Would you use PBW or oxyclean

Can you use oxyclean over pbw to clean all your equipment like buckets and carboys and tools? Is oxyclean a non rinse? I ask cause i just bought pbw and you must rinse everything out. Wish I know before I bought it that I would have to rinse out everything.

Oxiclean also has to be rinsed

I use oxyclean to clean my buckets and carboys. You should rinse it thoroughly, however. I am not sure if there are no-rinse cleaners out there.

I then us star san to sanitize everything. This is no-rinse.

Oxyclean can react with aluminum pots,,,,,,it says so on the jar.

On a side note,what about dishwasher soap(Cascade)? does this stuff work?

I'm with packersfan, I only use elbow grease and water most of the time. And then Star San.

You have to rinse everything you clean with PBW or Oxy, or plain old dish soap. Cleaning isn't sanitizing, they are two different steps in your sanitation procedure.

I've used both, PBW definitely works better, but not five times better which is what it would need to do to justify its cost.

I use both. PBW for heavy build up in fermenters as it releases the crud quicker without scrubbing. Oxy for general cleaning. Be sure to use Oxyfree and not Oxyclean, Oxyclean has scented ingredients that will permeate plastic and bleed into your beer no matter how well you rinse. Always finish with a Starsan rinse.

I like PBW myself. It can clean anything just about. Instructions for different dilutions is on the jar depending on what you want to clean. It must be well rinsed. I like starsan sanitizer,as it's a quick wet contact sanitizer that doesn't need to be rinsed.

ID carlson makes a cleaner/sterilzer that is a no rinse.

RIC0 said:

ID carlson makes a cleaner/sterilzer that is a no rinse.

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Yup it is basically One Step repackaged. It is very much like Oxy clean and not really a sanitizer. I is a decent cleaner however it is not no rinse and certainly not a sanitizer. If you do not rinse it you will likely not be happy with what it does to your brew.

Clean with a proper cleaner and rinse it thoroughly then sanitize with a proper sanitizer such as Star san or Idophor. I prefer Star san.

Wait... wait... what's this oxyfree stuff? I've been using oxyclean. You mean to tell me that oxyclean has scented stuff in it even it if doesn't say it on the advertisement on the container?
*looks at carboy steeping in oxyclean in other room*
:-O

I use oxyclean and then rinse everything very well. I follow up with idophor which is also a no-rinse. I like using oxyclean because I can get it from any grocery store and it works well.

DSorenson said:

Wait... wait... what's this oxyfree stuff? I've been using oxyclean. You mean to tell me that oxyclean has scented stuff in it even it if doesn't say it on the advertisement on the container?
*looks at carboy steeping in oxyclean in other room*
:-O

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Is it the green capped one? IIRC, THAT is the unscented kind

yes, definitely rinse thoroughly with any of the cleaning products. I have no doubt that PBW works best, but I use oxyclean for everything because its cheap and available anywhere. Make sure you rinse though, you don't really want to be drinking that stuff and I've read up some thoughts regarding oxyclean residue affecting head retention (in bottles).

NickTheGreat said:

Is it the green capped one? IIRC, THAT is the unscented kind

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Oxyclean Free - Green lid
Oxyclean (fragranced) = yellow lid

I use oxyclean free and it has worked amazingly and yes it requires a rinse. I don't use it on my pot (aluminium) but for that I just use a small amount of Dawn and elbow grease and shazam! it's clean.

I use both but I thinks pbw has something in it oxyclean free doesn't. When I let sit with oxyfree by accident, I get more mineral build up. Pbw, not so much. Does pbw have a softener in it or some magic elves?

PBW just has hundreds of magic elves ... That's why it works better and is more expensive ;-). I use PBW if you can do a bulk group buy and split with a homebrew club it comes out fairly cheap per pound.

PackerfaninSanDiego said:

Oxyclean can react with aluminum pots,,,,,,it says so on the jar.

On a side note,what about dishwasher soap(Cascade)? does this stuff work?

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Ideally, not dishwasher soaps or detergents. If not thoroughly rinsed well it will leach bad things into your beer. Many are chlorine based or have other chemicals in them that Can lead to off flavors

DANG IT GUYS... I've been using the yellow cap oxyclean... ugh. Can't seem to get anything right. I emptied both my glass and plastic carboys as soon as I had doubts. Smells more like hops. Does scented oxyclean effect both glass and plastic?

Bumping for great justice. I'm about to brew a new brew in either a better bottle PET carboy or a glass carboy, both of which I accidentally used the regular oxyclean in! anyone have a thought on this?

rinse'em out really well with hot water & maybe even a brush to be sure they're clean & no smells left over.

Thanks unionrdr! anyone else have a second on this advice?

unionrdr said:

rinse'em out really well with hot water & maybe even a brush to be sure they're clean & no smells left over.

