Brownalemikie
Well-Known Member
I'm curious if anyone here has tried Oxo-Clean to clean their Carboys? I saw this on Youtube.
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Cleaning Carboys......
- Thread starter Brownalemikie
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I always use two tablespoons of OxyClean Free (unscented) with enough room temp water to fill all the way.
I let it sit for a few hours to overnight and all the dried crud ends up sitting on the bottom ready for a thorough rinsing.
I also religiously avoid thermal shocking my half-dozen 6.5g Italian carboys, so no HOT water.
And when a carboy come out of a cold crash and I've kegged the beer I let the glass come up to room temp on its own (which can take quite awhile) as even room temperature water would hit the glass with a 30-40°F thermal shock.
When you read of the bottom falling out of a carboy, that's the result of thermal shock...
Cheers!
I let it sit for a few hours to overnight and all the dried crud ends up sitting on the bottom ready for a thorough rinsing.
I also religiously avoid thermal shocking my half-dozen 6.5g Italian carboys, so no HOT water.
And when a carboy come out of a cold crash and I've kegged the beer I let the glass come up to room temp on its own (which can take quite awhile) as even room temperature water would hit the glass with a 30-40°F thermal shock.
When you read of the bottom falling out of a carboy, that's the result of thermal shock...
Cheers!
kombat
Well-Known Member
I agree with avoiding pouring boiling water in a carboy that just came out of cold-crash, but I have no concerns about a 40° F temperature delta. I like to soak my carboys with warm/hot Oxyclean for 24 hours, but if the carboy is starting out cold, I'll warm it up in stages. I first rinse it with tepid/warm water before dumping in the hot Oxyclean. Never with anything that would be too hot to touch though. I've been doing this for years with no issues.
I have always used Oxyclean free to clean my carboys. Fill half way with warm water, an eyeballed amount of Oxy, insert the solid rubber stopper and lay on its side. Come back after a few hours, rotate and shake,.....repeat.
I have used Oxyclean or generic equivalent since I started brewing 4 years 11 months ago. Warm water, overnight to a couple of days (laziness) soak. I then insert a washcloth in my Better Bottles and swirl around, rinse well and done. Aside from filling with water it takes about 10 minutes.
If you are using glass carboys, please be very careful handling them when wet.
If you are using glass carboys, please be very careful handling them when wet.
OP
OP
Brownalemikie
Well-Known Member
Do you have a name for the generic equivalent? Thanks!
Sun Oxi Cleaner. I think it is available at Walmart. I got it at Dollar General.
Oxi Multi-purpose cleaner DG-Home brand also from Dollar general.
Just make sure you get an unscented version.
KingBrianI
Well-Known Member
As well as oxiclean and its generic equivalents work, I've found something even better at cleaning carboys. It's even cheap and already found in most households. Bleach. Just dilute it 1:5 or 1:10 with hot water and it completely removes any stuck on gunk, and sanitizes at the same time. It will have the dirtiest carboys looking crystal clear in a matter of a few minutes. You've just gotta rinse it really well afterwards.
Make sure your thermometer is in the water as I found out yesterday...I shocked the bottom right out of my carboy by draining the water from by brew kettle into the carboy. Luckily I always carry by carboys (or whats left of it) in a bucket.
Now where is that broken carboy thread....
Mine is too hot- my hot tap water is 145 degrees and I worry about using it that hot, so I go with some cold in it too. Most people who have children around have hot water at 120 degrees or so out of the tap to avoid scalding, and that should be fine.
SweetStout
Well-Known Member
anyone know anything about that carboy jacket he is using in the video?
Moving a full carboy around is getting harder now that I have back issues. I've seen the straps, but they seem dodgy. That jacket looks pretty secure with a full carboy - I'd be interested to know more.
Moving a full carboy around is getting harder now that I have back issues. I've seen the straps, but they seem dodgy. That jacket looks pretty secure with a full carboy - I'd be interested to know more.
Scuba_Steve81
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As far as rinsing well after bleach, just fyi, bleach that has been mixed with water will break down to saltwater after it has been exposed to air long enough. So whatever little amounts left if you didnt rinse it super well would be gone in 12-24 hours.
KingBrianI
Well-Known Member
Awesome, one more thing in its favor! I've had carboys and better bottles with a krausen ring that oxyclean wouldnt remove completely, or just a generally hazy look, that when I hit with some beach was completely clear in a coupe of minutes. In fact, I'm going to have to clean my keg lines with it later today, because a round of beer brite didnt get all the beer stone out of them and one tap is foaming like crazy.
Use once and just throw them away. No hassle, no muss, no fuss
You are not into HBing to save money...right?
You are not into HBing to save money...right?
Scuba_Steve81
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Just ensure your using normal unscented bleach! Unless you like your beer smelling lemon fresh, or like clean linen...
Hey Brian! It's been ages since I've "seen" you around the forum- great to see you again. Hope all is going well for you.
As far as those 'carboy jackets', I found that I don't trust anything around my carboys for hauling them, but the best I've found are sturdy milk crates that they used to have in grocery stores. I still have to be very careful, but I"ve only broken two carboys in about 15 years. Of course, for almost all of my beer brewing I now use plastic. I have a number 8 gallon big plastic fermenters, and quite a few Better Bottles in 5 and 6 gallon sizes. I mostly use the glass for wine, which stays in one vessel for months and I never move them. (Off topic, but I have a few glass carboys that haven't been moved since December 2014, full of wine. I have to get around to bottling them.)
BrewingInVT
Member
I recently bought https://www.kegwasher.com/ It can be used right on the kitchen counter or tile floor and is amazing. I'll be getting purchasing the right hose as well so i can use it to clean the poppet and dip tube of my kegs.
KingBrianI
Well-Known Member
Hey Lorena! Yeah, brewing was just too much work since having kids, so I fell out of the hobby for a few years. I just simplified my process recently, though, and have brewed 4 times in the last 3 weeks. I'm excited about it again so I've been spending much more time back on the forum.
Sorry or the OT!
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Brownalemikie
Well-Known Member
No worries.....glad you returned.
kombat
Well-Known Member
They may avoid scalding, but there are other, equally dangerous risks to setting your hot water tank lower.
I've got one of those. I've tried using it for the last year, on kegs and carboys. Terrible. To make it work at all, I had to modify the top of the fountain so that it sprayed in a unidirectional pattern, instead of straight up. Still, it just wouldn't get carboys clean. It works ok on kegs, but not that well. I still have occasional grime left at the bottom. I think it would work better if I used how water.
I'm using the "widemouth" big mouth bubblers now. They are easy to clean by hand. With normal carboys, I recommend the drill-attached thing that whips the inside. That worked really well.
BrewingInVT
Member
Interesting. I use hot water, I'm on all plastic, with a bit of OXY for about 20 mins and have had great luck. I move it around during the first 5 mins to get all spots, then just chill for 15 mins or so as it works on the rest...then move the carboy around again for 1 or 2 mins.
Sucks it hasn't worked our for you, but appreciate the feedback!
Brew ON!
Sucks it hasn't worked our for you, but appreciate the feedback!
Brew ON!
That's exactly what I use after a good soaking with oxi-clean. No problems with "ring around the carboy".
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