Is Starsan all that is necessary to prevent contaminations?

[onthedot]

Hello,

I recently purchased a homebrewing kit from my LHBS. The kit came with a small bottle of what I was told is StarSan. I was told the kit would have everything I would need to brew a successful beer.

Upon reading the sticky and researching this, it seems that many people recommend having both a cleaning product and a sanitizing product. Starsan is obviously a Sanitizing product so I've got that one. If I have a clean carboy/keg with no visible residual dirt on the inside of it then do I really need to use a cleaner or would Starsan be enough?

Basically what I'm asking is if every piece of equipment that comes in contact with wort (even things like a wine thief to collect a sample to test for FG) should be cleaned with a cleaning product such as PWB or Oxyclean and then sanitized or if sanitizing with Starsan would be sufficient.

Thank you!

 

[BulldogBrewer]

No "visible" residual dirt doesn't mean much. But if you make sure and clean everything with PBW/Oxy before the first use and after each use, you don't necessarily have to clean it again before the next use. For instance, I clean my carboys and cover them after use, then just rinse them out and starsan them before the next use.

StarSan is a must though.

 

[Brewham]

The cleaning stuff is to remove gunk and stains. If you have none, you can go straight to a sanitizer. Later, when you've done a bunch of batches, you can soak the equipment in a cleanser to get rid of residues.

 

[SOB_OCDAVE]

Everything that comes in contact with the wort after the boil needs to be sanitized. Starsan is the best in my opinion. Only need 1 oz. to make 5 gallons of sanitizing solution. I clean my equipment with oxiclean or generic types and sanitize before use. I'm referring to fermenters, airlocks, bottles, caps, auto-siphon, etc. If the equipment has never been used, just sanitize it.

 

[JRems]

If visible residue can be seen it must be cleaned by mechanical or chemical action first. Sanitizer is used as the final step. Most people here use oxy clean free to clean( it has no perfume like regular oxiclean) then star San or iodaphor. Of your equiptment is brand new I would wash it out with hot water and a little soap. Make sure all the soap is rinsed out, then sanitize.

 

[onthedot]

So that's 1 for "Always Clean then Sanitize" and 3 for "Only Clean if the equipment is dirty but always sanitize"

I'd like to clarify that I am already very comfortable with how and when to sanitize. My question pertains on the how and whens to use a cleaner and if is always necessary or only needed when there is gunk in the carboy that can't be scrapped off with a brush.

 

[kh54s10]

I go for clean then sanitize. How much I clean depends on what the condition of the item is. When I use my autosiphon I rinse it out with fresh water immediately after use. Then when I have something else using oxyclean I pump some through, wait a few minutes then rinse. The Better Bottle is another story. The caked on crud takes a while to soak off with the Oxyclean. On brew day I soak or spray everything with starsan.

 

[Marlowefire]

Always clean then sanitize. If you bought a new house that was clean. You would clean it eventually right?

 

[onthedot]

Always clean then sanitize. If you bought a new house that was clean. You would clean it eventually right?

I guess I don't understand what the cleaners like PBW and oxyclean would do, that rinsing with hot water after each use and then with starsan immediately before using would not do. Seems to me like the micros would be eliminated by the Starsan but I'm not an expert which is why I came to this community

 

[starrfish]

oxi and pbw release the deposits that hot water alone will not get, starsan will kill bacteria but not wild yeast. bacteria will hide in those deposits that star san will not be able to get to. If vessel is really filthy, I go bleach, rinse, oxi, rinse star san, brew!

 

[rico567]

You need to clean, and you also need to sanitize. I clean my big stuff (brew pot, buckets) with good old Dawn dishwashing liquid. My small stuff is cleaned with PBW.....things like stoppers, airlocks, tubing, auto siphon, wine thief, hydrometer, etc.

Sanitizing of the big stuff is done with Star San in a spray bottle. Extremely economical this way. Small items, Star San solution in a 30" wallpaper tray.

This method, which I arrived at after some reading and experimentation, has served me for four years with no infected beer.

 

[Paul07293]

Always clean, then sanitize. Even if there is no visible evidence of dirt why take the chance. You want to make the best beer possible, don't take shortcuts.

 

[pelipen]

I always clean first then sanitize... but there might be a month between those two steps.

 

[starrfish]

As long as it's CLEANED well before storage your usually fine. I did get sloppy once hosed ferm bucket and gave oxiclean bath, and didn't dump. let bath sit 3 weeks mold started on top of liquid! eye opener! I have now gone back to a bleach bath before storage. need to rinse well anyway after storage to rid dust etc. than a starsan bath. lesson learned!

 

[Prionburger]

I had infection problems until I started cleaning everything (with percarbonate, or Oxyclean) before sanitizing.

 

[pelipen]

As long as it's CLEANED well before storage your usually fine. I did get sloppy once hosed ferm bucket and gave oxiclean bath, and didn't dump. let bath sit 3 weeks mold started on top of liquid! eye opener! I have now gone back to a bleach bath before storage. need to rinse well anyway after storage to rid dust etc. than a starsan bath. lesson learned!

I had a starsan bucket do that to me. It had a rubber seal on the top. One day I opened it and noticed dust on the bottom of the bucket. The adhesive that was holding in the rubber gasket must have been a good medium for spores, because when I flipped the lid over, it had black mold growing out from the edge.
Needless to say, I don't use that one anymore. As luck would have it, I had made a fresh batch, and the one hose I did put in the old batch, I didn't use. It probably would have been ok, but I'm glad I made new stuff. Since then, I keep starsan in one of the unused glass carboys.

 

[cullen]

I always clean and sanitize immediately before use, and clean immediately after use. Yes, your equipment gets cleaned twice between uses. If you were a little sloppy in one cleaning or if something got in your equipment between cleanings, that takes care of it.

I also clean and sanitize any new gear before first use. There's no telling what manufacturing residues may be left on the equipment, not to mention the dirt and oils it picked up during transportation and on the shelves.

 

[superslomo]

I may yet live to regret this, but last weekend I had a batch that had just finished, I bottled it, gave the bucket a furious rinsing, and immediately sanitized and pitched a fresh batch into it... hope it comes out ok. Plastic looked spotless when I finished up before Starsan-ing the container.