cleaning before sanitation?

[eaboyle]

I'm about to brew a stout, and wondering, if my equipment looks clean, i.e. no dirty looking deposits, stains, etc., can I go ahead and sanitize the equipment or do I need to clean it before sanitization. Also, if I do need to clean it before hand, what cleaner is best and how much contact time does it require?

Thanks

 

[EdWort]

Always clean before sanitizing. Get some PBW, soak for 30 minutes, rinse, then sanitize with Starsan. Starsan only needs 60 second contact time, then pour it back in the bucket. You are ready to go wet or dry.

 

[SumnerH]

I'm about to brew a stout, and wondering, if my equipment looks clean, i.e. no dirty looking deposits, stains, etc., can I go ahead and sanitize the equipment or do I need to clean it before sanitization. Also, if I do need to clean it before hand, what cleaner is best and how much contact time does it require?

Cleaning is just to, um, clean. If you washed your brewpot, or fermentor, or whatever thoroughly after the last use (and rinsed thoroughly) there's no need to use a special cleaner on it again now (though I'd rinse to eliminate dust before sanitizing).

Things like PBW and oxiclean are to help with tough cleaning jobs (and are very nice for getting into nooks and crannies), but they're not magic.

 

[HOP-HEAD]

Cleaning is just that, cleaning. i.e. removing gunk that you can essentially see with your naked eyes. If your stuff is clean, cleaning it again isn't going to accomplish anything. Sanitizing is killing the things you can't see, or at least the bulk of them, since we're still talking sanitizing not sterilizing.

If it's clean it's clean.