Cleaning With Bleach?

[Maveric777]

OK folks, my good friend who got me interested in homebrewing cleans all his equipment/bottles with bleach. His rule of thumb is 3 tbs bleach for every gallon of water. He has brewed many, many batches using this method and has only had one bad batch to show for it (he honestly doesn't know what happened to it)

I used his method for my initial brewing & primary on my first batch. Here it is a couple of weeks out for my bottling, and I am beginning to question the bleach idea due to lack of talk about it here on HBT.

Just wondering if anyone else uses bleach for sanitizing. I know it works, but I am after all I am a first time over anxious nervous homebrewer.....


Thanks for any input......

 

[Jewrican]

I do. I have only done 4 batches but each of them successful.

 

[Brewmando]

2 Tbs (3 won't hurt) per gal is the standard for "cleaning" and 1 Tbs is the amount for "sanitizing". I pretty much use bleach for cleaning glass and surfaces in my kitchen and Straight A and One Step for plastic and hoses and such. I also rinse everything with very hot tap water after sanitizing my faucet (to prevent source point contamination). When using bleach you just need to make sure you get it rinsed off really well. Use your nose to ensure the bleach has been removed from your stuff.

 

[fratermus]

Bleach has largely been supplanted by no-rinse santizers like starsan adn iodophor.

If you do decide to use bleach, this podcast is worth the listen.

I think you will find that something like 1-2 oz per 5 gallons is a more common dilution for no-rinse bleach sanitizing.

 

[Baldy_Beer_Brewery]

I think you will find that something like 1-2 oz per 5 gallons is a more common dilution for no-rinse bleach sanitizing.

This is pretty much what I use. I've never had a bad batch from it and there is no chlorine taste or smell left in the beer.

However for cleaning I prefer Oxyclean or the like.

 

[Nurmey]

The reason bleach is not popular is that it's so much harder to use than no rinse. You need to rinse like crazy with bleach or you end up with medicinal flavors in your beer. Rinsing with un-sanitized water always seemed counterproductive to me.

No one will dispute that bleach kills germs but I have enough to do during a brew day that the extra work using bleach isn't worth it. Nor does using it save any money.

 

[Maveric777]

Ahhh, very good info yall! Thanks for clearing a lot of that stuff up for me. Seeing how the no rinse seems a lot easier it is a no brainer to just go with it.

So if I decided to do the actual cleaning with something like Oxy Clean, then sanitize with the no rinse I should be OK?

Also... Is there a certain brand of no rinse yall recommend?

 

[Nurmey]

Ahhh, very good info yall! Thanks for clearing a lot of that stuff up for me. Seeing how the no rinse seems a lot easier it is a no brainer to just go with it.

So if I decided to do the actual cleaning with something like Oxy Clean, then sanitize with the no rinse I should be OK?

Also... Is there a certain brand of no rinse yall recommend?

Oxiclean and Star San combo rocks for brewing!

 

[Ecnerwal]

I used bleach for years - it's cheap and usually already in the house. But it needs to be rinsed, and the rinse-water needs to be boiled and cooled to be reasonably safe. Never had a bad batch, but it's more work.

I've recently picked up both idophor and star-san - quite cheap if you mix up small batches (1/6 of 5 gallons is what I typically make, as it's 1/2 tsp of the concentrate) and a lot less hassle/worry.

Several reports of star-san being quite slippery (making stoppers staying put difficult) might have lead to having both, but the reality was that I bought idophor first, and then got the star-san later. Given those reports I'll keep using the idophor wherever I'm dealing with stoppers staying put.

Bleach still has a place, since it functions as a cleaner as well as a sanitizer - which is good when soaking nasty bottles brought in from the wild. Not that much of an issue for the in-house bottles, which get rinsed out as they are used.

 

[grlz]

i use oxiclean to clean and 2 tbsp of bleach per 5 gallons to sanitize. works for me so far.

 

[ifishsum]

I use it for cleaning carboys and soaking off bottle labels, and soaking with it does a great job on dried krausen, you just have to rinse well. I don't use it for a final sanitizer though, I use Iodophor.

