Cleanser vs. Sanitizer

[giblets]

When I did homebrewing a couple years ago, We bought the whole kit together and it came with what I believe was just a no-rinse cleanser, because it came in powder form where you just dissolve in water.

I got brand new equipment this year and the guy told me to get both the cleanser and the sanitizer. The cleanser is LD Carlson Easy Clean no-rinse cleanser, and the sanitizer is Iodophor. It sounds like from everything I've read was that the sanitizer is pretty necessary, so I don't understand why I didn't need it when we bought the first kit. Which equipment and when is it necessary to use the cleanser, the sanitizer, or both? Which one would I use first if I do have to use both? And is it just me or do you go through 8 oz. cannisters of Easy Clean and 4 oz bottles of Iodophor fairly quickly?

Thanks

 

[Mike35673]

I use both. I use a cleaner like the LD no-rinse or Oxy Clean to clean my bottles and my equipment. I have used idophor in the past but have now switched to star-san which I find preferable. I do go through oxy-clean fairly quickly when I scrub botles and remove labels. The star-san I have I think comes in an 8oz container and you are supposed to use one oz per 5 gallons of water. So I essentially use one oz per batch of beer. That costs about a buck per batch. Not all that bad in all honestly.

 

[eibbor]

To answer your question on when to use the sanitize... i will sanitize anything that isnt going to be boiled.

 

[HairyDogBrewing]

I mix StarSan one quart at a time in a spray bottle.
3ml (2 eyedroppersful) of concentrate per quart of distilled water.
I've made 40-some batches and I'm still on my first 8oz bottle of StarSan.

It sanitizes on contact, so you don't need to soak things.

 

[wyzazz]

First clean, then sanitize. Iodophor or Starsan are preferred, bleach diluted properly and then rinsed like crazy will work in a pinch. IMHO StarSan is much easier to use than Iodophor, no rinse and "Don't Fear the Foam"!

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/vs-pro-con-analysis-109318/

Check out this link for Pros/Cons...

 

[Brew-boy]

NO NO Bleach, IMHO StarSan is the way to go, others have used and like Iodophor.

 

[jspence1]

I mix StarSan one quart at a time in a spray bottle.
3ml (2 eyedroppersful) of concentrate per quart of distilled water.
I've made 40-some batches and I'm still on my first 8oz bottle of StarSan.

It sanitizes on contact, so you don't need to soak things.

That's a lot of starsan, 2oz/5G double strength. you can cut that back and have it last forever

I also use bleach and Iodophor once in a blue moon to keep the bugs guessing

 

[ISLAGI]

It sounds like from everything I've read was that the sanitizer is pretty necessary, so I don't understand why I didn't need it when we bought the first kit. Which equipment and when is it necessary to use the cleanser, the sanitizer, or both? Which one would I use first if I do have to use both?

+1000 to sanitizer being necessary. The cleanser removes the crud from the vessel (bucket, carboy, etc.) which will allow the sanitizer to get at and kill all of the bugs that are waiting to infect and spoil your yummy new beer.

Enjoy!

 

[fatguy-littlecoat]

I mix StarSan one quart at a time in a spray bottle.
3ml (2 eyedroppersful) of concentrate per quart of distilled water.

how did you come up with 3ml per 32 oz? just curious. ive been using 1.5 ml

1 oz of star san per 640oz(5 gallons) = .0015625 oz star san per oz of water

32 oz * .0015625 = .05 oz of starsan = 1.4786...ml rounded to 1.5 ml

 

[HairyDogBrewing]

My math went bad - 1.5 ml per quart is the correct ratio.

 

[nakros]

I only use cleaner when there is any visible crud (and when reconditioning new kegs). I use sanitizer all the time (no-rinse).

 

[northernlad]

First clean, then sanitize. Iodophor or Starsan are preferred, bleach diluted properly and then rinsed like crazy will work in a pinch. IMHO StarSan is much easier to use than Iodophor, no rinse and "Don't Fear the Foam"!

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/vs-pro-con-analysis-109318/

Check out this link for Pros/Cons...

How is Star-San easier to use than Iodophor? They are both essentially the same ratio and both are no rinse.

 

[noblesquirrel]

with iodophor, you need to let it dry prior to using the vessel, whereas you can use it with starsan foam.

 

[ChrisS68]

with iodophor, you need to let it dry prior to using the vessel, whereas you can use it with starsan foam.

While the instructions for iodophor say to let items dry before use, it's not really necessary.

Edited to add: While not specifically stated, an earlier post may lead one to believe that iodophor needs to be rinsed. Iodophor is a no-rinse sanitizer.

 

[fatguy-littlecoat]

ok kewl.. i was just curious, i thought maybe i was wrong..

 

[ChrisS68]

When I did homebrewing a couple years ago, We bought the whole kit together and it came with what I believe was just a no-rinse cleanser, because it came in powder form where you just dissolve in water.

I got brand new equipment this year and the guy told me to get both the cleanser and the sanitizer. The cleanser is LD Carlson Easy Clean no-rinse cleanser, and the sanitizer is Iodophor. It sounds like from everything I've read was that the sanitizer is pretty necessary, so I don't understand why I didn't need it when we bought the first kit. Which equipment and when is it necessary to use the cleanser, the sanitizer, or both? Which one would I use first if I do have to use both? And is it just me or do you go through 8 oz. cannisters of Easy Clean and 4 oz bottles of Iodophor fairly quickly?

Thanks

What probably came with your first kit was something like "One-Step". It is supposed to be a cleaner and sanitizer, though it is not officially recognized as such. I used it on a few batches when I first started and had no problems. I cannot comment on the "Easy Clean" as I use OxiClean. Interesting that it's no-rinse. It doesn't take much Iodophor to get the proper concentration, so 4 ounces should last a little while.

Cleanser really should be self-explanatory; use it to wash your equipment and remove any dirt, grime, crud, etc. Sanitizer is used to bring unfriendly microorganisims and such to an acceptable level so they don't ruin our precious beer. It is imperative that anything coming into contact with the wort post-boil be sanitized. Sanitizer cannot penetrate debris, so it needs a clean surface to be effective. Even though I wash my equipment before I put it away, I normally wash again before sanitizing when brewing, just to be safe. I have done just a rinse and sanitize on clean items before with no ill effects, but it's not something I do regularly.

 

[malkore]

How is Star-San easier to use than Iodophor? They are both essentially the same ratio and both are no rinse.

star-san doesn't stain light fabrics
star-san doesn't leave any flavor if there's a lot of residue...i've read posts where people had too high a concentration of iodiphor and their beer had a noticable iodine off-taste.