How nasty is too nasty?

Friend of mine gave me a couple of cases of OLD Genessee 16oz returnables...they had been sitting in a basement for god knows how long. Mold, bugs, thick dark stuff caked in the bottoms...really gross. But I am trying to clean them. I will clean them. I will use them.

So I ask:

What is the nastiest bottles that you have cleaned and used to bottle homebrew in?

How did you clean them?

Did you have any infections?

Never dealt with anything like what you got... a few years ago before I knew the importance of getting ALL foreign matter out of the bottles before using them, we had gotten some used bottles from a friend, ran them through the dishwasher, and filled and capped while some of them still had cakes in the bottom. Nothing actually exploded but a month later my friend opened one and as soon as he touched the church key to the cap it shot off and his him in the mouth, and then beer gushed into his lap. Luckily he helped me brew it so he didn't feel like I intentionally abused him

Nothing a little oxiclean can't fix, just don't soak them too long or you'll get scaling.

A good soak in Oxiclean for a day or two. Attack them with a bottle brush. Then another soak in Oxiclean. Should do the trick.

I'd get a case of your favorite micro and toss those in the trash. Or what homebrewlawyer said.

Case wouldn't be enough. Get 4-5 cases and have a party. Or you could clean them...but it's more fun to drink and rinse the empties as they empty rather than cleaning old nasties. That's just me though

Clean, soak in bleach, clean again, rinse rinse rinse. Good as new.

boiling them might be a good part of the cleaning regime too - a good way to get gunk off the bottles

Fill up the tub with HOT water and OxyClean, and soak them for 2 days. EVERYTHING will come out. Use a bottle brush, and make sure you rinse all the cleaner out when done.

I have had some very very nasty bottles that I have brought back to life with mold, bugs, ashes, etc. I think there was one out of 50 that I threw out.

Nothing is too nasty in bottles if you really want them clean.

Personally, I think bottle brushes are worthless...not enough bristles hit the surface I'm trying to clean.

If you want them clean fast, I'd do a blast from a faucet-mounted jet washer and then use this: Austin Homebrew Supply

If you don't mind waiting, hot water and oxyclean. However, even after oxy baths, I've had some bottles that need scrubbing.

You might be fine with a good soak in HOT Oxiclean and a rubbing with a stick and piece of cloth to get anything stuck fast.

Or use sodium hydroxide solution to eat away anything.

Frankly, if they were that bad, I'd go looking for newer, cleaner bottles at a decent-sized bar or recycling center. You'll save time and effort.

Here in Michigan with our deposit, I can buy any number of very clean bottles of my choice for a dime apiece.

Sounds like the consensus is to soak in Oxiclean overnite - will do.

I am interested in hearing more from folks who have cleaned up decade+ old bottles and used them successfully.

Thanks!

i haven't dealt with anything that old. did have a friend give me a couple cases of swingtops that he warned me were "funky". They smelled like vinegar, because they had never really been rinse out. The fun surprise there was after soaking in oxyclean, when I started dumping one of them out, the water just stopped flowing out maybe halfway through. I gave it a shake, and a disc that I can only describe as having the consistency of a jellyfish came out. Really gross, and stunk like nobodies business. Happened on a number of other bottles as well, but all of those bottles are now in my regular rotation, and I've had no problems.

Hopwater said:

I am interested in hearing more from folks who have cleaned up decade+ old bottles and used them successfully.

Thanks!

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I have done one, I bought a bunch of flip tops that were last used about 10 years back some still had a bitter in them. One was or used to be half full and open. It took a good oxiclean soak and brush to clean it. The full bitters were gushers that smelled 100% like sherry but cleaned easily LOL

I got a few bottles that had dried cigarette stuff in it. Soaked them for days in a bleach baking soda and still werent clean. Then i put some oxiclean in and waited like and hour or 2 and they were all nice and shiny!!!!

take a bottle brush, cut off the handle, attach to a drill of your choice and use that to clean the inside.....do that along with the soaking in oxyclean and there should be nothing left!

TSP's a great cleaner too. Stronger caustic than oxyclean but won't eat your hand off the way sodium hydroxide will.