Cleaning your Bag

[tennesseean_87]

Water rinse

 

[BandonBrewingCo]

just threw mine into the wash with all my other whites at 90c. Came out fine

 

[One4Liberty]

so I have done a search on this, and have seen some old post on the matter. But I am looking for currant info. How do you clean your bag? If you wash it in you washing machine do you use soap? If you just rinse and hang dry ( which is what I do for now)... does the bag get washed after every 20 brews, or just as needed?

Reason for the inquire is because I have noticed black spot on the outer edge of my bag.. and I’m not sure the best practice to clean my Windsor Bag ( spelling might be off, a few sheets under the wind)


Thanks in advance..

I rinse mine out with the hot water from the chiller. I air dry it a bit and then store it in my beer fridge where it dries further. It never gets mildew that way.

I have been using the same bag about 10 years.

 

[iamwhatiseem]

I rinse the grain stickies off with a hose, then I just put it in hot water and let it soak for a while. Hang it up over the shower rod to air dry.
It has a tan color....but who cares?

 

[user 30639]

Tried the washing machine for the first time. Washed and dried it on the delicate cycles. My wife buys the laundry detergent without any perfumes or dyes so didn't have to worry about that. Looks clean and don't see any damage. I did rinse it off first to get the grain out of it.

 

[rhys333]

Rinse it with water, ring out and leave to dry.

 

[MaxStout]

Same here. Rinse off, hang up to dry. It's turned a light tan color and it smells like grain, but it doesn't matter. When it's completely dry, I fold it and store in a ziploc.

 

[Novacor]

I spray the grain off with a hose, then give it a quick dunk and swish in with the cleaner I've mixed up for the rest of my gear. Quick rinse with the hose again and then I hang it to dry.

 

[mooney]

I have just chucked it straight in the washing machine and had my clothes come out covered in grain husks

 

[OG-wan Kenobi]

I rinse mine immediately after use get as much grain off as I can in the sink and then I just hang it to dry seems to be working just fine

 

[cubalz]

I scrub it off in hot PBW and rinse. Air dry and put it away. Easy.

 

[DoctorMemory]

Rinse mine off in the sink to get the bulk of the mess off, then toss it in the washer by itself with no soap on small load/delicate cycle. Pull it out of the washer and throw it on the line. Then spend ten minutes looking for it next brewday in my equipment box before remembering I left it on the line.

 

[rkhanso]

I think drying is much more important than cleaning it.
But, don't forget to at least rinse it out first.

 

[LLBrewer]

You don't even need to go mad with rinsing. Just get the big clumps off, leave to dry then shake it outside. When dry all the little grain flakes just fly right off.

Yep this is what I do.

 

[fourfarthing]

Just some soap and a towel. Missus thinks that is fine.

 

[wepeeler]

I spray it off with the hose and air dry. Anything that comes in contact with it will eventually be boiled anyway. I did do a RIS in it a few brew days back, and it's darkened a bit, but other than that, it seems fine.

 

[spittybug]

Old thread I realize... Does anyone find that as their bag ages it becomes less porous? I use a HERMS system and am pretty much constantly cycling the wort through the coil in the HLT and back to a sparging head over the grain bed. With time, my bag seems to hold in more of the liquid, causing it to not only fail to reach the level of the temp probe, but to also impact the flow back to the pump. Essentially the bag has become less porous. Build up of proteins or starches in the fabric perhaps? I always rinse the bag clean after brewing, but never have used a washing machine or dishwasher as described above. I wonder if I should try soaking in something that will dissolve starches/proteins? Suggestions?

 

[FloppyKnockers]

I thought I noticed the same thing, but am not sure. It still drains so I guess it doesn't need replacing yet.

If I forget to rinse the bag, I just put it in the magic basket.

 

[GoodTruble]

I would be weary of picking up odors from washing machine or using bleach.

I just spray it down with hot water to remove all debris, soak in the bucket of oxy cleaner I already have onhand on brew days, and then hang dry.

I agree with several previous comments that it is key to clean it quickly/within a couple of hours.

Over time, I think the threads wear out and spread out so that the gaps between become smaller. Mine have stayed porous enough that I think they are still fine, but the once visually perceptible gaps have shrunk/disappeared.

 

[spittybug]

I would be weary of picking up odors from washing machine or using bleach.

I just spray it down with hot water to remove all debris, soak in the bucket of oxy cleaner I already have onhand on brew days, and then hang dry.

I agree with several previous comments that it is key to clean it quickly/within a couple of hours.

Over time, I think the threads wear out and spread out so that the gaps between become smaller. Mine have stayed porous enough that I think they are still fine, but the once visually perceptible gaps have shrunk/disappeared.

