microwave sanitation?

[wiseman]

Can a microwave be used for sanitizing small pieces of non-metallic equipment like hoses, bottles, etc? As i recall, a minute in a microwave is supposed to kill all microbes. I was thinking it would be easier for me to sanitize my bottles in the microwave than making cleaning solution and whatnot. Anyone ever tried this?

 

[Stevorino]

good idea-- you should post what you find, I've never heard of anyone doing this, but it seems like it'd work.

 

[JoeMama]

I have had this discussion in the past as well, and in short - Yes it will work, but at what cost?

I personally am a fan of mixing up my sanitizer and letting the bottles soak a bit (or at least until they are ready to be filled) You throw them in the nuke box and you are going to be dealing with alot of HOT ass glass. You would have to allow ample time to cool, and during this time they run a risk of getting bugs (as they have no liquid sanitizer on them - they are dry)

I personally think that while using the san bucket may pose as an inconvenience, burning the **** out of my fingers and then waiting for them to cool before I fill them would be more of an inconvenience.
-Me

 

[Schlenkerla]

Using the micro might have some benefits....

I'm thinking of dry yeast rehydration. I use a 1/2 pint canning jar. I guess you could heat water to boiling, let cool and then rehydrate you yeast at 100'F. They say de-chlorinated tap water is best for this.

I think small scale use is good. CD Pritchard uses one to make starters. Check out this link.

Microwave Yeast Starter Prep.

 

[MoRoToRiUm]

I'd just be careful of wild temperature changes- Hot bottle from microwave, cold beer from bottling bucket for example... That would be bad to have it bust in hand.

 

[BrewBeemer]

Hoses under the heat generated by the microwave can lead to twisted melted up useless tubing, do a sample test as this requires different "zap" times than glass items. I have created something new to man in ugly mold by not enough "zap" time on glassware. Less "zap" time was used on tubing. I would follow what everyone one above post replied and use a chemical solution instead of the "zap" process many plastic items really take up a new useless shape or design. I was so damn smart after working around clean room labs and applied this "zap" on my own items with a great rate of successful failures.

 

[Nurmey]

Microwaves are not a reliable method of sanitation for anything. Microwaves work by exciting the molecules in water; without water, no heat, no sanitation.

If you are going to sanitize with boiling water why not just use a pot on the stove?

 

[david_42]

If you damped something before microwaving, you are effectively sanitizing using steam. But, if the item drys out, it can burn or melt.

Not worth it in my mind.

 

[Stevorino]

If you damped something before microwaving, you are effectively sanitizing using steam. But, if the item drys out, it can burn or melt.

Not worth it in my mind.

What if you placed your object to be sanitized in a bowl of water in the microwave?

 

[Jaybird]

2 words.... Star-San!!!!

 

[Homercidal]

Star-san. Super easy, and effective.

 

[giligson]

I sanitize lots of small things from time to time when I am in the kitchen and not in my garage (brewery) by boiling in water - I often do this in a pyrex bowl (Ikea) in the microwave. You can't reliably sanitize dry objects in the microwave because of the problem with cold spots (nodes and antinodes) in the beam. You may wind up with one part of your object melting/breaking and another staying cold enough to allow bacterial growth. Use water as a medium and you will do fine.