How do you clean your buckets/fermenters?

[pricelessbrewing]

So far I've just filled them up with water, dumped it, filled it back up, let it soak for a few hours, then dumped and wiped off the sides with a paper towel, then soaked in oxyclean/b-brite overnight. Next day I dump and flip over onto a towel to allow to drip dry.

I'm sure this is overkill. What do you guys do?

 

[unionrdr]

I wash the yeast(if I'm going to save it),or rinse the newly emptied fermenter out with plain tap water.The pour 3-4 TBSP's of PBW in,& fill with water up to the top of the crud ring. Stirring it really well,as PBW doesn't dissolve real easy in cold to like warm water. i let it soak for a couple days & the dcrud just loosens & sinks to the bottom. for the most part. I thebn take my bottle brush & rub over the inside lightly,as the stuff still klinging is really loose. Kinda like when entering a cave,& brittle Spar shatters at the breath of the first explorer. Then I put an ice cream pil under the spigot & open it. It gets washed out that way. then do the same with rinse water. On brewing day,I soak & scrub the spigot parts & reassemble wet with Starsan.

 

[NTXBrauer]

Warm water, soap and a carboy brush for the fermenters. I always clean immediately after racking to avoid any dried on crud. I also clean the bottling bucket right away with soap and water. Dry with a clean towel and put away. I will sanitize right before use the next time around. This has worked for years with no issues.

 

[Hello]

I rinse but not well, fill with warm water and PBW and let them sit overnight.

 

[Clonefan94]

I clean immediately after racking. Basically I put warm water in them, clean them well with a soft sponge to remove any crud, then rinse them out well. Then I put some PBW in them and let it soak for a bit, then give them a good scrub and rinse.

 

[Calder]

I rinse with warm water immediatly after use and get off as much crud as I can with a soft cloth (or carboy brush for carboys). Then fill with mild bleach solution, seal up, and leave until next use.

When I use them next time, I rinse several times with hot water. Never had problem. All 4 of my fermenters are 25 to 30 years old.

 

[GASoline71]

I rinse but not well, fill with warm water and PBW and let them sit overnight.

This ^^^

Then all you have to do is rinse them out good, and flip them upside down on a rack to dry.

Gary

 

[Calichusetts]

Guess I'm a little overboard. Keep filling with hot water and stirring shaking til krausen ring is gone (usually have a bag of hops and marbles in there so its very easy). Oxy-clean soak for a few hours/overnight. Fill and drain a few times then soak with starsan overnight

 

[flars]

I never fill my glass carboys in the cleaning process. That is a lot of weight to handle.

When I'm done bottling I harvest the yeast. Use the jet washer to rinse the fermentor. Nothing sticks in the area that was below the surface of the beer so the rinse cleans the majority of the interior.
The dried krausen ring above the level of the beer is the hardest area to clean. I add about 2 gallons of water, plug and invert the fermentor in the sink. In the morning the gunk wipes away with the carboy brush. Jet rinse and inspect.
I add a couple of cups of Starsan sanitizer as the final step. Shake to coat. Plug and put away.

On your final inspection for brown dots, wipe the outside of the fermentor before you put the brush back inside.

 

[unionrdr]

My wife got me one of those washer/qand things for Christmas once. But instead of being a jet washer,like at the car wash that I expected,it sprays like 6 weak streams sideways. I'm going to modify it to spray more like the car was,in hopes of intensifying the spray. This would greatly speed up the cleaning process. Especially with a large valved kettle or bucket & a pump. That way,warm PBW could be used,followed by a rinse.

 

[planetscott]

Pbw ftw