Equipment cleaning

I just got my first wine kit. I'm excited to make it.

I have the one step no rinse cleaner, can I use that or do I have to use the metabisulphite to clean my buckets and gear and only that?

Thanks

If everything is new just rinse with warm water and sanitize when you are ready to use it.

I wouldn't use the no rinse cleaner. It says no rinse, but why would you want that flavour in your wine? I usually scrub everything with hot soapy water, rinse well, dry, and give a quick misting of starsan. After the starsan dries, you're good to go.

Thanks for the info. I appreciate it. i'm looking forward to making wine after brewing for years now.

Oxyclean, rinse, starsan.

Thanks inner10. I'm going to order some starsan.


Thx!

twah said:

Thanks inner10. I'm going to order some starsan.


Thx!

Click to expand...

Lemme tell ya, sanitizing and washing stuff is the worst part of wine making...even worse than paying for ingredients. That being said starsan really cuts the work of sanitizing in half. Just spray it on, let it sit for a minuet and that's it. You get a massive supply for peanuts, I mix up a 5 gallon batch at a time and leave it in a carboy. I typically keep this for 6-8 months and I'm really wasteful with it. Get yourself a spray bottle and use it to hose everything down.

I know there a lot of people that will just rinse everything with warm water and then sanitize and almost never clean...I don't really agree with this practice. Let's say I have multiple wines to rack or bottle I may just give everything a hot water rinse and starsan it...but if I'm waiting any length of time or if I just racked a hoppy stinky IPA you bet I'll be cleaning things thoroughly.

I use to use B-Bright years ago, but I reckon it is the same active ingredient as OxyClean, so for 15 bucks at Costco I have a massive supply of cleaner. One thing about OxyClean is it works far better if you let things soak in it. Got a nasty old pail stained and stinking of hops, fill it up and let it soak for a day or two. Use hot water to get the residue off...it doesn't rinse off too easily with cold water.

Anyway, sanitize before you use and clean right after.

Inner10 said:

Oxyclean, rinse, starsan.

Click to expand...

+1

Beer or Wine works great for both.

One Step is a fine cleaner, just rinse it off so that your wine doesn't taste of soap.

One Step, Rinse, K-meta spray and you are good to go!

DoctorCAD said:

One Step is a fine cleaner, just rinse it off so that your wine doesn't taste of soap.

One Step, Rinse, K-meta spray and you are good to go!

Click to expand...

One step is awesome for silverware as well! I've been using idophor lately.

liquiditynerd said:

One step is awesome for silverware as well! I've been using idophor lately.

Click to expand...

Idophor is a great sanitizer but if you start spraying, splashing and shaking it all over the place expect to stain the heck out of everything near by.

I have been dipping everything in a kmeta solution to sanitize. It has been sufficient as far a I can tell.

Mark_ said:

I have been dipping everything in a kmeta solution to sanitize. It has been sufficient as far a I can tell.

Click to expand...

K meta is great, in fact it probably sanitizes faster than starsan, but the shelf life is shorter if premixed and costs more...not to mention it stinks.

I typically wash everything, then soak everything (that will fit) in one side of my sink filled with 3-4 gallons of Starsan, then give it a quick rinse in the other side of the sink. ...I know its a no-rinse sanitizer, but I rinse a little anyway. I just don't like the sanitizer bubbles in my bottles and stuff. Is this a mistake?

BamaProud said:

I typically wash everything, then soak everything (that will fit) in one side of my sink filled with 3-4 gallons of Starsan, then give it a quick rinse in the other side of the sink. ...I know its a no-rinse sanitizer, but I rinse a little anyway. I just don't like the sanitizer bubbles in my bottles and stuff. Is this a mistake?

Click to expand...

Yes it is a mistake. Don't fear the foam.

Don't rinse --kind of defeats the purpose of a no-rinse sanitizer. Why go to the extra effort, only to make your sanitizing less effective?

chicken said:

Don't rinse --kind of defeats the purpose of a no-rinse sanitizer. Why go to the extra effort, only to make your sanitizing less effective?

Click to expand...

Makes sense, I just wasn't a fan of the bubbles/foam. no more rinse for me.