Swing Bottle Sanitization?

Rather than hijack the already-robust thread on general bottle sanitization, I'd like to open up a new one for swing-cap bottle sanitization specifically.

Revvy said:

I can't recommend enough that you NOT forgoe the vinator, get it immediately, and roll it into your bottling process, and use the tips that I outlined in my Bottling tips thread https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f35/revvys-tips-bottler-first-time-otherwise-94812/

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Revvy, I am stealing your quote here on the vinator ... it seems to me that, with the swing caps, there are, in addition to the bottle as a liquid contact point, the white ceramic swing cap and the red gasket is also a contact point. This would make the sanitization a bit more complicated, in my opinion.

My thought is, to modify your procedure slightly, half-fill the bottles with sanitizer, close off the swing top with the gasket, then invert and/or shake while closed to assure full contact.

I can also see pre-soaking the gaskets with sanitizer, but I would think that the gaskets would act like a sponge and store minute amounts of sanitizer?

Ha, I just don't know. What do you all think?

I was told to boil the gaskets and just place them on the ceramic prior to capping.

I pull the piece with the swinging top with the gasket out of the way, spray the inside with my vinator 3-4 times, then on my very last squirt, in one fluid motion, I let go of the swinging cap and dip the bottle mouth into the bowl of the vinator and hold it under for a couple seconds to soak the top, the mouth of the bottle and the gasket,.

In one fluid motion without breaking stride in my sanitization process.

Just "Squirt squirt squirt dunk dunk drain."

Easy peasy.....

And if you are bucket sanitizing, when you are dunking the bottles in, you are also letting the ceramic and gasket soak in sanitizer as well.

That's all it really takes.

(but you probaly don't even need to bother with the dunking step, because, since you have inverted the bottle to drain it, more than likely the gasket/ceramic top, will swing back under the mouth of the bottle and will get sanitized by the liquid falling out of the bottle as you drain it.

FYI O wouldn't boil the gaskets, the heat will warp them and weaken them, especially with repeated use...that may lead to eventual gasket fail, and un carbed bottles. Me personally, if I bothered to remove them, which I rarely do, I would just soak them like I do my caps in the bowl of the vinator with sanitizer..or in a seperate little bowl.

Imma gonna trust Revvy on that one, thanks for the good advise

Word of warning:
Do Not Soak These In OxyClean!! It will rust the metal that holds the swing top on.

ThreeRatBastards said:

Word of warning:
Do Not Soak These In OxyClean!! It will rust the metal that holds the swing top on.

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Yeah, good mention!

Mine didn't rust, but the metal became the texture/color of galvanized roofing nails....