Question about cleaning bottles

[Cerpintine]

Phew, lot of questions recently. This board has been awesome

So I'm soaking bottles in hot water (12 at a time) with baking soda to peel and clean labels off. I'm not using an extreme abount of baking soda but a healthy amount since some are very stubborn. Basically I had three cases backed up. Is it ok for some (baking soda) residue to be left over inside the bottle and be stored for weeks/months at a time?

I take them out, one at a time, clean label off and set aside until the batch is done. Then I go back and fill them up one by one and vigorously shake upside down to get whatever I can out. A little bit always seems left over here and there..

When I'm about to use (some) them I plan on rinsing once again and using a bottle brush with sanitized water (by this time I should also have a bottle tree). I just wanna be sure, since you know an ounce of prevention... I'd hate to waste all these bottles. I did 12 a week or two ago and so far them seem fine (I put them back in a case and cover up) but still a little water hasn't evaporated.

Thanks for any help easing my compulsive mind =)

 

[Vuarra]

The only downside I can think of from baking soda is that it is basic -- alkaline -- and when mixed with any fats creates soap. So if you have any sort of hops in the beer (which you probably do), you'll lose a lot of head retention.

As far as your process, it's about what I use, but I do rinse the bottles out before I fill them, just to make sure.

 

[Schnitzengiggle]

I've never used baking soda, but it seems to me that if you didn't get it all of it out you might have a hard time cleaning them if it dries inside the bottle, even with a bottle brush.

Personally, I think OxiClean is magical for bottle washing and label removal. With a couple hour soak, or overnight, OxiClean will make delabeling a breeze, and many times will even dissolve the label glue.

Here is my method:
1. Rinse right after the pour, after collecting about a dozen go to step #2
2. Soak in Oxiclean, at least a couple hours, but overnight makes label removal a breeze.
3. Peel any labels off and use a kitchen scrubbie to remove glue.
4. Bottle brush the inside, if necessary. (Which it shouldn't be if you rinse right after the pour).
5. Rinse well, with hot water.
6. If available use the dishwasher as a drying rack, and allow to dry. (I can fit about 70 bottles in mine).
7. Once dry, cut as many 1-2" square pieces of foil as needed and cap. (This will keep any dust and debris out during storage).
8. Store bottles.
9. Sanitize bottles before use on bottling day.
10. Repeat.

If you keep cleaning them as you use them, the task won't seem so arduous. I have had to clean about 150 bottles in one sitting, it is time consuming an boring. I will never allow them to pile up like that again.

As for foil capping, some might argue that it is overkill, but it gives me piece of mind that my bottles are as clean inside as they day I washed them.:rockin:

 

[Cerpintine]

I store them back in beer cases and cover w/ paper towels over the rims then tape the lid. I may hit them in the yard before sanitizing on the jet setting, lol! What a PITA. Isn't oxiclean just baking soda + hydrogen peroxide? I suppose I can give that a try. Or make my own.

 

[android]

i used to just soak the 6 pack or whatever i drank in the sink with hot water. most labels were floating within an hour... of course i like european beers and those labels come off easier than most. then i'd shake the hell out of them with clean water, let them sit a few minutes, shake out the last little bit of water and just case them up. never had anything funny grow in them. on bottling day, i put them in the dishwasher without soap and run a wash/heat dry cycle. clean and sanitized. i know there is debate about whether a DW actually rinses them, but it has always worked fine for me.

i'd try to get as much of that baking soda residue out as possible.. for fear of residue is why i use the water rinse and dishwater method.

 

[jescholler]

1. Rinse right after the pour, after collecting about a dozen go to step #2
2. Soak in Oxiclean, at least a couple hours, but overnight makes label removal a breeze.
3. Peel any labels off and use a kitchen scrubbie to remove glue.
4. Bottle brush the inside, if necessary. (Which it shouldn't be if you rinse right after the pour).
5. Rinse well, with hot water.
6. If available use the dishwasher as a drying rack, and allow to dry. (I can fit about 70 bottles in mine).
7. Once dry, cut as many 1-2" square pieces of foil as needed and cap. (This will keep any dust and debris out during storage).
8. Store bottles.
9. Sanitize bottles before use on bottling day.
10. Repeat.

That's almost exactly what I do. I don't use the foil, but agree it is going the extra mile for a little peace of mind.

I also started using Oxi Clean 2 brews ago, and don't know how I got by without it. It's great for soaking your plastic equipment and cleaning bottles. Compared to soaking the bottles in dish soap, it's a million times better. 5 Star also makes a similar product called PBW, which I've heard good things about (the price not being one of them).

