Undiluted Starsan Storage

I store some of my potentially messier brewing supplies in a 5 gallon bucket. I also kept my undiluted Starsan in that bucket, but a couple of times I had problems with it leaking because it had fallen on its side. After the first time I put it in a ziplock bag. That did not seem to help because the second time it happened, it had damaged the plastic on a wing capper (basically the red plastic had melted where it was in contact) and some other items and made a mess in the bottom of the bucket. Unfortunately this mess goes unknown until brew day when it's had plenty of time to eat away at things.

I need to purchase some more starsan now, because I had to throw that bottle away. I just wanted to see if anyone had any storage tips for the undiluted starsan because I'm not sure how I am going to prevent this from happening again once I purchase a replacement bottle. Thanks.

I just have mine in the cupboard above my washing machine with my detergents and household cleaners. I'd say your problem was the fact the container had a leak. A good sealed container shouldn't give you problems, but maybe don't store it in your bucket with brew equipment to be safe..

I just keep mine under the kitchen Sink and make sure I have the screw caps on tight after I use them. That way I know where it is and doesn't usually get knocked over or I see it before its to late.

The cap that comes on the bottle is pretty cheaply made. After it cracked I replaced it with a 7 UP 2L soda cap and all is well. I do keep it in a Zip Lock bag just in case.

Mine sits on a shelve in my cabinet. Nothing special

Thanks for the feedback guys. I'm not the best at keeping things organized, so I just keep some of the bigger brewday supplies in the bucket and I have a very small tote that I keep the rest of the stuff in. Then I store the bucket and tote in the garage so that it is out of the way. It looks like the best option might be to clear up some cabinet space for the starsan so that I know it will stay upright. Gracias.

If you're really worried about it coming loose and leaking again, you could always pour the Star-San in to a mason jar.

samc said:

The cap that comes on the bottle is pretty cheaply made. After it cracked I replaced it with a 7 UP 2L soda cap and all is well. I do keep it in a Zip Lock bag just in case.

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Yes, standard 2 liter caps fit fine...I know that from experience.

The other option always tather than mess with trying to store it in with a ziplock baggie, is just to pour it into another storage vessel. You may lose the nift built in measure cup, but that's what a shotglass is for.

wyzazz said:

If you're really worried about it coming loose and leaking again, you could always pour the Star-San in to a mason jar.

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Except that undiluted starsan will etch and potentially destroy glass containers. Maybe a PET bottle would be better? I think (but do not know for sure) that PET is acid resistant. I KNOW the glass is not.

muthafuggle said:

Except that undiluted starsan will etch and potentially destroy glass containers. Maybe a PET bottle would be better? I think (but do not know for sure) that PET is acid resistant. I KNOW the glass is not.

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Experiment time! I'm going to pour some undiluted Star/San in to a mason jar to test this out.

muthafuggle said:

Except that undiluted starsan will etch and potentially destroy glass containers. Maybe a PET bottle would be better? I think (but do not know for sure) that PET is acid resistant. I KNOW the glass is not.

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Does anyone really cared if a mason jar gets etched? If you use it only for starsan storage, does it really matter?

The star-San will probably destroy the lid of the mason jar before the etching becomes an issue of any kind.
If you transfer to a different container, be sure to include a proper label.

FWIW, I've got a few ounces of undiluted Star-San in a Mason Jelly Jar right now. It's been there since around 10AM (~10 hours so far) with no noticeable etching thus far. I'll leave it there for a week or so and report back.

skipper1953 said:

The star-San will probably destroy the lid of the mason jar before the etching becomes an issue of any kind.
If you transfer to a different container, be sure to include a proper label.

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Don't fill them all the way up to where it makes contact with the lid....

Revvy said:

Don't fill them all the way up to where it makes contact with the lid....

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Damn You! Logical Thinker!!!

I keep my star san on my brew bench, under the kitchen sink, on the kitchen counter, in my brew box and who knows where else. I think I have more star san than I will use in ten years-I'm not very organized either and buy some every other brew it seems.

kmk1012 said:

I keep my star san on my brew bench, under the kitchen sink, on the kitchen counter, in my brew box and who knows where else. I think I have more star san than I will use in ten years-I'm not very organized either and buy some every other brew it seems.

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Do not ever place it directly on the kitchen counter, just in case... if there's some leaked out on the bottle and it sits on the counter it will ruin it.

It's been a few days, no noticeable etching on the inside of the mason jar yet.

wyzazz said:

It's been a few days, no noticeable etching on the inside of the mason jar yet.

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I'm more curious about rust under the lid....

muthafuggle said:

Except that undiluted starsan will etch and potentially destroy glass containers. Maybe a PET bottle would be better? I think (but do not know for sure) that PET is acid resistant. I KNOW the glass is not.

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I've never heard of this and I don't think Star San is capable of this. Not all acids corrode glass; in fact, most do not. Maybe you're thinking of Hydrofluoric acid or something similar, which needs to be stored in an approved plastic container.

The MSDS for 100% Dodecylbenzenesulfonic acid states "non-corrosive in presence of glass" and the MSDS for 85% Phosphoric acid also states "non-corrosive in presence of glass."

Undiluted Star San is comprised of 50% Phosphoric acid and 15% Dodecylbenzenesulfonic acid. The other 35% is made up of inert ingredients.

The MSDS does state that 85% Phosphoric acid will corrode certain metals. It is unclear if a 50% solution will do the same. I think it might.




I store my undiluted Star San in it's original container, tightly capped and wipe up any drips that occur while mixing.

Okay, I will take a Mia culpa here and modify my earlier statement. I have not personally seen undulated starsan etch glass. That was second hand information I got from the source of all truth, the interwebs. Amongst other places this article. http://ezinearticles.com/?Choosing-A-Sanitizer-For-Beer-Brewing&id=6277029
And this article. http://ehowtomakebeer.com/home-brewing-101/sanitization-products/

Both repeat that Un diluted starsan can etch glass.

I also remember reading somewhere that they changed the starsan formula in the not-so-distant past, so that may answer the question. - or it might be another example of "don't believe everything you read on the web".

samc said:

The cap that comes on the bottle is pretty cheaply made. After it cracked I replaced it with a 7 UP 2L soda cap and all is well. I do keep it in a Zip Lock bag just in case.

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You just solved a problem for me. Thank you. Those caps crack after a little squeezing and I haven't had time to figure out what would work as a replacement. Thanks again.