Sodium metabisulfite

Got a kit together at midwest

-bottle caps
-capper
-auto siphon

but that's not the point of this Post.

What does everyone thingk about Sodium Metabisulphite as a sanitizer compared to Star-san and OneStep (and yes I know OneStep isn't FDA approved). It's certainly a big deal with Home wine making. Also is it no rinse.

hopefully start brewing soon, going to do a 20 minute boil kit from MWS. Once I have collected my bottles

OneStep, as I understand it, is more of a cleaning solution like Oxy Clean than a sanitizer like Star-San or Iodophorhttp://www.austinhomebrew.com/product_info.php?cPath=178_56_36&products_id=506 is, but I have seen it sold as a sanitizer so maybe I'm wrong there. As far as Sodium Metabisulphite I can't comment as I have never used it. Star-San is also a no rinse sanitizer and has worked well for me.

There is a whole section on this in the wiki : https://www.homebrewtalk.com/wiki/index.php/Cleaning_and_Sanitation

Sodium Metabisulfite
'Sodium Met' is probably the most familiar 'no-rinse' sanitiser to homebrewers. It is sold as a white powder in all homebrew shops and most supermarkets that carry a range of brewing ingredients, and it is found in most starter kits. Unfortunately, it is one of the worst sanitisers available now that so many better alternatives exist.
Sodium Met is slow to act and often used ineffectively. To use it properly, dissolve the sodium metabisulfite in the correct amount of water, as directed by the instructions, rinse all surfaces with the solution and allow to air dry. Drying is essential because this is when the sodium metabisulfite does its thing. It does not kill bacteria outright but it inhibits the growth of wild yeast. The fumes are highly irritating (particularly to asthmatics) and should not be inhaled.

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I've never used it myself, but that does sound like much more of a hassle than the more modern sanitizers like starsan.

I'm an old winemaker, so star-san and Iodophor are new(ish) to me. I always potassium metabisulfite for sanitizing, until I started making beer.

It works for sanitizing equipment. BUT- it takes a longer contact time, a pretty heavy concentration of sulfite (and it stinks and is irritating to the skin and lungs). I never use sulfite any more for sanitizing, not even sanitizing my wine equipment- I use star-san almost always but sometimes will use Iodophor.

There are a couple of advantages to these other sanitizers- one is the color and/or foam. You don't have to wonder if you've hit every spot- they coat the surface so that you can see what you've done. Star-san can be kept for months once mixed, so a gallon of mixed up star-san can last a long time.

One Step works, too. I used that in the past as well, and never had an infection. Any of these sanitizers are really personal preference. I like the handy markings to measure the star-san, and I like that it doesn't have any staining or odor. Others like some of the other sanitizers. Pick one, and see how you like the ease and convenience.