So I guess in summary, like the others have said, switch to a cleaner like Oxi Clean or PBW. I'm sure you'll be glad you did.

 

[Pappers_]

Rinse them well, right away. Just use running tap water and rinse until whatever you used (oxyclean in my case) is completely off. Then dry 'em on a bottle tree. On bottling day, they're ready to be sanitized and used.

 

[Poindexter]

Just another OxyClean user checking in. I soak for how ever many hours it takes to make it easy, then rinse thoroughly and store clean / unsanitized.

On bottling day I sanitize a few more than I am going to use and put the unused bottles back on the clean/ not sanitized shelf.

Works for me.

 

[HairyDogBrewing]

I store them back in beer cases and cover w/ paper towels over the rims then tape the lid. I may hit them in the yard before sanitizing on the jet setting, lol! What a PITA. Isn't oxiclean just baking soda + hydrogen peroxide? I suppose I can give that a try. Or make my own.

Baking soda is Sodium Bicarbonate (NaHCO3).
Oxiclean is Sodium Carbonate (Na2CO3 aka washing soda)
and Sodium Percarbonate (Na2CO3-H2O2).

 

[jtrainer]

Good advice above, but some un-needed steps IMO.

Here is my method:
1. Rinse right after the pour, Hot Water, rinse a good 3 times. Eye the bottle looking for sediment. Re-Wash.
2. Soak in Hot Water, at least a halh hour, but overnight makes label removal a breeze. A bottle or 2 a day, done. No real extra work needed.
3. Peel any labels off and use a Stainless Steel scrubbie to remove glue.
4. I dry on the counter. The dishwasher, If available use as a drying rack, and allow to dry. or get a bottle tree.
5. I store 30 bottles per file box. (Costco 6 boxes = $7). $ six packs and 1 row between. Box has lid. Nasties fall downward.
6. On botteling day, Sanitize bottles before use on bottling day. I submerge all bottles in a large tub. (I use an old trash can used to store recycle plastic, lined with a bag.)
10. Repeat.

I just think the aluminum sheeting and paper towels are un-needed, not green and wastefull. I surprised no one mentioned sanitizing the foil.... it's sanitary off the roll.

 

[bob1852]

here's what I do. Clean and sanitize your bottles as usual. Fill and cap. Then while your bottle conditioning, place your filled bottles in a container with an oxyclean solution - the labels come off easily and you don't have to worry about rinsing the oxyclean out of the inside of your bottles....

 

[Sneaker]

I have a bunch of sanitized bottles left over from a small batch. I have them covered with wax paper, with tiny rubber bands holding it in place. Can they just keep like that until I'm ready to bottle again (in about three weeks)? Or will I need to sanitize them all over again?

 

[Ksosh]

+1 on Oxyclean. What I do is soak the bottles in Oxyclean/Water overnight, the labels usually float off. Then I scrub any remaining goo on the bottles (usually there is very little left), and throw them in the dishwasher on a rinse + hot dry. Then on bottling day I use a Vinator (sp?) to spray the inside (and lip) with sanitizer, and hang it on my DIY bottle tree until time to fill. So far this has worked great for me.

 

[metaltim]

you guys reuse your bottles right?

BTW, new belgium beer labels come off very easy, just fill sink with hottest water from tap, and put em in there (I can fit about 20.)
Wait 5-10 minutes, and labels will come off with slightest rub, and residue left behind comes off very easily with a little green scrubber pad.

i did that once already, so it's done, I just reuse those same bottles. I've got about 10 extra in case I leave some away from home, or break one.

So now, I just rinse after pouring, and put upside down on tree. Then when bottling comes for next batch, just use vinator with iodophor water, and bottle..

repeat process..

 

[WilliamstonBrew]

I am convinced that as long as there is no physical gunk of any sort in a bottle, they're pretty damn forgiving.

All I do is rinse a bottle after drinking its contents, stash it upside down back in the box or 6 pack case it came in, and just set them in the basement until I am ready. I don't cover them, they just hang out near the dehumidifier.

Bottling day I soak them in some One Step for about 2-3 minutes in batches of 6 while I fill 6, etc. Case in point about how forgiving they are, I accidentally used only a half strength of One Step solution once on bottling day. Every one of them turned out great.

 

[bizmarky]

I just got done cleaning bottles with baking soda. I let them soak overnight. Noticed they dried with some residue. Looked up how to clean it. Google came back with white vinegar. But i'm going to just bottle and see how it all pans out. I've rinsed each bottle 3 times. So i'm hoping the minimal amount of residue really won't affect the final product.