so many questions

to start, I just can't find an easy way to sanitize my equipment. I just used Saniclean for the first time and I know that its a "no rinse" sanitizer but does that apply to everything I'm using, i.e. racking hose, bottle caps etc., or just to the carboy and bottles? I'm a little weary of not rinsing the hose especially because it holds a lot of moisture. What I did was sanitize my carboy and then poured the solution into a container for my other parts. When my other parts are sanitized, I'm not sure if I should let them air dry, if they are ok for use right away or what. The label on Saniclean says to keep away from where food is prepared, to keep it off of your skin etc. So if this stuff is so hazardous, how can it be safe to brew with if the equipment isn't fully dry? I was just hoping someone could tell me some tips or the way they go about sanitizing when brewing/bottling. Thanks

You should sanitize EVERYTHING that will come into contact with your beer after the boiling is done.... caps, bottles, canes, hoses, fermenters, etc, etc, etc.

I am not familiar with "Saniclean", but it's made by Five Star, who also makes the "StarSan" acid based sanitizer that a lot brewers use. If it is like StarSan, it is harmful to you only when in concentrated form, but is not harmful once diluted in the proper amount of water.

StarSan leaves a lot of white foam on/in everything, but the foam is not harmful to the beer, but it does take a while to get used to that. It seems odd to rack beer into a fermenter filled with what looks like soap bubbles.

I used to use iodophor for sanitizig, too.

With both StarSan and Iodophor, I don't rinse and I don't let things completely air dry. I will swing hose around over my head like a helicopter to whip most of the liquid out, and I let carboys sit upside down for a while to get things to run out, but that's it.

Walker said:

I am not familiar with "Saniclean", but it's made by Five Star, who also makes the "StarSan" acid based sanitizer that a lot brewers use. If it is like StarSan, it is harmful to you only when in concentrated form, but is not harmful once diluted in the proper amount of water.

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Saniclean is a non-foaming formulation of StarSan.

Yup... just read the product data sheet:

http://www.fivestarchemicals.com/tech/saniclean.pdf

It's no-rinse at the proper ppm, but they do suggest rinsing fermenters with potable water prior to using them. Strange.

Oh, and this is the COMPLETELY wrong forum, you might want to PM a mod to move it.

Thanks! I guess I shouldn't worry too much about touching the gear after sanitation? i.e. swinging the hose around to air it out, or maybe just don't touch the end that goes into the carboy? I know its sounds like simple stuff to you probably but I just don't want to contaminate my brew. Do you use a special rack to set stuff on after sanitation? "PM a mod to move it?" ??

truenewbrew said:

Thanks! I guess I shouldn't worry too much about touching the gear after sanitation? i.e. swinging the hose around to air it out, or maybe just don't touch the end that goes into the carboy? I know its sounds like simple stuff to you probably but I just don't want to contaminate my brew. Do you use a special rack to set stuff on after sanitation? "PM a mod to move it?" ??

Click to expand...

edit: the following is my own opinion and view on sanitation. everyone takes this to different levels, some very VERY lax, and some crazy (yes, pure CRAZY) with sanitation.

You can touch your gear with no real fear, just don't ram it in your mouth or anything extreme.

I use a racking cane on both ends of my hose, it it is always safe for me to touch the hose.

As for a rack... I tend to just leave the small things in the sanitizer until I am literally ready to use them. For large things, I just lay them on a clean towel.

I generally don't sanitize something until just a few minutes before I need to use it.