Clean up after brewing

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kenstogie

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Finished a heffy this eve and cleaned everything good (no visible anything) and then dunked it in some no rinse sanitizer. I did however notice that the primary bucket still smelled like the Wort some. Which leads me to my question what is the best way to clean up your primary bucket??
 
I usually rinse with very hot water until it looks clean. If there is some dried on gunk, I mix up a scoop of oxyclean and swish it around and let it sit for a while. That usually does the trick, but if not I use a soft cloth to get the rest. I don't use brushes on the plastic, because it might scratch. I have one bucket that is a little bit stained, but the rest are still nice and white looking. I don't bother sanitizing them until I go to use them.
 
After my first batch my primary smelled after cleaning it. I searched here and most say that is normal and nothing to worry about.
 
Ahhhhh Oxy Clean. I thought the sanitizer would've done it. Cool, Thanks! Now on to my 4th batch.
 
It's normal. Most of my pails are stained, but they are over 10 years old.

Just do an overnight soak (as mentioned already) and most of the ring in the pail will be gone in the morning. Scrub lightly with a wet sponge for the more stubborn stuff.

No need to sanitize after cleaning. Sanitize prior to using.

Let them air dry. DO NOT place the lid back on the pail. I've noticed, maybe it's just me, but much of the smell is gone when you lay the pail on its side instead of standing upright while drying.
 
The bucket smells like...beer.

AND next time, you will use it for...beer.

Not really an issue, to me at least.

:)
 
Wow thanks all!!! With the emphasis on cleanliness/sanitization while making beer, I wanted to make sure after 3 good batches I kept the ball rolling.

Note, even after an hour of soaking in oxy clean and spraying with diluted bleach solution it still has an ever so slight smell of wort BUT I am NOT going to worry about it, it's soooooo sligtht :)

BTW So far my heffy turned out well!!!
 
Just don't nest the fermenting bucket inside the bottling bucket. No matter how dry you think you got it. My bottling bucket is all moldy now.
And my primary bucket is just for equipment storage now. I've made the switch to glass, on my way to switching to all stainless and/or copper.
 
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