Procedures for cleaning bottles

I know there have been countless threads about this topic but I can't seem to find a solid answer.

My first brew is in the primary as we speak and I've been collecting bottles (pop top only) from friends and family. By my count I have over 50 bottles sitting in the basement, all with the original labels still on them.

My question is - what should I do from now till they're bottled?

I was thinking of doing the following:

1. Soak the bottles in water and baking soda for a few days.

2. Scrub off whats left

3. Right before bottling - put them all in the dishwasher and run with sanitize setting on.

4. Let them cool

5. Bottle

Will this work?

Yup, that's what I do and I haven't had any issues. However, instead of baking soda and water, I use OxiClean Free—works great, just need to make sure to give them a good rinse to get rid of any film from the OxiClean.

That should work, the oxyclean free works well. I have also found that a solution of 1/2 cup ammonia in a sink of water also works. The ammonia will have the label off the bottle in about an hour.

I think if you follow those steps, you'll be in great shape. It will sort of depend on what condition the bottles are in. If your friends and fam have been giving the bottles a little rinse once the beer's gone, that will help you out a bunch. If there is a little beer sitting in the bottom of each, I'd get them in that water sooner rather than later, as old beer is like cement once all of the water has evaporated from it.

My method is simply to soak the bottles in hot water (I like getting the labels off, but I am a bit obsessive compulsive), make sure they're nice and rinsed. Then on bottling day I make and iodophore bath and let them soak (wish I had a dishwasher!). I just pull them out as I need them.

If you can, store them upside down until bottling day, as this will help keep the dust/gunk out.

I thought soaking in the baking soda would loosen up the label so I could easily remove them? As this is my first batch I think cracking open my first home brew in a bottle that says "Sam Adams" on it wouldn't be right, so the labels 100% have to go!

A good chunk of the bottles are from a party we had and I just threw them in the case boxes in the basement, so I know there is going to be dried junk in them! What's the easiest way to get rid of the junk? Now I know to make sure they're sufficiently rinsed.

I use one of these to wash my bottles. Best money ever spent if you into bottling

That is what I would do the first time or whenever getting bottles from friends or family. After the initial time though all I do is make sure I rinse out the bottles really well after pouring the beer and send it though the dishwasher so it is nice and clean for next time. A little work right after you pour the beer will save alot of work later trying to get dried beer gunk out. Since I am storing them clean all I have to do before bottling them is run them through the dishwasher on the highest settings to sterilize them. Then I set up and bottle right from the dishwasher. Couldn't be easier.

rjsnau said:

That is what I would do the first time or whenever getting bottles from friends or family. After the initial time though all I do is make sure I rinse out the bottles really well after pouring the beer and send it though the dishwasher so it is nice and clean for next time. A little work right after you pour the beer will save alot of work later trying to get dried beer gunk out. Since I am storing them clean all I have to do before bottling them is run them through the dishwasher on the highest settings to sterilize them. Then I set up and bottle right from the dishwasher. Couldn't be easier.

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That's what I'll do in the future. I'll just have to use the bottle brush, some hot water, and elbow grease to clean them out....c'est la vie!

Oxyclean helps break loose the gunk when soaked. One of the faucet bottle cleaners like paraordnance showed to rinse with would be the way to go to make sure. Do a good visual check on each bottle when done to make sure you got it all out. Nothing would ruin a party than to pour a beer and a mold loogy come flowing out into the glass.

Hot oxiclean free soak, plain water rinse with vinator, starsan rinse with vinator. Just got a economy bottling tree and it was a good investment

Here's my regiment:

1. Drink a beer

2. Rinse bottle, store in a box

3. Soak bottles in Oxiclean Free (I usually do this when I've accumulated ~30 to 40 bottles that need to be soaked)

4. Let sit until labels float off by themselves

5. Drain bottles, scrub with bottle brush, rinse, air dry, then store upside-down

6. On brew day, soak in StarSan for ~2 minutes

7. Drain bottles (required, of course), give a quick rinse (optional), and bottle.


If your water supply is from a municipal source, rinsing before bottling is probably fine. I've done it for every batch with zero infection issues (knock on wood!). If you're using well water or don't trust your municipal source, skip the last rinse and just bottle with whatever StarSan is left in the bottle.

zachary80 said:

Hot oxiclean free soak, plain water rinse with vinator, starsan rinse with vinator. Just got a economy bottling tree and it was a good investment

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What is the difference between OxiClean and OxiClean Free?

Doesn't that seem like more sanitizing than is needed? I'm not trying to be sarcastic, I'm new to this and honestly have no clue.

mdineenwob said:

What is the difference between OxiClean and OxiClean Free?

Doesn't that seem like more sanitizing than is needed? I'm not trying to be sarcastic, I'm new to this and honestly have no clue.

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Oxyclean Free doesn't have any perfumes or fragrance. It is used as a cleaner rather than a sanitizer as those are two different things.

