Cleaning and Sanitizing

[McCall St. Brewer]

I have just purchased new homebrewing equipment and my question is this: does new equipment need to be cleaned before sanitizing, or do I just need to sanitize it before using it?

 

[timdsmith72]

I'd clean it first...But then again, I'm paranoid.

 

[SteveM]

Concur. You can't really be TOO clean.

 

[Sasquatch]

If you are sanitizing with Sani-Brew (that pink powder) then that is basically chlorinated TSP - also a cleaner. So just go ahead and sanitize everything. Try to stay away from using soaps, which tend to leave a residue. As long as things look and feel and smell clean, then you are probably ready to sanitize. You can't hurt anything by being to clean, but you can hurt things if you add residues and lemon-scent.

 

[McCall St. Brewer]

I did clean everything and then sanitize it. Everything seems to be going okay. It has been fermenting since Saturday. Bubbles have slowed to about one per 1 1/2 second.

 

[Cheesefood]

I use plastic, and after each brew I fill it to the top with water (usually from the hose) add a couple of glugs of bleach and let it sit for a few hours. This helps get the nooks and crannies clean, gets rid of the smell and residue and leaves it clean and fresh. Then before I brew, a little Star San (which I'm new on) in another completely full bucket of water for about 1 hour. While I'm boiling, I'm sanitizing.