Cleaning Better Bottle?

I have a 3 gallon Better Bottle carboy, and can't find an appropriate brush for cleaning it. Anybody have hints or a link?

TIA

 

I think most people would recommend not using a brush on the plastic. For mine I let it soak in hot pbw, drain most of it, throw in a microfiber cloth and swoosh it around to any trouble spots. Comes out great every time!

 

I made the mindless mistake of using a brush to get rid of some pesky krausen at the top of my better bottle. It immediately scratched. I knew better too.

Rig up something with a microfiber cloth if you need to wipe.

 

I just use a little OxyClean and let it soak overnight. Dump it out and rinse a half dozen times to be sure to get all the soap out. I've never scrubbed a Better Bottle and never will. Mine has remained like new after 15 batches.

 

Another soak overnight with a TBSP of PBW (if you use too much then you shouldn't let it soak for long periods of time) and then a cloth and a swirl for anything really tough.

 

I soak my Better Bottles over night with 1/3 scoop of Oxyclean. Rinse, insert a washcloth, with about 1 inch of water in the bottom, swirl it around then rinse well and DONE.

The longest part is filling with water.

The Better Bottle is, IMO, even easier to clean than my buckets.

DO NOT USE A BRUSH. That will scratch the plastic.

 

PBW or similar for a good soak - then the MF cloth (micro fiber that is) with the final gallon.

I had an oh $hit moment today with a 4 gallon jug that I use to ferment small batches .. got it out assuming that it was spick and span only to see a line of dried crud where an oatmeal stout had decorated it a few weeks ago. I figured that it was dried on real good and might need the dreaded brush. One scoop of homemade wash in hot water and some agitation and it was gone - soaked it a wee bit just to be safe, but could see no sign of debris when I refilled it.

 

+1

I've never had to scrub my plastic fermentors. Soak and rinse.

 

Thanks guys. Soak and rinse it is. Damm thing is square though, I'm concerned that there will be krausen in the top that I won't be able to reach by swishing. I might get creative and find a way to attach a sponge to a dowel or something like that.

 

I use the 3-gal Better Bottles all the time and have no problem with them getting clean by the methods that many have outlined above. If you tackle the cleaning as soon after emptying as possible, the PBW soak will do all the rest. For those longer term ferments with a crusty krausen ring near the top, a soft washcloth or microfiber cloth will do the trick after soaking. If the cloth does not seem to be reaching the sides when shaking, reduce the amount of liquid in the carboy.

 

Is PBW different / better than One Step?

 

I scratched a couple using a brush.... So far no infections from this though..

 

Get some water jug caps (the blue ones) from a water distributor. They fit really well on the Better Bottles. When I finish racking, I rinse the trub out first, then fill with a gallon or so of hot water (< 140F), cap with the blue cap, and shake the crap out of it. Then I typically set it upside down on a carboy drying stand in my tub so the stuck krausen gets a good soak for 10 minutes or so. Then shake, dump, rinse. Next I fill a little over halfway with hot water (< 140F), toss in a tablespoon of PBW, cap it, and shake until dissolved. I let the carboy sit upside down for 30 mins, then shake, flip over and let sit upright for 30 mins. Shake, dump, rinse several times with hot water (< 140F). Good to go. I have 6, 5, and 3 gallon Better Bottles and this routine works great for me. The carboy drying stand is really convenient for soaking upside down.

I stopped letting my PET carboys soak for extended periods of time, as the carboys seemed to get a little more rigid and the Better Bottle folks recommend against extended soaking in PBW.

 

I use water bottle caps to invert my PET carboys for soaking too. I just use maybe a tablespoon of Oxiclean free and warm water, let it soak upside down for a few hours then rinse rinse rinse and it looks like new. I invert it in one of my 5 gallon pots to keep it from tipping over. I used to put a soft washcloth inside until I realized I can invert them and soak the krausen off. Works great!