Best/easiest way to sanitize equipment?

[bobkaboni]

I am preparing for my first brew. The equipment kit I bought came with a rinse free sanitizer that is on powder form (mix one tbsp for every gallon). What do you think is the best way to cleaning and sanitizing everything?

Also, if I give bottles a good rinse after opening then store in a plastic tub, can I skip cleaning and go strait to sanitizing?

 

[Hello]

Bottles:
If you use, rinse with warm/hot water, then dry upside down then yes, you can store them in a dust-free/dirt-free environment and sanitize the day of bottling.

Equipment:
For buckets and carboys, I pour about a 1/2 gallon of diluted star san (no rinse sanitizer) into the vessel, shake it around, put foil over the opening or use the lid for the bucket, and let that sit. Another quick slosh of the sanitizer before racking is done when I am ready.

Spoons, siphons, etc, are all sanitized using a 30" long wallpaper tray. It was the best $14 I could have spent next to the vinator. I toss those in while the wort is cooling. I use a spray bottle of star san to just do a quick spray of things as I am working.

For me, the best thing to do and something I didn't know the first time around, was to make a 5 gallon batch of star san and just leave it for the duration of my brew. That is brew day through bottle day. I keep it about a month, maybe 5 weeks, and dump it. I could measure the pH to determine if the sanitizer is still okay, but I don't.

 

[petrolSpice]

What sanitizer did yours come with? What you're describing sounds like PBW which is a cleaner, not really for sanitation I don't think. San Star is a common sanitizer and comes in liquid form.

 

[vtpack]

Bottles:
If you use, rinse with warm/hot water, then dry upside down then yes, you can store them in a dust-free/dirt-free environment and sanitize the day of bottling.

Equipment:
For buckets and carboys, I pour about a 1/2 gallon of diluted star san (no rinse sanitizer) into the vessel, shake it around, put foil over the opening or use the lid for the bucket, and let that sit. Another quick slosh of the sanitizer before racking is done when I am ready.

Spoons, siphons, etc, are all sanitized using a 30" long wallpaper tray. It was the best $14 I could have spent next to the vinator. I toss those in while the wort is cooling. I use a spray bottle of star san to just do a quick spray of things as I am working.

For me, the best thing to do and something I didn't know the first time around, was to make a 5 gallon batch of star san and just leave it for the duration of my brew. That is brew day through bottle day. I keep it about a month, maybe 5 weeks, and dump it. I could measure the pH to determine if the sanitizer is still okay, but I don't.

To me the bold line is the best thing you can do. It is so much easier to use a spray bottle for your sanitizer. I usually have everything clean and ready to go and simply give everything a quick spray before use, takes about 2 seconds.

 

[IvanTheTerribrew]

Yeah the 1tbsp/gal sounds like B Brite.. But let us know what it is. If you want to have a cost efficient and easy to use sanitizer get Star San. One ounce per 5 gallons and I keep mine for months. Usually around 3-4. Even if the solution turns cloudy just measure pH with strips and make sure it's at or below 3.0. I just have a big plastic bin with 5 gal in it and soak everything in it. For things that are too big I just take a spray bottle and every time I make a new batch I fill the spray bottle. Just make sure the item has at least 30 seconds contact time.