Cleaning (how much and when)

[sabrams86]

I'm new to the home brew scene, and as I'm sure is common with all beginners, I'm extremely paranoid about cleaning and sanitizing. So first lets cover cleaning. When is the correct time to clean all of the equipment, brew kettle, and fermenters? Right now I am filling everything up and tossing in my PBW on the brew day (or the night before), and I toss all of my equipment (tubing, siphon, airlocks, cooling coil, etc...) in the bottling bucket full of cleaner. Then I clean again after I'm done brewing, and the fermenter as soon as I rack the beer for bottling. Is this too much? Do I only need to clean after, then just worry about sanitizing on brew and bottle day?

Next is sanitizing. The first time I brewed, I used way too much starsan (I filled my entire fermenter and my full 6 gallon bottling bucket which I used to sanitize equipment as needed). Since then, I've begun just filling the bucket with a few gallons, and slowly going through it splashing it around the fermenter, and just dunking items as needed. Then I pour it out, and on bottling day, I do it again. Can I just leave the starsan in the bucket for the week or two that the beer is fermenting and continue to use it a few weeks later? Or am I right in creating a new batch every time I need it.

Last is bottles. After I drink a bottle, I rinse and shake it heavily with hot water and let it dry before returning it to storage. Then on bottling day, I fill my bucket with cleaner, soak the bottles for 30 minutes, rinse them, then put them all in the dishwasher right before bottling. This seems like a lot of extra work. How much do I really need to do for my bottles?

Thanks so much for all of your advice!

 

[Trox]

I clean everything right after I'm done using it, if it has sat around for a while since last used then I'll give it a quick rinse to get any dust off. Sanitizing I make 2.5 gallons up usually in a separate bucket that is used just for my star-san solution. I leave the lid on it whenever I'm not actively using it and then replace it once it starts to get cloudy. I also keep a spray bottle full of star-san handy for the quick spritz if needed.

 

[TANSTAAFB]

I clean everything right after I'm done using it, if it has sat around for a while since last used then I'll give it a quick rinse to get any dust off. Sanitizing I make 2.5 gallons up usually in a separate bucket that is used just for my star-san solution. I leave the lid on it whenever I'm not actively using it and then replace it once it starts to get cloudy. I also keep a spray bottle full of star-san handy for the quick spritz if needed.

^^^This^^^

And I wash the crap out of my bottles when I initially delabel them. I also use the dishwasher to sanitize. I do the same as you-rinse well with hot water as soon as I poor a beer. Then I just run them through the dishwasher to sanitize the next bottling day unless they start to look funky or have krausen rings. I think it is way easier to have a bottle brush handy and scrub a few at a time than to scrub a couple cases at once.

That said, I don't think you can be too stringent on your cleaning and sanitizing regimen. I personally clean everything at the end of a brew day and then rinse the dust off and sanitize next go round.

 

[unionrdr]

Yup. Just clean them well after brewing or bottling day. Rinse thoroughly,taking any spigots apart & cleaning,rinsing & sanitizing them seperately.I sanitize them after cleaning/rinsing before storage. Then sanitize again right before use.This includes autosiphons,racking tubes,bottling wands,etc. I have a bottle tree & vinator for bottling day,& drying bottles after washing before storage. On bottling day,the clean stored bottles get a few pumps on the vinator half full of starsan solution & back on the tree to drain a bit. Then bottle away. I store my bottles in covered 12 & 24 pack boxes.

 

[Trox]

Yeah as for my bottles I have started taking a bottle brush to them and give them a quick clean/rinse right after pouring, I will store them in either covered boxes, upside down in a six pack, or if I don't have an empty carton handy or one big enough to hold the bottle (such as my Samual Smith or Stone bottles) I will cover them with a piece of aluminum foil. On bottle day couple of quick pumps on the vinator and on the bottling tree until ready to be filled with beer.