Bottle cleaning procedure, please critique

[BaldManBrew]

1) Bottles are rinsed 2-3 times under hot water out of faucet
2) Bottles soaked for 24 hours in Rubbermaid plastic bin, with 10 Gallons of water and 5 Oz. of PBW. (some bottles still have labels on them)
3) Remove bottles from water, remove labels, and set on table while dumping out PBW waste water
4) Rinse bin and refill with water
5) Add 2 oz of Star-San and put bottles back in Rubbermaid bin
6) After a few min start filling with beer.


Please note my dishwasher is kaput and cannot put them through a cycle.

 

[theredben]

Sounds great, the only thing I would change it to use a spray bottle/vinator to spray the inside of the bottles with Star-san, then set them upside down on the pegs in the dishwasher. Just flip them right side up as you are filling them. This is how I have bottled the last dozen or so batches and I have no complaints.

Also, if they are already clean, then you can skip the how water rinse unless there is mold inside.

 

[chaserchap]

From what I've read the starsan soak would be good, assuming they're already clean (though I'd pull labels before hand if you can).

For my (first) bottling I plan on filling a jug (or possibly my brew kettle, depending on what's available) with water/starsan, dunking/filling my bottles then just dumping them right before I fill them. That should be good.

 

[Hoppin_Mad]

Yea, the dishwasher works great as a bottle tree.

 

[BaldManBrew]

is the star-san enough to clean off the adhesive residue off the bottles?

 

[Hoppin_Mad]

in my experience warm bleach water works best for the labels, although I am guessing just a long warm water soak without any cleaner is just as good for getting the labels off. The adhesive is another story. I just leave it on mine because it doesn't bother me, but if you really want it off you will need a scrubby and some elbow grease.

 

[SKMO]

is the star-san enough to clean off the adhesive residue off the bottles?

StarSan has little if any "cleaning" properties, as far as helping remove the label adhesive. It's a "sanitizer" and works by being acidic, but does not have any cleaning properties greater than water in my opinion.

It's been a long time since I used PBW, now I use Oxyclean, maybe they work in about the same way? Anyway a few hours in an Oxyclean soak and the labels slide right off. Hot water rinse, then a shot of StarSan on the inside, ready to bottle.

 

[airmek]

I use water and oxy clean free for my labels. most all labels slide right off after an hour or two soak.

 

[chaserchap]

I was recommended to Schlafly bottles (I live in StL so they're all over the place) because the labels come off easy. I haven't tried any other bottles, but I just soaked mine in water with some dish soap and they came off easy. Even the glue came off with little more than a wipe of the sponge.