How should I clean mason jars before yeast washing?

[hawkeyes]

I just got some mason jars from the store. I'm wondering how I could clean these before yeast washing? Can I use dish soap, oxy clean?

 

[BradleyBrew]

boil for 20 minutes. This will sterilize the mason jars.

 

[BrewMU]

Check out the yeast washing thread at the top of the Ferm. and Yeast forum. Good description, illustrated. He boils his, btw.

 

[hawkeyes]

Should I clean them before sterilizing? Wouldn't cleaning and using star san work?

 

[Calder]

I just wash mine out and sanitize them.

 

[BradleyBrew]

sanitizing and sterlizing are to different things. If you are washing yeast to store for weeks or months I would sterilize by boiling water. Then cool the boiled water to use when washing since it will have almost no oxygen present.

 

[Phunhog]

I usually just wash them out and then soak with StarSan. I know that they aren't sterile but.....so far so good.

 

[jonmohno]

You have to boil water anyway,just clean and rinse them, then boil them and use that water. I wouldnt boil the caps that long, ive hear of problems like with ball lids so really i clean those then sanitize them then boil the lids for one minute,pull out the boiling jars with water and let them cool loosly with the lid.

 

[matt2778]

sanitizing and sterlizing are to different things. If you are washing yeast to store for weeks or months I would sterilize by boiling water. Then cool the boiled water to use when washing since it will have almost no oxygen present.

To sterilize you would need to use an autoclave or a pressure cooker just boiling will only sanitize.

 

[BradleyBrew]

actually there is a process that you can use over several boils that will sterilize. Its not "practical" but it is possible.

 

[jonmohno]

Seriously?Boiling is not good enough?

 

[Revvy]

I clean them like I would clean any dishes or glassware. Soap and water, or the dishwasher. Then sanitize, usually by boiling, sometimes just by starsan.

 

[Revvy]

Seriously?Boiling is not good enough?

It is, but there is a process where you boil three times over a couple day period, the theory is that some nasties still survive multiple boils. So you boil to kill off the weak nasties, the the next strongest would still possibly grow so you boil to kill most of those off, then let the super nasties grow and boil those away. But that's really overkill.