sanitizing bottles any tips?

[jeremybmx10]

so today i was freaking out because i have 6 bottles and well i need about 80 so i went to the store and picked up empty ones that people had droped off! i got 100 for 8$ a good deal but i need to clean them all! so i cleaned them all out with hot water and let them soak in that water for a few min. then i filled up a 6 gal bucket with water and my chloriclean! i let them soak in that and shaked them around for a few seconds each bottle and filled them all half way and am letting them soak over night. i was wondering will this be okay or will they still be contaminated!?

 

[Fuzzymittenbrewing]

In addition to pbw and Starsan I would also use a bottle brush to make sure you got anything stuck to the walls and bottom.

 

[jbb3]

Oxiclean seems to do a good job. The labels will fall right off after a good soak.
I'd also use a bottle brush on bottles from a public source. And Star San right before bottling.

 

[Hello]

Oxiclean seems to do a good job. The labels will fall right off after a good soak.

I'd also use a bottle brush on bottles from a public source. And Star San right before bottling.

All of this. If I get back terrible bottles they get a brush. Same with randoms from strangers. They also get a scrub around the lip.

 

[unionrdr]

I soak'em in PBW (1.5oz per gallon) overnight. Labels usually float right off. And the gunk in the bottom floats out as well. bottle brush the inside & use a Dobie brand scrubber on the outside. Rinse well & onto the bottle tree to dry before storage. Starsan in a vinator on top of the bottle tree to sanitize right before filling. The bottle tree & vinator with 45 bottles takes up only about 2 square feet. It lets me keep the bottles within easy reach on bottling day.

 

[jjcoolj]

For bottles of unknown origin I soak in hot (180F) PBW overnight and then after things cool off I do a thorough rinse with a bottle washer the next day.. I then inspect the insides and once they are clean I then cover the mouths with aluminum foil and stick them in the pressure canner and do a 15psi/15 minute cycle. As long as the aluminum foil stays on the mouth of the bottle they will remain sterile and can be stored indefinitely. The pressure canner is great for other home-brew tasks…like sterilizing flasks, water and DME for starters, canning wort in mason jars for shelf-storage for later use in starters, sterilizing plate chillers, etc etc! If you use the canner correctly your stuff will be truly sterilized…not just sanitized chemically as with starsan or iodo.

 

[IslandLizard]

Stage 1 - Dirty bottles and from unknown origin:
I soak them in hot water with a good handful of Surf (laundry detergent powder), cheap and cheerful. Also cleans other things, like siding, kegs, floors, clothes, rags, etc.
Scrub bottles inside with bottle brush and outside with stiff hand brush after labels have floated off. Rinse with hot water (jet sprayer) and inspect. They will go through Stage 2 as well.

Stage 2 - Bottles that are used but clean:
I submerse 6-8 of them in hot water with some washing soda in it (cheap and cheerful, again). Brush inside, drain back into container for the next batch. Rinse out well with hot water (jet sprayer). Drain and onto Stage 3.
The ones I don't use immediately I let the water evaporate before I store them away. Bottle tree is handy, or bottle rack(s).

Stage 3 - Clean bottles - Sanitizing:
Submerge in Starsan 8-16 at a time. Drain and put upside down on (smooth) counter top (balancing act) or in sanitized bottle rack or tree, waiting to be filled.

I only use (homemade) PBW where it is highly beneficial and most useful. 20 oz has lasted me almost a year. 1 TBS per gallon, hot water!
Used in cleaning carboys, kegs, flasks, pump, hoses, plate chiller, boil kettle. I recapture and reuse the working solution until it gets dirty or I feel it's time. I rejuvenate it by adding some more oxifree, when needed.

 

[flars]

Inspect the inside of each bottle after the final rinse of soap. Set up a bright bulb to shine through the side of the bottle or point the bottle at a sunny window.
If you see a dark speck wipe the outside of the bottle at this point first. Many times I have scrubbed the inside of the bottle just to find the spot was on the outside or it was a bubble in the glass.
The bottle brush fitted into an electric drill saves a lot of work on the stubborn gunk.

 

[DSorenson]

The bottle brush fitted into an electric drill saves a lot of work on the stubborn gunk.

That visual is hilarious. I have nothing to add here except to reiterate that those bottles will need more than just a casual cleaning. Good luck!