Sanitation - How do people really do this in practice?

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wstcstwil

wstcstwil

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Noob question but bare with me.

Everything I read from "How to Brew" on down talks about the importance of sterlization and proper sanitization when dealing with home brewing. I completely understand this.

Whats frustrating is that there isn't really talk of how to practically do this. I probably am gonna stay clear of bleach, but if I use Easy Clean (it comes with my kit) how should I do it? My first thought was to fill my secondary bucket with this stuff and just wash everything down in it. How long do you submerge this stuff for? I imagine scrubbing is probably a bad move so does it just need to soak?

With my primary Carboy is it okay to put some Easy Clean and water in and just swirl it around?

I know this seems silly but it is the part I am by far most nervous about.

Any advice is appreciated.

FYI, this is the kit I bought, so if anyone has specific suggestions relative to this it would be awesome.
 
if you are using a no rinse cleaner which most kits come with, usually its 1 tbsp per gallon of water, but double check what the package says. Anything that comes in contact with the brew must be sanitized in this manner. I typically keep a bucket of sanitizer available while brewing so i can keep things in there till I need them. As for the carboy i fill it up with sanitizer once the boil starts and i leave it in there till im ready to transfer the brew.

Others will reccomend products like star-san or idophor, but all the batches ive done have turned out well with just the no rinse cleaners. I only have had one infection and that was due to not boiling some cherries that i put in my secondary and the wild yeast took over the brew.

As long as you keep things washed and sanitized in this manner you should be ok. Never use anything that is wooden, and be careful about scrubbing your plastics with scrub pads. This can lead scratches that could harbor bacteria. Although there are many ways to contiminate your brew, if you keep things clean your most likely going to have a hard time messing things up.

Hope this clears up any questions and if not, I'm pretty sure others can chime in. Good luck and welcome to the madness!:tank:
 
I have the next kit down from yours, so no carboy. However, I also bought "How to Brew" before I actually started, and it's like a dog-eared bible at this point. Don't forget there are two steps here, cleaning and sanitizing. Here's how I do things, right or wrong as they may be.

First off, I fill my bucket fermenter with 2.5 gallons of water and the appropriate dose of one-step cleanser, which came with the kit. Using a freshly laundered dish towel, I dunk it in the solution and clean off the inside of the fermenter as well as the lid. I'll then dunk my air-lock in there for a few minutes and set it aside on some plastic wrap. I also put my strainer in there for a while as well. I then use the solution to clean my hydrometer, stirring spoon, and the probe on my thermometer, along with the boiling kettle and lid. I do rinse the kettle and lid, though it may not make a difference. Once that is done, and everything has been lain out to dry, I dump the cleaning solution and fill the fermenter with 5 gallons of water and the appropriate amount of Starsan. I wring out the dishtowel from before and submerge it in the sanitizing solution. I also plop in the stirring spoon and air-lock. After a bit, I fill up a spray bottle by submerging it in the fermenter and then use that to spray the fermenter lid, which I then place over the top of the fermenter. Then I go through the boil, spraying sanitizer on the stirring spoon and thermometer probe as I see fit. Before the end of the boil, I remove the items that I had submerged in the fermenter and place them in a clean bucket. I then dump some of the sanitizer from the fermenter into the bucket, and empty the rest. Once again I cover the fermenter with the lid. At this point, I probably go a little overboard and will spray the inside of the lid along with the fermenter a couple of different times, pouring out the excess before I transfer the cooled wort into it.

I'm sure you could expand this to cover your carboy as well, using the cleanser and then a sanitizer (like Starsan). Anyway, just wanted to give you and idea what I do. Good luck and best wishes.
 
Chudz said:
I have the next kit down from yours, so no carboy. However, I also bought "How to Brew" before I actually started, and it's like a dog-eared bible at this point. Don't forget there are two steps here, cleaning and sanitizing. Here's how I do things, right or wrong as they may be.

