Black spots inside better bottle

[Waramir]

Hey everyone

So , back in 2014-15 i was really into Homebrewing mead , skeeter pee and diy coopers kits.

Then wife got pregnant and so i took a break from homebrewing up until now. so basically 4 years.

I left all my equipment stored away. Including 3 - 3gallon better bottle carboys. i cleaned , sanitized and then covered the ends with ziplog bags and rubber bands so nothing would get in.

so when i took them out to use them again this week i saw that one of them had some black spots (kinda life small growths) on the inside. im guessing thats mold but i have no idea how it got in there... the other 2 are crystal clear clean.

how would you guys go about cleaning out that stuff? i know that a brush is a no-no on a plastic bottle.

so far its ive filled it with a pbw solution for the last 24 hrs, but its still there.

any ideas?

i've attached pictures of the black spots

 

[ApolloSimcoe]

Looks like mold to me too. I would try two things. PBW or Oxiclean soak. They other is put a gallon of warm/hot water in there along with some PBW or Oxy and a small towel. Cover the opening and swirl that bottle and shake it so the towel rubs up against the inside. Basically wiping the inside with the towel. There are a few videos out there showing this process

 

[CallyBrewster]

Since you already tried a PBW soak, you can go one level up. Be super careful.

Mix 1 Tbsp of TSP (tri sodium phosphate) powder with 4 cups of water + 1/4 cup of chlorine bleach and use this to clean the mold/mildew that grew in your fermenter. Maybe wrap a microfiber cleaning cloth around a carboy brush.

This is an extremely alkaline cleaning formula; people use it to get the mildew off their outdoor decks. Don't let it get on: plants, animals, metal, tile, glass and especially not on you. Wear gloves. When you're done, get rid of it, don't store it. Be in a well ventilated area.

TSP powder is found in the paint section of the hardware store.

 

[augiedoggy]

just mold... should wipe right off with carboy brush and cleaner.