 

[Homercidal]

Star San is so easy and foolproof. I use Oxyclean and others for clenaing, but for sanitizing, I only use StarSan. No rinse. No taste. Won't hurt your beer if you accidentally leave a bit in...

 

[VonMessa]

I've been using bleach for 2 years, now. StarSan on the kegs.

I keep a rubbermaid tub next to the sink with bleach water and keep all my (non-stainless) equipment in it (stoppers, tubes, spoons, bottles).

Very cheap to use, and failsafe if using the right ratio of bleach to water.

Only real drawback is IT MUST BE RINSED WELL, and is kinda harsh on the hands after a while. The sniff test is usually good enough.

 

[mlanoue]

I've seen formulas on here for mixing a bleach with water and vinegar solution that is no-rinse. I've tried it a couple of times and so far, so good.

I keep it in a 5 gallon bucket so it is always ready to go. Cheap and easy to get ahold of.

 

[fratermus]

I've seen formulas on here for mixing a bleach with water and vinegar solution that is no-rinse. I've tried it a couple of times and so far, so good.

I keep it in a 5 gallon bucket so it is always ready to go. Cheap and easy to get ahold of.

I am testing the Bleach-Water-Vinegar no-rinse method now after re-re-relistening to that podcast again. I have donated a batch of apfelwein as the guinea pig. I'll probably try it out on a beer batch next weekend and will report back.

I don't know if the BWV solution is stable or if it will degrade/outgas in your bucket over time.

 

[rocketman768]

I used bleach to clean the inside of my carboy after the last batch. However, I couldn't seem to rinse the smell out, and it still smells strongly of bleach. How can you get rid of this?

 

[chumprock]

You know, I have been all up in it lately, looking at articles, threads, and misc books about brewing in the last few weeks.
It's been a slight bit obsessive (SWMBO thinks so, at least).

So yesterday I went to a friend's house to help/watch his all-grain brewing. He has been brewing over 10 years, and makes some truly incredible beers. As I'm watchign his process, I'm asking all these questions based on my recent reading, and all his replies amused the hell out of me because he never really gave any thought to the things I was asking him. He didn't know much at all about all the fancy brewing terms used, and seemed downright lackadaisical about the whole damn thing.

He uses bleach, he mashes with 1qt/lb, he doesn't worry too much about mashing temps or conversion, or pretty much anything else.
And he still makes really good beer.

I learned a lot yesterday. What I learned most is that there's a multitude of ways to brew, from simple to advanced, and they all pretty much work.

I'll keep using StarSan, because I like it and it works, but I used to be so petrified of using bleach and I just don't know why.

 

[snailsongs]

Oxiclean and Star San combo rocks for brewing!

+1 - exactly what I use.

 

[InfernoBrews]

There was a Article in BYO Mag about using Bleach i wanna say its in the Past on or Two Issues .. When i get home from work i can take a look and see which one it is in.. It was pretty darn interesting.

 

[jds]

I used bleach extensively when I started brewing, and I still pull it out for when I want to really nuke something. However, I mostly use iodophor for sanitizing now, and I'm very happy with the convenience and results.

Like lots of things in brewing, there are many ways to get to the same end result (a sanitized vessel), and in the end, it mostly comes down to personal preference.

 

[loopmd]

You know, I have been all up in it lately, looking at articles, threads, and misc books about brewing in the last few weeks.
It's been a slight bit obsessive (SWMBO thinks so, at least).

So yesterday I went to a friend's house to help/watch his all-grain brewing. He has been brewing over 10 years, and makes some truly incredible beers. As I'm watchign his process, I'm asking all these questions based on my recent reading, and all his replies amused the hell out of me because he never really gave any thought to the things I was asking him. He didn't know much at all about all the fancy brewing terms used, and seemed downright lackadaisical about the whole damn thing.

He uses bleach, he mashes with 1qt/lb, he doesn't worry too much about mashing temps or conversion, or pretty much anything else.
And he still makes really good beer.

I learned a lot yesterday. What I learned most is that there's a multitude of ways to brew, from simple to advanced, and they all pretty much work.

I'll keep using StarSan, because I like it and it works, but I used to be so petrified of using bleach and I just don't know why.