First off, I fill my bucket fermenter with 2.5 gallons of water and the appropriate dose of one-step cleanser, which came with the kit. Using a freshly laundered dish towel, I dunk it in the solution and clean off the inside of the fermenter as well as the lid. I'll then dunk my air-lock in there for a few minutes and set it aside on some plastic wrap. I also put my strainer in there for a while as well. I then use the solution to clean my hydrometer, stirring spoon, and the probe on my thermometer, along with the boiling kettle and lid. I do rinse the kettle and lid, though it may not make a difference. Once that is done, and everything has been lain out to dry, I dump the cleaning solution and fill the fermenter with 5 gallons of water and the appropriate amount of Starsan. I wring out the dishtowel from before and submerge it in the sanitizing solution. I also plop in the stirring spoon and air-lock. After a bit, I fill up a spray bottle by submerging it in the fermenter and then use that to spray the fermenter lid, which I then place over the top of the fermenter. Then I go through the boil, spraying sanitizer on the stirring spoon and thermometer probe as I see fit. Before the end of the boil, I remove the items that I had submerged in the fermenter and place them in a clean bucket. I then dump some of the sanitizer from the fermenter into the bucket, and empty the rest. Once again I cover the fermenter with the lid. At this point, I probably go a little overboard and will spray the inside of the lid along with the fermenter a couple of different times, pouring out the excess before I transfer the cooled wort into it.

I'm sure you could expand this to cover your carboy as well, using the cleanser and then a sanitizer (like Starsan). Anyway, just wanted to give you and idea what I do. Good luck and best wishes.
Click to expand...

This is immensely helpful. Thanks so much. Gotta go pick up that Star San asap!
 
I clean the equipment immediately after using (with water and oxyclean) and put it away. Then, the next time I use it, I rinse it off and then sanitize it (I use idophor) shortly before using it.
 
wstcstwil said:
This is immensely helpful. Thanks so much. Gotta go pick up that Star San asap!
Click to expand...
I just used starsan for the first time tonight and must say I love it! made 5 gallons worth and still have much of it left over, stored in a bucket in the garage for next time.
 
StarSan is your friend. It's also a no rinse cleaner like wcarter likes, and as many people have said: Do not fear the foam.
 
Pappers said:
I clean the equipment immediately after using (with water and oxyclean) and put it away. Then, the next time I use it, I rinse it off and then sanitize it (I use idophor) shortly before using it.
Click to expand...

I forgot to mention this, and Pappers brings up a good point. I also clean everything after use as well. I basically end up cleaning stuff twice, but I'm still new to this, and I feel more comfortable doing it that way at this point.
 
apologeticus said:
I just used starsan for the first time tonight and must say I love it! made 5 gallons worth and still have much of it left over, stored in a bucket in the garage for next time.
Click to expand...

Keep in mind that the star san solution won't necessarily retain the same level of sanitizing power if you store it like that. It is better to mix a new solution fresh as you need it.
 
weirdboy said:
Keep in mind that the star san solution won't necessarily retain the same level of sanitizing power if you store it like that. It is better to mix a new solution fresh as you need it.
Click to expand...

Word. Was going to mention that. I think I read it can stay usable for a month or two but not sure where I read that so cant be quoted. Best thing is probably new stuff every batch.

I use a spray bottle. Mix normal concentration SanStar in a bottle and spray the heck out of anything that will touch cooled wort. Also on brew day, I fill the fermenter up with a gallon of water and appropriate SanStar and just keep everything in there so its always sanitized.

Edit: Also, don't fear the foam.
 
It is imperitive that you DO NOT clean/sanitize all the various small parts in your fermentation, secondary and/or bottling buckets. Clean/sanitize the buckets as normal, but clean/sanitize everything else in a dedicated washing bucket that doesn't touch your beer. The point is, if something scratches a ferm. chamber, harmful bacteria can reside in the scratches and you may or may not be able to clean that out.

Spare 5 gallon buckets are so easy to come by cheaply. If you can find one cheap, say on Craigslist (I got about 20 for free a few months ago!), you can get one from Home Depot/Lowe's. These don't have to be food grade as you aren't storing the beer in them.
 
My dad gave me his homebrew equipment, since he doesn't homebrew much anymore and he had a great idea... A wallpaper tray. It's the perfect size to putting all your tools (spoons, whisk, hydrometer, thermometer, etc) in while brewing. And you don't waste too much sanitizer.
http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=245893-1748-202325

I also used star san since it is a no rinse sanitizer. Made everything very easy.

I am curious though about the length of time that star san is good for. After brewing, I filled up a gallon jug with star san for random cleaning/sanitizing, like my airlock, etc as it's fermenting. Any specific information?
 
