I want an AWESOME bottle brush!

[RPh_Guy]

Why does there not exist a drill-powered brush with bristles?

That Third Coast thing has pretty terrible reviews.

 

[Dimax]

https://www.amazon.com/RotoScrub-Bo...argid=aud-801738734305:pla-392329259212&psc=1

 

[RPh_Guy]

https://www.amazon.com/RotoScrub-Bottle-Brush-Drill-Accessory/dp/B075L5H4XK/

From the description:
"(brush does not fit into standard wine bottles or beer bottles)"

 

[Alex4mula]

I don't know your exact method with Oxy Clean but I've thoroughly cleaned some scary bottles with Oxy. I use a 1/2 teaspoon or more per bottle using a funnel and then fill the bottle half way with the hottest tap water and shake them to death periodically. Slow and steady wins the race with this one.
As mentioned above,

is a valuable tool for this endeavor.
Edit: I have, as yet, found a great brush but the ones I use are good for a general, swishing around.

I use this tool with pbw soak. No brush needed. But then I have 134F hot water that I know helps a lot.

 

[NightFlight]

Pressure washer?

 

[Braufessor]

I use this tool with pbw soak. No brush needed. But then I have 134F hot water that I know helps a lot.

Yep - as mentioned.
* I use a 15 gallon round plastic "Bushel Basket Type" Tub.
* Fill with 10 gallons of Hot PBW solution
* Soak 2 cases of bottles over night (or however many you need/want)
*Use the faucet adapter to power rinse the PBW off the next day
* Store them upside down in case until needed or directly into Starsan to soak and then use to bottle

**** I have not "scrubbed" a bottle in the last 20 years and I have filled literally 1000's of bottles in addition to mainly Kegging.

* Also, once you get going - don't let your bottles get really gross. As you use them, rinse them out with water in the sink so their is not a bunch of gunk growing in the bottom. Then the entire process is way easier and faster anyway.

 

[Soulshine2]

OK, it seems like such a simple thing, but it is a source of serious annoyance for me: I can't find a decent bottle brush!

The ones I have so far are one from a home goods store that is too short to reach to the bottom of the bottle, and probably wouldn't even have much scrubbing action if it got there. The other one I have is the one that came with my original homebrew kit: it's not long enough to get to the bottom of a carboy but can get to the bottom of a bottle. That's cool, but the bristles are getting beaten up simply by the act of slipping it into and out of the 12 ounce longnecks. Over the past couple of days I've been trying to clean some used flip-top bottles I bought and the brush has suffered: the tighter opening in the flip-tops is deforming the brush head terribly, and it doesn't have the oomph to really clean the deposits off the bottle.

Everything I see at the LHBS seems similar to the one I'm using now. Everything I see on Amazon gets mixed reviews or obviously won't fit my needs.


SO: where did you get your favorite bottle brush? Do you know the manufacturer? Post a picture? Explain how you modified it to fit your needs?
Inquiring minds want to know!

Ike

I dont brush my bottles. I Oxiclean soak all day ,then follow up with a 1 oz /5 gallon hot water bleach solution, shaking the bottle vigorously before emptying . if something is still in the bottom after that I just toss it . I keep almost every bottle I get as long as the top isnt a screw top or the neck is a different shape other than a standard longneck 12 oz.

 

[RPh_Guy]

I know you guys are trying to help save me some money and effort, and I appreciate that.

However, just because some minimum cleaning process works for you doesn't mean it's good for everyone.

I use Brettanomyces. A LOT. And bacteria. Plus any number of other wild yeast species in my unpasteurized ciders and wines.
You guys using Chico, 1318, or whatever clean yeast you like don't have nearly as much risk, so you really don't know how well your cleaning procedure would stand up to these microbes.

I'm already using a very thorough procedure: In warm water I dissolve sodium metasilicate plus a combination of surfactant, chelate, and gelling agent. I add sodium percarbonate directly to the inside of each bottle. Then I fully submerge the bottles and soak at least 24 hours. After that, I rinse them, 12 at a time using a bottle rinser for several minutes with hot water. Next I circulate a citric acid solution using a pump for 12 bottles at a time, for about 20 minutes (using the alkaline cleanser without an acid rinse still leaves a lot of residue and scaling). Another hot water rinse and then they air dry upsidedown.

A visual inspection with a bright LED flashlight reveals that sometimes bottles still have residue after all of that. How many of you guys are INSPECTING ALL of your bottles with a bright flashlight, looking from the other side so it illuminates the interior? You may be surprised what's still in there.

So yes, some tool to provide a quick way to mechanically scrub the inside of the bottles will provide a lot of peace of mind and help avoid the dreaded bottle bomb... For at least for SOME people, even though you may not need it.

Thanks

 

[NightFlight]

I inspect the bottom by holding the opening up to a bright light. Hot oxiclean overnight soaks vigorous shaking does not get the scum off the bottom of the 2nd hand Grolsch I've been collecting. Throw them out? No way, I'm paying $1.50 each used. $4 ea new at the LHBS.

Besides, wouldn't you rather quickly hit the bottle with a drill brush over sending more detergent, for no good reason down the drain? All the water you have to use to rinse out the detergent properly is obscene.

 

[NightFlight]

So I figured out my bottle cleaning issue. Some in this thread were a bit awestruck about how hard some of us were working at cleaning our bottles.

I was able to make quick work of it using a PEX Flexi Riser, drilled through and some strips of scotch bright pulled through. It makes an awesome brush.

But why did I need this?

As it turns out, I was dunking the used, new to me, grolsch bottles in a hot water and oxyclean solution. The labels come right off! But, what I found on the last batch was the scum I've been fighting all along. It wasn't there when I started

But it was only on half the bottles, horizontal, the way they were laying up to the water line because they were only partially submerged.

Turns out it's the label adhesive! Nothing short of mechanical scrubbing removes it.

Anyhow, thought I'd post this to warn others. The hot water oxy solution will dissolve the adhesive from the labels and transfer it as soon as the solution cools. I've been making the problem all along.

 

[RPh_Guy]

Not sure why would you only partially submerge the bottles.

I might have to look at making my own brush like that. Good idea.

 

[NightFlight]

They were actually really clean and I was de-labelling for consistency with the rest of my bottles.

I also put a screw in the end that's held by the chuck so it can get a good grip on it.
I also thought about running small zip ties through the holes. *shrug*
That theoretically should get the toughest stuff removed without scratching.

I also recommend putting the chuck on the lowest tension setting so that you don't somehow (murphy's law) manage to get an exploded bottle stuck in your hand.