It sounds like you learned a lot and many people on here should take that advice, especially beginners. You can get really wrapped up in sanitation and cleanliness and it is even some sort of paranoia. I learned years ago, when I first started brewing that you do not need to be anal about some stuff. My father in law used to make homebrew back in the late 60's, early 70's. I told him my processes that I use and he questioned every one them. He used to make homebrew in an open crock and bottled in cleaned, unsanitized bottles.
He laughs every time I make a batch and all the stuff I go through. Hell, for thousands of years, there's been beer made and they didn't sanitize the stuff back then.

Loop

 

[chefmike]

The podcast on bleach use that is cited earlier really caught me off guard. Well, if I remember correctly, the podcast is actually with the maker/inventor of StarSan, he just talks about bleach for a long time.

The shocking thing I believe he said is that bleach is ineffectual at sanitizing the way it is typically used by the homebrewer. He stated that the reason bleach users are succesful is they are properly cleaning! I was shocked. Here I thought bleach kills everything. He then went on to explain the technique of mixing with vinegar to properly sanitize equipment.

It is another example of how We can worry and obsess too much. For what it is worth, I used bleach for a long time with no problems. Now I am using star san, which I love for the stability of the solution ( I keep a spray bottle mixed up for the wine (wort) thief, etc) Chlorine is not stable in solution like star san.

RDWHAHB

 

[dragonlor20]

OK folks, my good friend who got me interested in homebrewing cleans all his equipment/bottles with bleach. His rule of thumb is 3 tbs bleach for every gallon of water. He has brewed many, many batches using this method and has only had one bad batch to show for it (he honestly doesn't know what happened to it)

I used his method for my initial brewing & primary on my first batch. Here it is a couple of weeks out for my bottling, and I am beginning to question the bleach idea due to lack of talk about it here on HBT.

Just wondering if anyone else uses bleach for sanitizing. I know it works, but I am after all I am a first time over anxious nervous homebrewer.....


Thanks for any input......

I use it exclusively for my batches. I am in the double digits on batches now, and I have had some bad ones, but they were bad beers, not infections, and I have traced causes to other factors. I use 1 cap per gallon and I usually rinse a couple of times with water I boil in my tea kettle (easy to pour hot). I have NEVER had an infected batch with this dillution, but you won't see much about bleach on the forums because there are easier things to use. For me, bleach is cheap, it works, I know how to use it, and so I keep using it.

 

[springer]

I would just like to say bleach does not clean its sanitizes . Just like Star san the equipment must be cleaned prior to sanitation

 

[dragonlor20]

I would just like to say bleach does not clean its sanitizes . Just like Star san the equipment must be cleaned prior to sanitation

I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said "exclusively." I use Method dish soap (no aromas or flavors) to clean, bleach to sanitize.

 

[seabrew8]

I used bleach to sanitize a plastic bucket today. I use it all the time but plan on getting some star san my next order.

 

[gratus fermentatio]

I used to use bleach when I 1st started brewing, because it was cheap. But after I got some nasty off flavours & traced it back to the bleach (or chloramine in the water) I Decided the money spent on Starsan was well worth it. I haven't gotten those off flavours since I've been using it. IMHO, Starsan is the proverbial "Ounce of prevention." Regards, GF.

 

[starrfish]

I just "cleaned and Sanitized" my fermenter used for my smoked imperial porter.

Started with a hot water rinse, then an Sun cleaner (oxyclean type) soak... bucket still had a strong fruity/smokey scent and a light stain. Went back to my old standby BLEACH. Within a few hours no scent, rinsed and ready to star san tonight...

Since I've found starsan I use a whole lot less bleach but there are still times when the old standbys work the best. After years of using bleach I think I've gotten my rinse procedures down, I've never had off flavors from bleach. The Starsan foam still freaks me out a bit, but I'm learning to live with it~ great stuff for quick brew/bottle day sanitation.

Bottles I'm down to just an Sun/Oxy soak, and a good rinse with bottle washer. Bottling day bottles get a few pumps off vintinator with starsan. ready to bottle. I don't miss bleach in this step!

I'm in the process of cleaning a mass amount of bottles so I have enough for my spring/summer brewing push.