Best way to clean bottles??

[Makita]

I'm interested to know everyone's opinion on how to best clean bottles. This does NOT need to include sanitation -- I will be sanitizing the clean bottles with Star-San just before bottling.

I just need an effective way to take care of bottle grime and stickers. I have used One-step in the past, but I think it left a powdery residue. I'll have to rinse better. If I use one-step again, how long do the bottles need to sit? Overnight?

I normally rinse my bottles right after drinking, but I may need to dig up some old bottles for this batch, so I can't guarantee they are all spotless.

Thanks.

 

[El Pistolero]

Oxy-Clean.

 

[homebrewer_99]

This has been talked to death!!!

But, here goes...you are right in rinsing out every bottle after emptying. That's the best you can do for yourself.

If you get bottles with butts and fungus growing in them an overnight soak in bleach water is the best solution I can think of. Scrub them the next day. Gum should come off with a green scrub pad.

If I get a new batch of bottles with labels that's what I do. Overnight the labels fall off then I scrub the gum off with the green pads. All gone!

 

[budbo]

OXY-Clean is a winner soak about an hour and the lables peel right off glue and all

 

[Makita]

I guess you're right, this has SORT OF been talked about to death. I found a lot of posts about sanitizing (and the whole sanitation argument) times with One-step, but nothing about cleaning times.

Isn't Oxy-clean essentially the same thing as One-step? They both work by releasing oxygen, right? Anyone ever used both and had a different experience with each?

 

[Alx Rains]

I soak my bottles in a caustic soda solution that works very effectivley in regards to mould, frog poo etc. they rinse clean after about 30min but for really bad bottles 24hr is better

 

[cweston]

Isn't Oxy-clean essentially the same thing as One-step? They both work by releasing oxygen, right? Anyone ever used both and had a different experience with each?

I think it is essentially the same thing, but at a different concentration.

I use a generic "Oxy Action" cleaner that I get for a buck (duh!) at the dollar store. I buy 3-4 at a time and it is great stuff.

I'm guessing you *could* use this as a no rinse sanitizer if you knew how to mix it at the right concentration. But I wouldn't know how to get that right and I wouldn't want to experiment by trial and error.

At regular strength, oxy cleaners leave a definite residue that requires a lot of rinsing.