Question...Oxi clean

I usually soak my bottles in Oxi clean to clean them. I have a cooler filled with 15 gallons of the stuff. I'd like to drop my bottles in as I drink them. How long does the oxi last. Can it be used over and over?

I've had decent luck running 2 or 3 sets of bottles through a batch of oxyclean solution. But I haven't tried to do more than that and I usually tried to makes sure the dirtiest ones were in the first batch.
For the most part if you rinse a bottle right after drinking you won't need the oxyclean -- just a good rinse should do. I do have a few batches of beer (about 1.5 years old) where a rinse just won't get the stuff off the bottom. Other batches like that come clean just fine... YMMV.

I keep a 5gal bucket of the stuff in the basement for my bottles, I use the same batch for around 3-4 weeks and it works just fine. It does start to get pretty cloudy from the paper/glue residue though.

I had one of my buckets setting in the garage filled with water and Oxy. I would take out 5-6 bottles and put in more, take them out, put in more. One day my wife made the commit about the bad smells in the garage. Yep, the bucket STINKS but the labels are still falling off. I went ahead and cut my losses after about six weeks.

I also use mine over and over, dumping it when there is too much label gunk, the water gets too cloudy for my liking, or I feel like it just because I am going to run a number of batches in one day and I would rather warm water than cold.

I know for laundry it mentions not sealing containers for future use... I figure this is because of some gas that comes off, and just cover lightly with a lid so that my cats don't do dumb things and make me feel guilty for it...

Love it for label removal... keep stocking up on it at WalMart out of fear that they will realise that nobody actually buys the stuff

tom777 said:

For the most part if you rinse a bottle right after drinking you won't need the oxyclean -- just a good rinse should do.

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+1 It sounds like you're going to clean the bottles right after use, so Oxyclean isn't needed. Save it for bottles that do need it.

I rinse all my bottles after use....but I still CLEAN them. I'm sorry, but rinsing isn't the same as cleaning. Would you take a shower without soap? Do you simply rinse off your pots and dishes and place them in the cupboard? I rinse and place the bottles in an old ale pail. Then about every two weeks I fill up the sink with hot water, oxyclean, and wash the bottles inside and out before drying them on a bottle tree. Once dry I place in beer cases, put the case in a trash bag and store. To each his own....but an ounce of prevention.......

I also rinse all bottles after each use, then save them up until I have enough to wash them all in OxiClean and rinse them well - for all bottles, not just the ones that still have labels on them. It may be unnecessary, but I am personally more comfortable storing them empty for a few months in my garage if they've been cleaned, not just rinsed. Not to mention that I usually have some bottles with labels on them to add to the mix as well, so I just put them all in the bucket together.

For bottle washing, I use a solution of 1oz OxiClean to 4-5 gallons of water, and fill the bucket with bottles to sit overnight. I reuse my mixed OxiClean solution at least 2-3 times. I've never kept it longer than a week or so, but am glad to see that some people have done so with no problems ... I may try that soon. I've had great results, most labels peel right off, some need a light scrub with a paper towel.

For my money, 1oz of OxiClean once a week or so is a small price to pay for ensuring that my bottle stock is clean and not loaded with residue, yeast, or label glue. If Costco would just start carrying the super-giant size unscented kind, I'd be set, but even at Target prices it's worth it for me.

Hammy - I like your suggestion about putting the cases in a trash bag - I never thought of that, but probably should since my bottles are in the garage with the motor oil and cat litter LOL.

We rarely use our laundry sink so I've been able to leave my bottle washer hooked up. It's great for cleaning bottles right after use, even beer glasses, buckets, carboys, and kegs.

When I install a new double laundry sink as part of my brew room I'll be installing a splitter on the faucet so I can use a hose, the bottle washer, and/or faucet separately or at the same time without any disconnecting/connecting.

Hammy71 said:

I rinse all my bottles after use....but I still CLEAN them. I'm sorry, but rinsing isn't the same as cleaning. Would you take a shower without soap? Do you simply rinse off your pots and dishes and place them in the cupboard?

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That's not a fair comparison. Dried sweat and oils on your skin exposed to the environment for 24 hours or foods with insoluble oils that sit on dishes for some time can't compare to bottles sitting closed with liquid beer that is rinsed immediately after opening.

Also, Palmer defines clean as: "To be free from dirt, stain, or foreign matter."(http://howtobrew.com/section1/chapter2-2.html) If rinsing achieves this result, then it is cleaning.

But like you said, to each their own. People can choose how they want to clean as long as the beer comes out well.

I keep a bucket full of oxi clean and rinse bottles after drinking them then put the bottle in the bucket. When it gets full I rinse all the bottles and store them for bottling.

This usually lasts about 5 bucket fulls. When the labels stop falling off, it's time for new oxi clean.

Thanks for the info. Much appreciated.