Broken Carboy Club

[BigBlueDog]

In my experience, there are two downsides to Better Bottles, but I think the pros outweigh the cons.
I don't like that I can't use a brush to clean them, and when you lift them, they suck back whatever is in the airlock, even with the "S" style. Like I said, though, small concessions for something that is a lot lighter and safer.

These issues do take some getting used to when switching from glass carboys. Swirling around a rough terry cloth washrag in a small amount of PBW or Oxyclean inside works well for cleaning off visible gunk. Place the BB in a plastic milk crate when fermenting/transporting; the extra support on the bottom will help avoid the vacuum problem.

 

[turkeyjerky214]

I actually built a PVC carboy washer specifically for my better bottles. Even with that hot PBW spraying and running down the sides, every now and then there's still a little piece of gunk I can't get. I was planning on fashioning a soft-sided cleaning wand with a cloth on the end of it.

I've heard the milk crate trick. Need to find some milk crates, though. For right now, I'm just using my brew haulers, and they work pretty well. I just put a sanitized piece of cling wrap of the top when I have to move them.

 

[passedpawn]

I've used a brush many many times on my better bottles. If there are scratches, I can't see them. Maybe my brush has soft bristles.