Cleaning with Caustic

[RiverSwillBeer]

Anyone have any experience in cleaning equipment with what the pros call ... caustic???

I have read the posts here and it seems no one likes it ... but I guess Im interested in how its used and why its not for the Homebrewing Community

 

[menschmaschine]

Caustic soda?... That's just lye (sodium hydroxide). The only thing I'd use it on (and have used it on) is glass. I'd keep it away from metals and plastic, way too powerful. It's the exact opposite of a strong acid, i.e., it's a strong base (or alkaline). The only source I've seen it at is a hardware store (I've seen it at Lowes) in the plumbing/drain cleaner section. It should state 100% sodium hydroxide. It comes in granular form, so you really need to be careful with mixing quantities in water .

I used it to clean the dried-scummy bottom of the inside of some old bottles and it worked great. I also use the food-grade version (available online) to make authentic Bavarian pretzels!

PS: Wear PPE when handling!

 

[Grimsawyer]

I use caustic soda on my carboys. It's a diluted form that comes in a box. A green box. Cleans up my carboys without scrubbing and rinses completely. AND!!! AND!!! It is 1/4 the price of oxi-clean! You can get it at ANY grocery store. Oh, btw, it's called Cascade Dishwasher Detergent. People will try to tell you that it'll kill head retention but I've NEVER had a problem with it. Wouldn't you have a problem with head retention if you used a glass cleaned by that same detergent? But I digress... Besides it is designed to break up food particles and grease off of plates, flatware, etc... clean them, and rinse COMPLETLY in 45 or so min. I just warn you of one thing. Once you use it you might not be able to stop using it and saving money! I havn't used it on my keggles yet but my carboys are nice and perfectly clean.

 

[AiredAle]

Menschmaschine is right, caustic soda is the old fashioned name for sodium hydroxide. Sodium hydroxide (NaOH) is a very strong base, very good at dissolving proteins and fatty substances because it chemically attacks them and breaks them down to water soluble pieces. This is why it is the main ingredient in drain cleaners. It will do the same to your skin or your eyes in particular, so if you must use it, wear good rubber gloves and better eye protection. NaOH is also hard to rinse off of surfaces (or out of eyes), which is why sometimes pro brewers use potassium hydroxide (KOH). Even though KOH is less aggressive, it is safer to handle and easier to rinse off. You can get a KOH solution at your LHBS, it's called Beer Line Cleaner.

Dishwasher detergent does not contain sodium hydroxide, it contains sodium carbonate and sodium silicate, much milder and safer bases. I use a lot of this in my brewery cleaning for the reasons Grimsawyer mentioned. I use the cheapo unscented brands from the grocery store.

Unless you are familiar with handling hazardous chemicals, I would advise against using sodium hydroxide. The other options are safer and easier to handle and will do as good a job.