Oxyclean as cleaner and/or sanitizer

Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Jayfro21

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 7, 2007
Messages
267
Reaction score
2
Location
San Diego
Is generic Oxyclean (like the kind you get from Rite-aid) ok to use as a cleaner and/or sanitizer? Seems to me that One Step and Oxyclean-like products are one in the same, but I am not sure of the active ingredients in the two. Thanks!

Jason
 
agreed, its ONLY a cleanser, not a sanitizer. get Oxyclean Free. you don't want perfumes in your cleanser.

i just used some over night to get 90% of the root beer smell out of a picnic tap.

side note: making root beer requires a dedicated beer tap!
 
malkore said:
agreed, its ONLY a cleanser, not a sanitizer. get Oxyclean Free. you don't want perfumes in your cleanser.

i just used some over night to get 90% of the root beer smell out of a picnic tap.

side note: making root beer requires a dedicated beer tap!

I hate the stuff, but my best friend loves it, so I keep one set of keg o-rings and a separate tap line around just for when he wants me to make root beer. I grab one of my kegs, swap out the seals for the "root beer" seals, attach the "root beer" tap, and then when it is empty, I remove them, clean them well, and bag them up for the next time.

The things we do for our friends.
 
only had the white powdery thing happen once and I over did it on the mixture
 
Oxyclean is by far a much cheaper option. You can buy 1 lb. at the dollar store for, you guessed it, $1 and you only need about half as much to achieve the same desired cleaning strength. The only caveat is your water hardness. People with well water or water with high TDS, so called hard water should consider either investing in water softening equipment, using PBW at much higher cost, or throwing a squirt of dishwashing fluid in with their oxyclean when they do their normal wash. Oxyclean makes a great cleaner, but should never be used as a sanitizer. Just buy a bottle of starsan and invest in a 5 gallon bucket with lid and mix up a solution of starsan and distilled water. If that solution ever gets low just reup with another gallon of distilled water and a squirt of starsan. If it ever turns cloudy or has too much debris in it, just replace the whole batch.
 
You can find an off-brand kind at Wal-Mart. It's perfume free and costs $1. "Sun [something]" I believe.
 
The only caveat is your water hardness. People with well water or water with high TDS, so called hard water should consider either investing in water softening equipment, using PBW at much higher cost, or throwing a squirt of dishwashing fluid in with their oxyclean when they do their normal wash.

I've had that issue before, never realized it was hard water? good to know.
 
I through used bottles in oxy. Thats all I use it for. You have to rinse it real good though. I usually use sanitizer and dishwasher on super hot and no detergent. Its slightly overkill I think. I forgot the sanitizer this time but I think it's fine. As for amount. I don't know. I use a tote that is like 15 gal and I put like a half scoop in.
 
I have been using B Brite to clean my equipment, but looking for cheaper option. So it is agreed that Oxy Clean Free can be used as substitue for B Brite to clean all equipment? (I will still sanatize with Star San.. that stuff is a godsend).

How much Oxy Clean per gallon do you recommend?

I have also read that Oxy Clean is great for getting the labels and glue off of beer bottles. I have bottles soaking in it as I type this. I'll let you know how it works.
 
Another zombification!

Oxyclean Free is cheaper than B Brite, but Sun Oxy Cleaner from Wal Mart is muuuuuch cheaper.

I use a full scoop per 5 gallons if what I'm cleaning is especially dirty. I'll go 2/3 to 3/4 scoop for normal cleaning.

And yes, B Brite / Oxyclean / Sun Oxy are awesome at peeling labels. Just use water as hot as your tap can get and let them soak for one or two hours. Then I usually use a paper towel to wipe off any residual glue from the bottom after the label comes off.

Be sure to rinse well anything you clean with the oxy cleaners.
 
Man, there is no better way to remove labels than oxyclean. (I'm sure there is, don't knock my enthusiasm!)

Soak those bad boys in hot water with a scoop of oxyclean. Leave them for about 30 minutes. Some labels will float right to the top. That's when I like to take a stainless steel scrubbing pad and finish the job.

Be careful though, you'll find yourself giggling to yourself like a mad scientist. I also promise that your SWMBO won't find it nearly as entertaining when you fill the sink with gunk. Ah well!
 
Which also reminds me. My hippie wife likes to make her own kombucha, soap, etc.

She makes her own oxy clean with 1/2 cup hydrogen peroxide and 1/2 cup of washing soda. Baking soda worked to but the washing soda has the sodium bicarbonate that you're looking for. I use this mix and dump the whole thing in a full bathtub.

Be weary, this stuff did some damage to my bucket handle and my carboy brush handles. Seemed to slightly strip the finish. Works great though.
 
Guys, PBW user here, but ran out and have to use oxy. How much do you use for 5 gallons?

Thanks

One scoop is plenty, they usually have a scoop in the container, but if not, just hold onto your PBW scoop or use 2 heaping tablespoons.

I have been using B Brite to clean my equipment, but looking for cheaper option. So it is agreed that Oxy Clean Free can be used as substitue for B Brite to clean all equipment? (I will still sanatize with Star San.. that stuff is a godsend).

How much Oxy Clean per gallon do you recommend?

I have also read that Oxy Clean is great for getting the labels and glue off of beer bottles. I have bottles soaking in it as I type this. I'll let you know how it works.

Sun Oxy at Wal-Mart is actually expensive compared to the dollar store stuff. I think it may actually be Sun Oxy too, but as a bonus it's $1 a container at the Dollar Tree near my house. Whoda thunk it?

Another zombification!

Oxyclean Free is cheaper than B Brite, but Sun Oxy Cleaner from Wal Mart is muuuuuch cheaper.

I use a full scoop per 5 gallons if what I'm cleaning is especially dirty. I'll go 2/3 to 3/4 scoop for normal cleaning.

And yes, B Brite / Oxyclean / Sun Oxy are awesome at peeling labels. Just use water as hot as your tap can get and let them soak for one or two hours. Then I usually use a paper towel to wipe off any residual glue from the bottom after the label comes off.

Be sure to rinse well anything you clean with the oxy cleaners.

+1 to the above. It will leave residue in lines, canes, etc. Rinse diligently, the old three bucket cleaning with Oxy, Rinse, StarSan will leave some stuff still with oxy residue. I suggest rinsing with running hot water or changing your rinse bucket every couple of dunks because the rinse bucket eventually has enough concentration to not fully rinse stuff clean.
 
I have been using B Brite to clean my equipment, but looking for cheaper option. So it is agreed that Oxy Clean Free can be used as substitue for B Brite to clean all equipment? (I will still sanatize with Star San.. that stuff is a godsend).

How much Oxy Clean per gallon do you recommend?

I have also read that Oxy Clean is great for getting the labels and glue off of beer bottles. I have bottles soaking in it as I type this. I'll let you know how it works.

To followup, I went back to my bucket of bottles soaking yesterday and was pleased to find about half of the labels floating on top of the water! A quick scrub of the bottles removed every bit of label/glue on every bottle, easily. Maybe I'll try the cheap stuff in the future but man, it really doesn't get any easier! :mug:
 
Back
Top