Lucky137 said:

Here's my regiment:

1. Drink a beer

2. Rinse bottle, store in a box

3. Soak bottles in Oxiclean Free (I usually do this when I've accumulated ~30 to 40 bottles that need to be soaked)

4. Let sit until labels float off by themselves

5. Drain bottles, scrub with bottle brush, rinse, air dry, then store upside-down

6. On brew day, soak in StarSan for ~2 minutes

7. Drain bottles (required, of course), give a quick rinse (optional), and bottle.


If your water supply is from a municipal source, rinsing before bottling is probably fine. I've done it for every batch with zero infection issues (knock on wood!). If you're using well water or don't trust your municipal source, skip the last rinse and just bottle with whatever StarSan is left in the bottle.

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DO NOT RINSE OFF THE STAR SAN!! If you do your bottles are no longer sanitary. It is not meant to be rinsed off.

DO NOT FEAR THE FOAM.

mdineenwob said:

What is the difference between OxiClean and OxiClean Free?

Doesn't that seem like more sanitizing than is needed? I'm not trying to be sarcastic, I'm new to this and honestly have no clue.

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OxiClean and other cleaners are just that "cleaners" they do not kill the bacteria that may infect your beer.

Get a Vinator. It makes sanitizing the bottles much easier.

Search results for: 'vinator' : Northern Brewer

kh54s10 said:

OxiClean and other cleaners are just that "cleaners" they do not kill the bacteria that may infect your beer.

Get a Vinator. It makes sanitizing the bottles much easier.

Search results for: 'vinator' : Northern Brewer

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Cheap enough, shall do. But what does it do that the dishwasher can't though? I'd assume the high temps alone would kill any bacteria, no?

If you are going to continue collecting bottles.... My tip to you would be to get a 5 gallon bucket with a lid, fill it with oxyclean solution and leave it in the garage. After you finish drinking a beer, rinse it out in the faucet then dump it in the bucket of oxyclean. First time I brewed... I tried removing all the labels from 60 bottles and it was a big job. Now i just do them as I empty them and it isn't a big deal at all.

mdineenwob said:

Cheap enough, shall do. But what does it do that the dishwasher can't though? I'd assume the high temps alone would kill any bacteria, no?

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Maybe I am tempting infection... but I don't sanitize the bottles beyond throwing them in the dishwasher with high temp wash set to "on" and the heat dry cycle set to "on".

Here's what I do.

1. Baking soda soak for 30 minutes or longer and a green 3M scrubbie to remove the labels.
2. Clean bottles with bottling brush and cleaner (Oxiclean, PBW, Baking soda, etc.)
3. Then I put the bottles in my dishwasher and run on the sanitize setting with no detergent.
4. Bottle beer, I've done this without waiting for the bottles to cool and that's been fine. I know some people sanitize their bottles by "baking" them in the oven.

Also, I rinse all my bottles pretty well after drinking them which makes cleaning easier. If my bottles have labels, I store them off to the side and when I have enough, I soak in baking soda and remove the labels.

My method might be a little over kill, but I don't want to risk infection after all my hard work brewing and fermenting.

Um, I use a drill with my bottle brush! Everything else is close enough to everyone that has commented to describe more

Pie_Man said:

Here's what I do.

1. Baking soda soak for 30 minutes or longer and a green 3M scrubbie to remove the labels.
2. Clean bottles with bottling brush and cleaner (Oxiclean, PBW, Baking soda, etc.)
3. Then I put the bottles in my dishwasher and run on the sanitize setting with no detergent.
4. Bottle beer, I've done this without waiting for the bottles to cool and that's been fine. I know some people sanitize their bottles by "baking" them in the oven.

Also, I rinse all my bottles pretty well after drinking them which makes cleaning easier. If my bottles have labels, I store them off to the side and when I have enough, I soak in baking soda and remove the labels.

My method might be a little over kill, but I don't want to risk infection after all my hard work brewing and fermenting.

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I think this will be my course of action I'll go with. Seems like it's fool proof and relatively simple.

Also, the bottle brush in the cordless drill is good thinking!

Here's how I do it:

1. For every bottle I drink I rinse it out immediately after pouring. Takes 10 seconds and just solves a whole lot of hassle at bottling time.

2. On bottling day I fill my bottling bucket with the usual water/star san mix with enough solution to fill every bottle that I will use. Usually, five gallons will do it.

3. With my racking cane I drain the water/star san from the bottling bucket into all of the bottles that I will use which happen to fit nicely in a rubbermade tub that I keep handy. This sanitizes my bucket, cane, hoses, bottles, etc. At this point all my bottles are filled with sanitized water.

