cleaning brew equipment

Just wondering if there are any cleaners other then the items sold through the brew supply houses. Ther has to be a cheaper alternative. Thanks

OxyClean, just don't use it on aluminum.

Oxyclean and Bleach are common alternatives to cleaners and sanitizers respectively. Get something that doesn't have any extra scent or perfumes.

BendBrewer said:

OxyClean, just don't use it on aluminum.

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Should specify to only use Oxyclean Free. It doesn't have any fragrances that could wreck your beer.

IffyG said:

Should specify to only use Oxyclean Free. It doesn't have any fragrances that could wreck your beer.

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Yeah, I have used the other stuff too without problems. I don't smell anything out of either of them.

thanks alot, appreciate it

BendBrewer said:

Yeah, I have used the other stuff too without problems. I don't smell anything out of either of them.

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Interesting. I suppose if you have it on hand you could use it. If you are buying it specifically for this purpose, I'd stick with the Free.

I use the knock off Oxi, SUN Cleaner from Wal-Mart, much cheaper and does just fine.

^^^^^I agree with the post above^^^^

I just use Dawn to clean and star san to sanitize. Dawn is very cheap and a little star san goes a very long way.

Don't use bleach or any chlorine containing product
on stainless steel. Bar Keeper's Friend is great for SS.

Yeah, Bar Keeper's Friend works great for cleaning stainless stuff (especially my boil kettle, that tends to get pretty nasty). For everything else I just use water and (if necessary) oxy clean. Usually a good hot water rinse does the trick though.

You can use oxyclean on aluminum, just don't let it soak overnight. Although i've done this before I knew not to and never noticed any ill effects. If i'm not mistaken, oxyclean does contain chlorine. It needs to be rinsed well just like any other cleaner.

oxiclean rocks, it peels off most adhesive labels from bottles with ease FIY

I use Dawn to clean the grimy stuff, Oxyclean and hot water also (usually use generic -but either is fine if it doesn't contain any perfumes or other things like that). For the HERMS rig, when the sparge is done, I ramp up the remaining water in the HLT to boiling, and run THIS through the pipes (first I use a shop-vac to empty the tun, and clean the tun and false bottom) -that boiling water will rinse any sugars or other residue out of the pipes (or sanitize what ever doesn't get out).
You don't have to have the brand name of anything, just use your common sense and don't use abrasives on your SS or polished parts, make sure everything is rinsed clean and let it dry (I also open all the valves and fittings on the rig and let 'em drain before putting that stuff back together) in Florida we have a bit of a problem with dirt daubers (for those who don't know, they are black bugs that can be mistaken for wasps at a glance, but they don't sting or bite. They DO, however get into anything with a hole big enough for them to squeeze through and enclose it with a larva and loads of mud -makes it a real pain to clean and potentially damage seals etc. The trick is to either plug the hole with a pencil or something, or what I do is use a small length of clear rubber hose on my fittings -if they want to plug that up its not a big deal, and I'll know it. They don't go very far into their 'tunnel', usually about an inch into the opening.

can anyone tell me an appropriate dose