Maybe it's just time for a new one.....

 

[DBhomebrew]

I just spray it down with hot water to remove all debris, soak in the bucket of oxy cleaner I already have onhand on brew days, and then hang dry.

That's exactly what I do. 50+ batches later, it's still good as new.

 

[GoodTruble]

Maybe it's just time for a new one.....

Ha. That's a different topic, but mine still work fine for now. Drain fine, good efficiency. But I will replace if I see signs of wearing that may develop into actual tear. I worry more about stuff getting out than stuff being trapped in.

 

[Bobby_M]

Old thread I realize... Does anyone find that as their bag ages it becomes less porous? I use a HERMS system and am pretty much constantly cycling the wort through the coil in the HLT and back to a sparging head over the grain bed. With time, my bag seems to hold in more of the liquid, causing it to not only fail to reach the level of the temp probe, but to also impact the flow back to the pump. Essentially the bag has become less porous. Build up of proteins or starches in the fabric perhaps? I always rinse the bag clean after brewing, but never have used a washing machine or dishwasher as described above. I wonder if I should try soaking in something that will dissolve starches/proteins? Suggestions?

Yes, a hot PBW soak restores it.

 

[spittybug]

Ha. That's a different topic, but mine still work fine for now. Drain fine, good efficiency. But I will replace if I see signs of wearing that may develop into actual tear. I worry more about stuff getting out than stuff being trapped in.

My system is built around continuous recirculation. I have to get the wort to flow from the Sanke head (upside down keg for mash tun), through the SS coil in the HLT and to the sparge arm. This way the grain bed is not only kept at the desired temperature but it is constantly washing the sugars off the grains. It makes for a very efficient brew day (Friday's Mexican lager had a 91% conversion). If the bag isn't leaking out the wort I have to increase the liquid volume and or semi suspend the bag and shake it frequently to 'force' it through the mesh. Hard to envision I suppose, but this issue seems to be related to the aging bag and losing porosity. I've gone ahead and ordered a new one and will try that.

 

[hottpeper13]

If you're recircing,why not put the rinsed bag back in the tun for the CIP cycle?

My system is built around continuous recirculation. I have to get the wort to flow from the Sanke head (upside down keg for mash tun), through the SS coil in the HLT and to the sparge arm. This way the grain bed is not only kept at the desired temperature but it is constantly washing the sugars off the grains. It makes for a very efficient brew day (Friday's Mexican lager had a 91% conversion). If the bag isn't leaking out the wort I have to increase the liquid volume and or semi suspend the bag and shake it frequently to 'force' it through the mesh. Hard to envision I suppose, but this issue seems to be related to the aging bag and losing porosity. I've gone ahead and ordered a new one and will try that.

 

[wsmith1625]

The issue is the black spots ( mold possibly) it’s only on the rim of my bag, but it bothers me. I will try the washer, there is no agitator so with any luck it won’t damage my bag.

Mold is not due to your washing technique, it's how you're drying the bag. It's staying wet too long. I hand wash the grain bag with cold water from the garden hose, rinsing the grains and sugars off the fabric. Then I squeeze out the excess water and hang it to dry in my garage. I've been using the same bag for years with no mold. It is discolored from all the use, but works just as well as the day I bought it.

 

[RynoRama]

Wow, I use a garden hose and blast it. Then hang it to let it dry

 

[seatazzz]

After I dump the spent grain, my wilser bag gets a good snappy shake (the reason I'm usually covered in grain bits after a brew day) then a good rinse with hot water; then another snappy shake, and hung to dry. It has never seen soap or the washing machine, and only two oxyclean soaks in the two years since I bought it. No snaggy holes, it's a lovely tan color, and works great for every brewday. I've considered renaming my brewery No Soap Brewing since I don't use it for anything, from cleaning the grain and hop bags to the HLT and BK. Cleaning/rinsing immediately after the brewday with clean hot water negates the need for any detergents or soaps in my humble opinion. And I haven't had an infection in at least 3 years.

 

[Bobby_M]

I clean my bag with very hot PBW solution every 3rd or 4th brew day because the pores definitely close up on you if you let it go with only rinsing for too long. I also do a double strength warm water starsan soak occasionally to combat any beer stone.

 

[Agent]

I clean my bag with very hot PBW solution every 3rd or 4th brew day because the pores definitely close up on you if you let it go with only rinsing for too long. I also do a double strength warm water starsan soak occasionally to combat any beer stone.

I guess I thought PBW fought beerstone on its own.

Anyways, I too use a nice PBW soak ever 4-6 uses, and once a year give it a hot bleach soak. There are just some odors and discoloration that PBW doesn't seem to get out.