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+1. Rinse rinse rinse starsan.

I use oxyclean free, bartenders friend on brew kettle for really rough stuff And rinse the hell out of everything. Then use starsan.

Be very careful using regular dish soap. Most have fragrances and leave residue on whatever you are cleaning. Usually these residues will affect head retention on the beer and create off flavors.

BigFloyd said:

I mix SunClean (same as Oxy, but cheaper) with TSP (Tri-Sodium Phosphate) Substitute which you can find in Lowes paint dept. 2 parts Oxy to one part TSP makes a DIY version of PBW. I find that it works much better than just the Oxy-type cleaner.

Either way, you must rinse cleaners thoroughly, no matter what kind you use.

Use a no-rinse sanitizer like Star-San

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I use this too, but I generally buy Oxi-free as opposed to the SunClean. This combo will eat any crud. I usually soak for 24 hours. I rarely have to scrub.

When using pbw for bottles is it good enough to dunk in a bucket of clean hot water after the cleaning soak? Then let dry until bottling day. Use one step to sanitize prior to filling.

And I mean full to the top dunk. Then dry upside down on drying rack.

BrewPharm said:

When using pbw for bottles is it good enough to dunk in a bucket of clean hot water after the cleaning soak? Then let dry until bottling day. Use one step to sanitize prior to filling.

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You mean as a way to rinse the PBW off? I would rinse thoroughly, which will be more than a dunk in a bucket.

Yeah,hot tap water rinse is recomended so far as rinse water temps are concerned.

the mechanism for any of these solutions is time for the crud to come in contact with oxygen. The bubbling action is what lifts it off of surfaces. With that in mind I think you'd have to let your bottles sit for a day. Then you'd have to rinse them thoroughly.

BrewPharm said:

When using pbw for bottles is it good enough to dunk in a bucket of clean hot water after the cleaning soak? Then let dry until bottling day. Use one step to sanitize prior to filling.

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One step is not a sanitizer. It's a great cleaner, I use it for glass because it's not slippery like PBW. It's also advertised as no rinse, and I don't rinse it. I use PBW for all of my plastic, or otherwise messy stuff. (And I rinse the hell out of that awesome, slippery stuff.)

bobot said:

One step is not a sanitizer. It's a great cleaner, I use it for glass because it's not slippery like PBW. It's also advertised as no rinse, and I don't rinse it. I use PBW for all of my plastic, or otherwise messy stuff. (And I rinse the hell out of that awesome, slippery stuff.)

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I realize it states cleaner, but any brew shop I've ever asked and many brewers use it as a no rinse sanitizer. Myself included.

From what I've gathered reading threads on here, pbw and oxy free are basically the same except pbw contains water softeners. This makes rinsing pbw much easier if you have hard water. Oxy free with hard water can sometimes leave a white residue that some members have said is a pita to get off.

BrewPharm said:

When using pbw for bottles is it good enough to dunk in a bucket of clean hot water after the cleaning soak? Then let dry until bottling day. Use one step to sanitize prior to filling.

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I always rinse the inside with a jet bottle washer then toss them in the dishwasher (with no soap or jet dry) to rinse the outside. Dunk in Star San just before filling with beer.

http://www.homebrewing.org/Jet-Bottle-Washer_p_996.html

Krovitz said:

From what I've gathered reading threads on here, pbw and oxy free are basically the same except pbw contains water softeners. This makes rinsing pbw much easier if you have hard water. Oxy free with hard water can sometimes leave a white residue that some members have said is a pita to get off.

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This^^^ I have some what hard water. I prefer pbw to oxyclean because I find it only takes a few rinses to get clean ( I hate rinsing stuff a hundred times). So I'll pay extra for pbw. A 4 lb tub last me over 50 brews

Krovitz said:

From what I've gathered reading threads on here, pbw and oxy free are basically the same except pbw contains water softeners. This makes rinsing pbw much easier if you have hard water. Oxy free with hard water can sometimes leave a white residue that some members have said is a pita to get off.

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So. If have a water softener and use oxy free, would that be the same as pbw? Hmm?

I know a brewer who soaks his bottles in PBW and doesn't rinse them.
When I showed him the PBW container says to "rinse thoroughly" his reply was, " I rinse them in Star San"
He does make some really good beer.

And Star San is a very good counter-agent for PBW/OxyClean. I forgot some bottles in OxyClean for a month or so in my garage. They had crystals growing inside the bottles that neither my jet washer or a bottle brush could touch. I soaked them overnight in Star San and they came out sparkling.

There was no reusing that Star San though. I'd rather rinse and use my Star San over and over.

Oxiclean is not food grade. PBW is. I don't use anything that is not food grade in my brewery.