemicals, time will soften everything if you leave it soaked for 8-24 hours...

I like oxy clean it's safe and works well !
Go by the instructions , a lot better than bleach . You can get it at the dollar store. It works well on getting beer labels off bottles as well . Try it you will like it.

If you can get it in time, use pbw (powdered brewery wash, from five star - the same company that does starsan). I rinse out crud as much as possible first, then fill it half way with hot tap water. Add the pbw, per concentrations listed on the package, and the fill the rest of the way. Let it sit for at least an hour.

If you have a carboy brush, give it a scrubbing after the soak, dump the cleaner and rinse with clean hot water.

Others may also recommend using a lower concentration of pbw and soaking overnight or a few days. I've done both, good results either way.

There are also a bunch of threads that explore alternate cleaners - worth reading when you have the time. But for now, pbw will get you where you need to be.

If you're really hard up (and your carboy is glass - not plastic) fill it up with hot water and use unscented dish detergent. Soak for a couple of hours, scrub, and rinse the living crap out of it. Happy cleaning!

I have always hated cleaning carboys
I bought a Speidel fermenter just so I could get inside of the thing and clean it
As far as carboys go, I have found a few things help, first rinse the inside very well, second fill it with hot tap water and let it soak for a few hours, it it still does not clean easily with the carboy brush, soak it again.

the pain is that you have no way to apply direct force on the inside, it always seems to be force directed by a brush that acts like a spring. And that is my main complaint.
So I saved up lunch money for a few weeks and got the Speidel, now I can reach inside and scrub, cleaning now takes a few minutes, not a hour or better

hope this helps

As others have said, Oxyclean is a good cleanser. Some people use PBW, but it is more expensive.

I use some combination of soaking, swishing, and brushing. Sometimes I put a washcloth in with the warm soapy water and swish that around.

garvinator70 said:

I like oxy clean it's safe and works well !
Go by the instructions , a lot better than bleach . You can get it at the dollar store. It works well on getting beer labels off bottles as well . Try it you will like it.

Click to expand...

this is it

however you clean it

triple rinse it to get all residues out of that thing

Thank you everyone for the great suggestions and information, I really appreciate it.