Cleaning Equipment That Is Used Frequently

[snachreiner]

I am on my second home brew, my first turned out better than expected and I pretty much made that happen by browsing for info on this forum.

One question I never thought to look for because I never thought of it was what is a good way to clean equipment, like my hydrometer and thief, that I use frequently throughout the brewing process. I cannot seem to find the answer.

I have been using powdered no rise solution that calls for 1 tbls per 1 gallon, but I ran out on my last batch because I kept mixing up 1 gallon each time I used the thief and hydrometer to take readings. I understand that sanitation is the name of the game when brewing, but am I going overboard? Can I mix up a gallon or two of solution and keep it in a sealed container or spray bottle and use it as I need to to clean my stuff?

 

[paulster2626]

Yes I keep some in a spray bottle. Really, if you're keeping things relatively clean to begin with, you won't have anything to worry about.

 

[unionrdr]

I use five-star chemicals all the way. PBW in solution to clean.soak with,& star-san solution for sanitizing. Star-san is a no rinse sanitizer,so easy & quick there. I haven't found too much that can't be cleaned with PBW. I keep an old 12 pack cooler full of PBW for de-labeling bottles,soaking blow off tubes,& other small things. I make up gallons of it for what ever use larger amounts would necessitate. When I had a few hundred bottles to clean & de-label,a $5 homer cheapo orange bucket with enough PBW in it to cover 12 bottles by a couple inches worked great. But PBW must be rinsed off.
I also have a set of three aquarium lift tube cleaning brushes for cleaning spigots,hydrometer tubes & the like. Quick-n-easy.
For soaking bottles to de-label,they go into the pre-mentioned bucket of the stuff overnight. Next day,I use my bottle brush & a dobie to clean what's left on them. The labels slid off already,the glue is dissolved or very soft. The dobie makes short work of that,& the brush gets the inside clean with a couple of strokes.
I clean my fermenters by dumping in 3-4TBSP of PBW,then fill with water & stir well to mix. Put the lid on loosely & let it sit about 5 days. Let the cleaner do all the work. Then wipe clean with a soft cloth inside & out. I use the aquarium brushes to clean the spigots & mounting holes too.

 

[smalliewader]

Star San in a spray bottle. Perfect for spot sanitizing when taking readings, etc.

 

[snachreiner]

Thanks all, having the stuff premixed should be a big help.

 

[unionrdr]

It absolutely is a very big help. Quick-n-easy makes this hobby less of a chore anywhere one can.

 

[BonnieJ]

I rinse things like my hydrometer and wine thief as soon as I'm done with them and let them dry. I spray them with mixed starsan before I use them again. I never wash them, really.