I use it, I love it... it is cheap, effective... what is there to know?
PBW is a cleaner, not a sanitizer.
Yeah I knew that
I'm currently using oxiclean and this guys says PBW is much better
I am freeken amazed how much more stuff comes out of the system after a PBW wash.
Here is my take on oxiclean/PBW choice:
Oxiclean is cheaper and works well for 90% of my applications, except...
If you live somewhere with hard water, you will notice that oxiclean leaves a residue that requires an acid rinse to get off, PBW will not leave that.
I've never used PBW...only Oxyclean, but I was under the impression (according to "How to Brew") that any polycarbonate based cleaner will leave the residue with extended soaks in hard water.
Polycarbonate = hard plastic.
Perchlorate = cleaning chemical
Buy in bulk and save yourself some money. I bought the 4lb tub last time and I'm already wishing I had gone ahead with the 8lb.
I have been using Oxyclean since the beginning of my brewing days. I thought I would give PBW a shot after listening to that Brew Strong podcast. In short it's exponentially more expensive and I didn't notice it doing any better of a job. If you have hard water there probably would be a difference, but I have a water softener and Oxyclean works incredibly well and just as fast if not faster than PBW.
My mileage does in fact vary. But like I said, I have a water softener which helps out oxyclean a bunch. PBW has softeners in it that help it be more effective in hard water.YMMV
PBW is also safe on aluminum and copper.
PBW will also be more effective on that black-burnt-on crap that is left when you burn something. Say if you burn your starter to charcoal on one of SWMBO's nice pots, an overnight soak in PBW will get that off.
Do not use PBW on Teflon coated items.
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