Dishwasher sanitation

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McCuckerson

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Is there any way to sanitize bottles in a dishwasher? Perhaps adding sany solution to the dishwashing soap?
 
If you do use the dishwasher for sanitizing, you don't want to use any soap or drying agents. Just water. It is the heat that does the sanitizing in a dishwasher, not chemicals.

-a.
 
If you do use the dishwasher for sanitizing, you don't want to use any soap or drying agents. Just water. It is the heat that does the sanitizing in a dishwasher, not chemicals.

-a.

Not having a dishwasher, I haven't fully looked, but I recall a really detailed thread with a lot of good info on what to and not to do when using it...Do a search for dishwasher or dishwasher sanitation to see...I know it had pictures...

I do recall that you are not supposed to se anything in the dishwahser, and iirc, you should run a cycle before you do it with the dishwasher empty beforehand to get out any remnants of soap, which will ruin head retention....To me it seems that your wasting electricity and water if you have to do that twice...when a few squirts with a sanitizer in a vinator is much quicker and uses less water/electricity.
 
What is a vinator?

Vinator.jpg


vinator.jpg


A great way to sanitize bottles quickly and easily. This unit will squirt a sanitizing solution into a bottle and then collect the solution for reuse. Just squirt bottle 3-4 times and put bottle on tree to dry. The fastest way to sanitize bottles. Can be used without bottle draining tree.
 
I had been using the dishwasher for sanitizing bottles but my last couple of brews have had head retention issues. My last batch was bottled in StarSan sanitized bottles. If I could dedicate a dishwasher to bottle sanitizing, I would probably go back to it. Of course, the Vinator wold be a much less expensive alternative...
 
I've used the dishwasher for all 8 batches I've bottled. No jet dry in the DW, no detergent used, and Ive had no head retention problems associated with my bottles.

I've also had no infections. I only run the DW once, and that is with the bottles.

Quick, easy, and if you keep it shut you can run it and have it sit for hours before bottling.

Side note: Any head retention issues I've had have come from pouring into glasses that came out of the dishwasher. If I pour into a plastic disposable cup, the head lasts and lasts.
 
Unfortunately, we always have Jet Dry in the DW since the dishes don't rinse well in this machine without... I have recently begun washing all beer glasses by hand to rule those out. I did use the DW as an ersatz bottle tree and bottling platform for easy clenup. I will see what the results of this batch are and may use the heat only with no rinse for the next batch.
 
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