How long does sanitation last?

[pnj]

after you sanitize your equipment, say bottles, airlock or carboy, etc..

How long will it stay sanitized? I usually sanitize a plate so I can put my small items on it, such as rubber stoppers, bottle caps, airlocks, etc.. How long can these guys sit around on my plate until they may not be sterile again?

 

[The Pol]

Depends on how long it takes for flies to find them, or a kid to cough on them? Air currents?

 

[Fingers]

I keep my small stuff in pail of Iodophor. They're submerged so any airborne contaminants can't reach them. I consider something sanitized only as long as thirty seconds or so when exposed to the air.

 

[Edcculus]

Sanitizers like Starsan and Iodophor are wet contact sanitizers. If its wet, the sanitizer is still working. I use a shallow dish with a little sanitizer to keep things like caps, stoppers etc while I'm brewing or bottling.

 

[Weezknight]

Is there any harm being done by leaving the equipment sitting in the solution? I keep reading about the 30-second StarSan time, but then I hear that people leave stuff sitting in it for a long time. Is that okay?

 

[Dennis1979]

Yeah I agree. Theoretically, stuff can become "contaminated" as soon as you touch them with your hands. It's not a hospital room situation. The main thing is to sanitize everything and do your best to keep it in a clean environment and you will be ok. I have, once or twice, accidentally gotten un-sanitized stuff in my wort/beer and it didn't affect it. That doesn't mean it's ok to be sloppy but do the best you can and you will be all right.

Dennis

 

[Edcculus]

Is there any harm being done by leaving the equipment sitting in the solution? I keep reading about the 30-second StarSan time, but then I hear that people leave stuff sitting in it for a long time. Is that okay?

I wouldn't store anything in sanitizer. Its ok to keep things in sanitizing solution throughout the brew/bottling day though.

 

[Weezknight]

I wouldn't store anything in sanitizer. Its ok to keep things in sanitizing solution throughout the brew/bottling day though.

That's what I was getting at. A friend of mine who is going to help me brew my first batch, says that he usually keeps all the tools he'll use that day in a bucket of sanitizer, so they're ready when he needs them. I just didn't know if this would ultimately be a problem down the road if they sit too long.

 

[IrregularPulse]

Is there any harm being done by leaving the equipment sitting in the solution? I keep reading about the 30-second StarSan time, but then I hear that people leave stuff sitting in it for a long time. Is that okay?

30 seconds is just the time it needs to be in contact to sanitize. It's perfectly ok to leave it longer.

 

[JesseRC]

That's what I was getting at. A friend of mine who is going to help me brew my first batch, says that he usually keeps all the tools he'll use that day in a bucket of sanitizer, so they're ready when he needs them. I just didn't know if this would ultimately be a problem down the road if they sit too long.

Nope I think lots of us do that. I do notice some folks say a film is left behind on tubing left in starsan for days. But on brew day , all my stuff is in there for atleast a few hours. Starsan is everywhere on brew day. No ill effects yet.

 

[Homercidal]

Well, the one thing you'll want to watch out for is your sanitizer eating away at any of your equipment. I've heard tell that some things can be etched or eaten away by some sanitizers. That is long term storage of course, and a few minutes or couple of hours might not cause any damage.

 

[llazy_llama]

Well, the one thing you'll want to watch out for is your sanitizer eating away at any of your equipment. I've heard tell that some things can be etched or eaten away by some sanitizers. That is long term storage of course, and a few minutes or couple of hours might not cause any damage.

Star San can etch glass. Not Star San diluted in water, but pure Star San. I used to leave tubing, stoppers, airlocks, spoons, and other gear in a bucket of diluted Star San for days at a time, and never had a problem other than wasting Star San. Then I learned the joy of spray bottles.

Seriously folks, get a spray bottle and some distilled water. That bottle of Star San will last you for years.

 

[hayabusa]

Star San can etch glass. Not Star San diluted in water, but pure Star San. I used to leave tubing, stoppers, airlocks, spoons, and other gear in a bucket of diluted Star San for days at a time, and never had a problem other than wasting Star San. Then I learned the joy of spray bottles.

Seriously folks, get a spray bottle and some distilled water. That bottle of Star San will last you for years.

I make Starsan 5-gal at a time in a cornie and dispense just enough for what i need and fill spray bottles from it too.... very convienient to clean serving lines with too.