Getting OCD, cleaning & sanitizing!

[themanc84]

I brewed three extract kits so far and my OCD when it comes to cleaning and sanitizing has gotten more severe with each batch. It took me approximately 2 and a 1/2 hours the other night to transfer a beer to a secondary!

Can anyone share some tips or advice to make the cleaning/sanitizing procedure a little more efficient? I'm currently using One Step and Star San but on my next batch I'm going to switch to PBW.

I find myself cleaning and re-cleaning the same equipment over and over again. I recently purchased a couple of 5 gallon food grade buckets so I can keep a bucket of Star San on hand which I heard is good for 3-4 weeks.

I found that One Step was not effective because after cleaning a couple of items in the solution it started to look a little murky and I would need to dump it and start up a new batch to continue the cleaning process.

Looking forward to hearing some of your cleaning steps and procedures!

 

[Psylocide]

My advice? Don't sweat it so much.

Yes, it's important, but you should only need to clean once to get the gunk and what-not off, then sanitize once before you use the item.

I'm super lax about it and haven't had any issues.

 

[aprichman]

I break my autosiphon down and wash it with warm water immediately after using it. That way when I need to use it it's pretty much good to go. I'll put my siphon in the bucket of StarSan and pump the solution through a few times. I'll usually use the autosiphon to transfer StarSan from my bucket into the carboy. I'll swirl the StarSan around the carboy making sure it contacts every part of the carboy. After 2 minutes I'll dump the StarSan solution back into it's bucket.

Takes a few minutes for me to sanitize the autosiphon and carboy.

 

[SnakeRidge]

Clean everything when you put it away. Just star San before use and you're good to go. It's easy to get OCD but there is no reason to. The more you brew the more relaxed you'll get. This ain't open heart surgery.

 

[The_Bishop]

One Step *and* PBW are an oxygen type cleaner. You cannot 'store' and re-use it once mixed with water.

 

[feinbera]

I wouldn't worry about murky cleaning solutions – they're doing their job if the gunk ends up in the solution and not still stuck to your gear! Long as you don't let it sit around and dry, any tiny amount of gunk you transfer back onto subsequent equipment will easily rinse off.

 

[mgortel]

A little OCD is good for sanitation....but not 2.5 hours worth!

No gunk in carboy or on equipment.....Star San sanitizer for a few mins...and good to go!

 

[Subdivisions]

Tips? Don't secondary unless you're ageing the beer. Less stuff to clean and less chance of actually introducing oxygen or microbes.

You need your equipment so it LOOKS clean and quit obsessing about what you can't see.

Oxyclean FREE is cheaper than PBW and works well. Get the unscented stuff