Sanitizing Bottles Question

If I'm using the dishwasher to sanitize my bottles, do I need to run them through the full cycle, or is just the drying heat enough?

I've heard the dry cycle is good enough, but I don't sanitize in the dishwasher. Too many weird things can happen in there.


TL

I use Iodophor.....It's quick and easy

Heated dry should be enough if they are already pretty clean.

heat dry is the only thing that'll do any good. a wash cycle won't get the insides cleaned, or rinsed properly.

but dry heat will work if they're already clean.

+1 for Iodophor. I have used it to sanitize bottles for the last 10 batches that I have made. It is quicker, uses less water and energy than a dishwasher. I usually mix 5 gallons in my bottling bucket on bottling day and use that to sterilize bottles, racking cane, hoses, bottle caps, and the bottling bucket itself.

When I used to bottle entire batches, I ran them through for the full cycle-- the steam will get inside the bottles, and the heated drying cycle will provide further sanitizing power. The bottles must definitely be clean beforehand, as others have stated. This technique is for sanitization only.

Two things that are very important when using a dishwasher: make sure it is clean inside (no food particles or soap residue), and make sure there is no rinse agent in the reservoir. I actually took the drain and door apart to make sure everything was clean and cleared out before using it to sanitize bottles.

I found it very convenient to just load an entire batch of bottles (upside down) into the machine, push a button, and then pull them out as I need them. Now that I keg and bottle on-demand (12-18 at a time), I just soak them in a StarSan solution and rinse.

-Steve

I have did it many times in the dishwasher with no flavor effects or head retention effects.
I rinse my washer out good a few times on the rinse cycle, make sure it is clean.

I use the sanitize button and the heated dry on my dishwasher and it works good

I just do the heated rinse and heated dry. Never had any problems and I prefer it over chemical sanitizing.

I've used the dishwasher before but did the whole cycle. All the labels that were previously on the bottles were littered across the bottom. I've heard of someone's dishwasher actually overflowing due to a clogged drain from labels. I'd rinse them well by hand and do the heat drying cycle, or else go the Iodophor route.

explosivebeer said:

I've used the dishwasher before but did the whole cycle. All the labels that were previously on the bottles were littered across the bottom. I've heard of someone's dishwasher actually overflowing due to a clogged drain from labels. I'd rinse them well by hand and do the heat drying cycle, or else go the Iodophor route.

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Before I found oxyclean I used my dishwasher to delabel bottles. Worked great, but the labels ended up clogging the drain.

Having said that, you absolutely MUST clean the bottles before using the dishwasher to sanitize. I found out the hard way and lost several bottles in my first batch because they had gunk floating in them. Here's my procedure:

1. Soak all bottles in oxyclean to remove any labels and clean out the insides. I inspect them for crud and use a bottle brush only as necessary. This can be done weeks ahead of time. I generally do it when I have collected a case or so of empties.

2. My dishwasher has a rinse and hold setting. I run this setting on the empty dishwasher to clean it out.

3. Put the bottles in the dishwasher and run it on the rinse setting with heat dry.

4. While the dishwasher is running I boil the priming sugar and syphon into the bottling bucket.

5. Put the now full bottling bucket on the counter above the dishwasher, take the bottles out of the dishwasher and place them on the open door.

6. Fill the bottles - the dishwasher door contains any overflows.

Haven't had any problems after that first batch.