Iodine Solution

[JamesHoffman]

I like to make my iodine solution for sanitation in a large bucket, about 25 gallons. I recently came back from a military deployment to find that I had forgotten to empty it previously, and it wasn't pretty.

Anyway, it got me thinking, what is the shelf life of an iodine solution? How long can I let it sit in that bucket (covered) before I can't use it for sanitation? I can't seem to find my answer online.

 

[Calder]

They say 24 hours.

I check that it is still brown, and smells of iodine. Usually 3 days max.

If it is a week old, I'll add a half strength dose to bump it up. I'm just talking about a 1-gallon tub for general use.

Due to the short life of iodine, I've switched to using Star-San for my handy 1-gallon batch rather than Idophor. I usually refresh it every 2 months, but I think it is probably still OK. I still use Idophor for bottling.

I went off Idophor (for long-term use) when I stored it in a gallon glass jar (1 gallon jar filled to within half inch of top). After 3 months, there was significant mold/growth on the inside of the stopper. Had to toss the stopper. I usually store my gallon glass jars filled with mild bleach solution - after a year there is nothing.

 

[JamesHoffman]

Thanks for the heads up. I will look into Star San!