Need advice for general cleaning & sanitizing routine

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Rastaman

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Feb 28, 2011
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I'm in my second year of home brewing. I've tried lots of cleaning and sanitizing products, and I think listening to people's recommendations for specific products, as well as the many products available, is getting in the way of my understanding how to keep my stuff clean.

I used bleach to sanitze for a while, then switched to Star San. After about 4 batches, I noticed the inside of my bottling spigot was turning dark (I would guess mold, but it is not in an exposed area, so I can't touch it, scrub it, or even really see it, other than being able to see that it is dark). I got a new spigot and am currently sanitizing it bleach solution before and after use and air-drying for several days before putting it away. I still using Star San for everything else.

Last night, I noticed some sort of whitish residue on the inside of my siphon hose that was not visible before. This siphon hose has been used 4 or 5 times, and rinsed with hot water, and sanitized with Star San before and after each use. The residue is not an even, solid film, but more spotty, kind of like where traces of Star San solution settle and dry.

So I guess my question is: How am I supposed to clean items like spigots, tubes, racking canes, and other items with tiny openings before sanitizing them? I have been using One-Step to clean my fermenters and carboys, then rinsing with water and using Star San to sanitize, but the smaller items, I have just been rinsing and sanitizing with Star San.

Sorry for the lengthy post, and if you've made it this far, I appreciate it. I just wanted to explain the steps I've taken so far that don't seem to working properly. Any advice would be welcomed.
 
I use OxyClean + Hot Water pretty much exclusively for cleaning (Bleach when things get funky). Most recently, I filled up one side of my kitchen sink with a hot OxyClean solution and siphoned to my dirty bottling bucket (to clean my racking cane and siphon hose). I also filled up the other side of my sink with hot water. When the OxyClean Side was gone, I pinched the hose and moved the cane over to the hot water side to siphon/rinse the hose. I then let the OxyClean sit in the bucket to do its work, placed bucket in the sink, then open the spigot. Dissassemble spigot and give a quick scrub. Same process with a carboy.

Star San alone probably won't breakup the proteins and biofilm that buildup in a siphon hose.
 
I did not realize that the spigots could be disassembled. I took them apart and that seems to have solved that problem. I'll give your cleaning routine a try next time I rack. Thanks for the help!
 
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