There are 2 steps to this thing

First you clean then you sanitize.

For cleaning I like PBW (powdered brewery wash) but Oxyclean is essentially the same thing and the oxy is cheaper. With PBW (or oxyclean) you dissolve some in hot water (cold will work but hot is better) then just put any item in the solution to soak. soaking overnight will clean off even the most sticky of krausen messes. If your in a hurry you can scrub with a scotchbright pad but never scrub your plastic fermenters. scrub anything metal like the brew pot, etc... IMPORTANT: once it's clean you must rinse off the PBW solution with hot water. You really want to rinse well and hot water does the best job.

Once it's clean then your ready to sanitize. I like san star. Mix up the stan star with water per the directions on the bottle 1oz per 5 gallons. Soak the item in the stan star for at least 1 min and BANG it's sanitized. DO NOT RINSE. Stan star is the bomb because it only take 1 min to work, leaves no taste in the beer, and is fairly affordable. Buy the big bottle to get a better deal.
 
I mix a five gallon batch of Star-San in a bucket for each brew. Keep in mind that you don't really need anything sanitized until after the boil. That doesn't mean it shouldn't be clean though. After the boil, anything that needs sanitized goes straight into the bucket. Make sure you push your tubing down enough to fill it fully with sanitizer. Items that go into my bucket are:

Auto-Siphon
Tubing
Turkey baster
Funnel
Funnel Screen
Airlock
2 Quart pitcher
Carboy bung/stopper
Test Jar/Graduated Cylinder
Chiller (if you have one)
Rag (handy for wiping stuff down)
Yeast pack/tube (if you're not using a starter)

To sanitize my fermentor, I use the funnel and pitcher to pour a gallon or two of Star-San in (I use a carboy.) I give it a good swishing around to make sure all areas get contact and then dump the excess back into the bucket. Don't worry about the foam left in the carboy. After transferring the wort to the fermentor (I use the pitcher until the kettle is light enough to lift) I throw in the hydrometer in too, to reduce the chance of it getting banged around and broken. Keep in mind that items need one minute of contact for full sterilization, so you may need to flip the auto-siphon or other objects that don't quite fit in the bucket to get them fully sterilized. If something touches the wort and needs to go back in the bucket, I make sure it is fully rinsed with hot water first. At the end of brewing, I clean anything dirty with Oxy-Clean, and give all the remaining items in the sanitizing bucket a hot rinse. I use whatever Star-San is left the bucket as the end of my blow-off tube for about 4-5 days. I also use vodka in my airlocks.
 
Just subscribing to this thread so that I can refer back to it when I brew my first batch.

Like the OP, I keep reading about how important sanitation is -- but it's nice to have some practical, real-world instruction on the best ways to go about it.
 
I have Kept starsan for as long as a month with no issues. I just check the PH before you use it and if it is 3 it is still good. Also if it starts looking cloudy I usually replace it.

I have to admit most of the time I just use tap water becouse I dont want to waste the time getting distilled water. It will not last as long with tap water but anymore I only keep it if I am doing consectutive brew days or washing and sanitizing a bunch of kegs. But it is cheap so what the heck.
 
Ive had a few contminations and I think Ive narrowed it down to siphon hoses. They are very hard to clean properly. I finally found a good hose brush at my local store. Pay close attention to the cleanliness/condition of your hoses. dont do like i did and ruin a $40 batch of beer b/c of a $5 hose.
 
slt140 said:
Ive had a few contminations and I think Ive narrowed it down to siphon hoses. They are very hard to clean properly. I finally found a good hose brush at my local store. Pay close attention to the cleanliness/condition of your hoses. dont do like i did and ruin a $40 batch of beer b/c of a $5 hose.
Click to expand...

My hoses get rinsed with HOT water inside and out immediately after use. Most of the time, I don't even need to use a cleaner. I immediately sanitize after rinsing and again before reuse. I have been using the same hose for three years now.
 
I clean out my carboys/bottling buckets with hot water to get most of the material off(no scrubbing plastic) then i fill my carboys/bottling buckets up with one step or beer brite and let soak for 24 hours+-, Usually I can rack this to other carboys depending on the timing of my batches. I rinse then I put 1.5ml of star san in a 32 oz spray bottle and spray everything right before i transfer my wort.
 

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