what can i use to clean and sterilize my fermenting buckets.

What can I use to clean and sterilize my buckets that won't get absorbed and ruin my wine?

PBW for cleaning and Star San for sanitizing, mixed according to the instructions. Use distilled water for the Star San.

mattmcl said:

Star San, mixed according to the instructions. Use distilled water.

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THat's a sanitizer. We also use iodine based ones as well. Called iodophor.

To clean many of us use Oxyclean Free.

PBW (Powdered Brewery Wash) is great for cleaning, but isn't cheap. Oxyclean is similar and cleans very well at a fraction of the cost. With either, rinse well after cleaning.

There are a number of options for sanitizing. Diluted bleach works, but I wouldn't use it. Iodophor and Star San both work well. I've used both with good results but, I do prefer Star San. Mixing with tap water is fine. Star San solution will last longer if mixed with distilled water. Unless you have an RO system, I don't think using distilled water is worth the added cost. Mixing up another batch is cheaper than distilled water. Mixed with tap water, I typically use a Star San solution for a few days in a bucket and a few weeks in a sealed container, such as a trigger sprayer.

You can use anything to clean but I like oxiclean (or generic oxiclean-type cleansers). Since I have it on hand anyway, potassium metabisulfite makes a great sanitizer for winemaking. (You aren't sterilizing, unless you have an autoclave or something- sanitized is about as good as it gets at home).

Dollar stores sometimes have oxiclean-like products. I picked one up and it had the same ingredients...not sure of the percentages though. I just picked up a 10lbs box of oxiclean from Costco for $15ish.

For the price you can't go wrong with oxiclean from costco.

I use the same PBW, Iodophor and starsan that I use for beer.
Except for camden tablets in the wine, I don't use metabisulphite for sanitizing wine equipment anymore.

To be the voice of TERROR... I just rinse mine out with a hose and let them dry in the sun. I've got an old sponge reserved specifically for this task. Never had an infected, doomed, death, poisoned batch ever. But we are the Clorox generation. Go forth with your chemicals.

Edit: That's what I do AFTER a batch to clean it. Once it's dry I don't do anything to it when starting the next batch.

The OP did specifically write "sterilize" and not "sanitize". Maybe the OP can clarify which he was actually referring to? Or maybe he meant "sanitize" but wrote "sterilize". Probably the latter though. I just don't want the OP to think that sanitizer will sterilize.

brazedowl said:

To be the voice of TERROR... I just rinse mine out with a hose and let them dry in the sun. I've got an old sponge reserved specifically for this task. Never had an infected, doomed, death, poisoned batch ever. But we are the Clorox generation. Go forth with your chemicals.

Edit: That's what I do AFTER a batch to clean it. Once it's dry I don't do anything to it when starting the next batch.

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That's what I use , bleach it and let it air out in the sun and I've never had any problems yet

cbv1234 said:

That's what I use , bleach it and let it air out in the sun and I've never had any problems yet

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I just use hot water and rinse it out really well. As long as there are no scratches in the bucket there is nowhere for bacteria to stick to. I have never had an infection.