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Kesigage

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Annapolis, MD
So, as a beginner, my biggest fear in cleanliness. I have all the equipment to start brewing and even have Star-San and Iodophor.

The equipment is still in their original boxes... Should I Oxy-Clean all items first? (Primary, carbouys, hoses, locks, etc...) If so, do I need to submerge in a solution? If so, what do you recommend for a submersion vessel?

For sanitizing, is submersion required or is a spray bottle fine? I hear Iodophor is good for glass and Star-San for plastic. True? Or doesn't it matter?

When cleaning and sanitizing, is tap water okay to use?
 
first off, don't get too worked up. That is how you will make a mistake.

I can't answer all your questions but what I can do is tell you what I do.

1) PBW soak (Oxi-clean will also work but I like PBW). Everything gets a soak in PBW to clean.

2) Rinse - don't go crazy, just give it a good rinse.

3) Star-san soak/spray. I soak anything that I can in warm starsan for about 5 minutes. Carboys get filled about half way and then shaken up so that at least the foam coats every part. Same thing for Kegs.

That's about it. Seems to work well for me.
 
+1 on what Back Bay said.

if you don't have PBW, oxyclean will work okay, just make sure you rinse the holy living $&^^# out of everything (that's what got my first batch). Tap water will be fine for this.

Remember, cleaning and sanitizing are two different steps. Clean, RINSE and then use the star-san. If you have an empty spray bottle, fill it with Star-San before you dump the carboy full of it down the sink. Spray on for almost-instant no-rinse sanitizing when you need it. DO NOT RINSE star-san. (wow, that sounded like a happy fun ball commercial for a second there).

Star San or idophor work for either glass or plastic, but idophor has a potential to stain plastics. It's just cosmetic, no worries either way.:mug:
 
Welcome to the obsession that is homebrewing!

I clean wth one-step then Iodophor all of my stuff. I make sure all post-boil surfaces, hoses, spoons, etc. have been soaked in Iodophor for at least a minute then do a quick rinse of my carboys, hoses or other containment vessels with tap water. Works good for me so far! Yes, all my stuff is stained yellow/orange and I'm okay with it!:)

I store most of my "stuff" in big plastic bins and I use one of them for my Iodophor/sanitizing bin. I sometimes leave it overnight if I bottle/brew on consecutive days!

Good luck, keep asking questions, and keep brewing!
 
I use those 25 gallon rubbermaid storage containers that people put clothes in for their attic. It doubles as a container for my equipment, cleaning/sanitizing station, or a ice bath for wort chilling.
 
I use those 25 gallon rubbermaid storage containers that people put clothes in for their attic. It doubles as a container for my equipment, cleaning/sanitizing station, or a ice bath for wort chilling.

I use the exact same thing. Those also work great for giving the dog a bath outside.
 
I also have a question regarding sanitizing. From what I've gathered sanitizing is done the day of brewing but what I'm a little confused on is the process. Assuming I'm using Star-San do I soak the equipment and let it air dry before I use it or is soaking and wiping off acceptable? Also, if air drying is preferred is there any preference to where it sits and how long it sits before it's not considered sanitary anymore?
 
Star-San is a no rinse sanitizer, it also has to stay wet to be effective. When I santize stuff before the brew I simply wrap it in plastic while it's wet or keep it in the bucket of sanitizer. Don't be afraid of the foam or a little left over, it actually breaks down into food for the yeast.

Yes that's the tub I have, works great.
 
I also have a question regarding sanitizing. From what I've gathered sanitizing is done the day of brewing but what I'm a little confused on is the process. Assuming I'm using Star-San do I soak the equipment and let it air dry before I use it or is soaking and wiping off acceptable? Also, if air drying is preferred is there any preference to where it sits and how long it sits before it's not considered sanitary anymore?

Soaking for 10 minutes should be plenty. I wouldn't wipe, air dry for another 10 min. I would use the equipment within an hour. Remember the 5 second rule, germs can work fast, but in this case I think your fine.

http://www.zazzle.com/santa+ties
 
Soaking for 10 minutes should be plenty. I wouldn't wipe, air dry for another 10 min. I would use the equipment within an hour. Remember the 5 second rule, germs can work fast, but in this case I think your fine.

http://www.zazzle.com/santa+ties

+1 for not wiping, not good at post-sanitizine unless you have sterile wipes of course! Hey there's an idea, sanitizing wipes. Do they exist?

I use Iodophor so I will air dry but most of the time I do a quick rinse with tap water! I know there can be "stuff" in tap water but I have had no issues so far!
 

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