4. Rack the brew from the fermenter to my now sanitized bottling bucket.

5. Empty my first bottle of the water/star san then with my left hand begin filling with the brew. As I'm filling the bottle with brew with the left I am emptying my next bottle of the water/star san mix with my right. As soon as the bottle is filled with brew I sit a cap on top (I don't set the cap at this point). I repeat this process until the brew bucket is empty.

6. Get the capper out and tidy up all the caps.

GLWIII said:

3. With my racking cane I drain the water/star san from the bottling bucket into all of the bottles that I will use which happen to fit nicely in a rubbermade tub that I keep handy. This sanitizes my bucket, cane, hoses, bottles, etc. At this point all my bottles are filled with sanitized water.

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Oooh, I like that method. It would seem that it might be overly time consuming to have to fill all of the bottles twice, but I like that a heck of a lot more than having to make three sanitzer baths (my kettle, and my two sinks) to fit all of the bottles. This just makes a lot of sense to me.

Thanks, GLWIII

I sanitized my bottles for my first batch a little different. Right after use washed them and removed the labels. Then I placed foil around the mouth and heat treated them in my oven at 350 F for an hour. Set them on the counter to slowly cool and placed then in the pantry until use. The heat should kill any bacteria inside and the foil should keep any more from getting back inside untill use.

unionrdr said:

I think the vinator & bottle tree are def faster. I used to do something similar,filling each bottle one to the other with starsan. My way is faster,& less dripping sanitizer & hand soaking.

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While I'm sure you're right, I don't currently have a vinator/bottle tree. To be honest, there are so many other pieces of equipment I'd like for my brew operation that it will likely be a while before I do. Usually when I'm bottling, I'm not in a huge hurry anyways.

In any case, I'm sure one day I'll be ready to upgrade my bottling system too, and when I do, I'll be glad to know that the vinator/bottle tree are effective. Thanks!

stanzela said:

While I'm sure you're right, I don't currently have a vinator/bottle tree. To be honest, there are so many other pieces of equipment I'd like for my brew operation that it will likely be a while before I do. Usually when I'm bottling, I'm not in a huge hurry anyways.

In any case, I'm sure one day I'll be ready to upgrade my bottling system too, and when I do, I'll be glad to know that the vinator/bottle tree are effective. Thanks!

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That is sort of my mind set too. I'm "green" with those whole hobby and would rather spend money on something that will enhance the quality of my brew.

What really confuses me with home brewing is that it seems there are 10 ways to accomplish the same thing. One stage vs. two stage, star san vs pbw, etc. There isn't much black and white and a very large gray area.

Here's a little trick I came up with today while removing labels, probably saved me an hour of work.

(Disclaimer: I'm bottling 10 gallons worth of Christmas gifts, so efficiency was key).

Soak bottles overnight in hot water/oxyclean solution.

In the morning, slip the labels off effortlessly, drain the bottles and pack them right-side-up in milk crates.

Connect a garden hose (with garden sprayer attachment on the end) to your house's water heater.

Blast the outside of the bottles clean with the hot, high-pressure water. Blast out the inside of them as well. Take of your glasses and dress appropriately -- a lot of water sprays all over you!

Here's the real time-saver: instead of emptying the water out of each bottle individually, stack an empty milk crate (right-side-up) on top of the crate full of bottles, and while holding them together, flip both crates upside-down. All the bottles drain at once! Now flip things back to normal, and rinse the bottles again. After three rinses there isn't a trace of oxyclean (or anything else for that matter) left on/in the bottles.

FWIW, I always rinse my used beer bottles three times with hot water before storing them. I'm not a fan of scrubbing things.

soak in a rubber maid tub with PBW - Bottle brush and green scrubby - rinse - store in boxes - run in dishwasher night before bottling -use vinator and replace in dishwasher - bottle -wait -DRINK! -rinse - place in dishwasher. repeat

Desrever said:

Bottle brush and green scrubby

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You should rinse your bottles out three times with hot water before storing them -- that will retire your bottling brush. Soak them overnight in hot water and oxyclean and you can swap out the scrubby for a washcloth -- simply to wipe off the tiniest bit of glue residue (all the labels float off by themselves).

Rinse after drinking, oxyclean soak, scrape any tough remnants of labels off with butter knife, rinse 3x (I take the head off my shower, shove a 3/16 tube into the hole, and use that as a quick and easy rinsing method), store in a box. @bottling, starsan with vinator, hang on bottling tree, fill.

I probably would have stopped brewing without a vinator. I don't like the idea of putting my bottles in a dishwasher with residual soap, plus I don't think much water would get into all the bottles... dry heat isn't a very good sanitizer.

I clean my bottles similar to DistrbdChemist. I let my bottles soak overnight in a bleach or oxyclean solution. I then put a small piece of foil on the top and cook it in the oven at 340° for an hour. Let them cool and then come bottling time, just remove the foil and fill. Doing it this way allows me to clean them whenever and have a fresh supply of sterilized bottles when I need them.

Here are a couple pics of the process.