Necessary to clean as well as sterilize? (Star San related)

[olotti]

I'm so new to brewing I haven't even bottled yet. Maybe this weekend on my first batch.

Anyway, I've been partial to Sam Adams lately so I can harvest the bottles. What I do with them is triple-rinse, then we put them in the dishwasher. Then stored until use.

My intent before bottling is to take all those bottles and sanitize them with Star-San before filling. So I'm thinking that between the rinsing, the dishwasher, the Star-San--I should be ok.

Any reason why I should do anything differently?

I reuse all my hb bottles multiple batches. I'll just rinse in real hot water until the bottom of the bottle is crystal clear, dry on my bottle tree and then come bottling day I just dunk in starsan and bottle. Never had an issue of any kind yet.

 

[mash-mongrel]

This document directly contradicts your statement.



http://www.fivestarchemicals.com/wp-content/uploads/StarSanTech-HB2.pdf

Darkstar interesting. The bottom of the document has a revised date of 06/03.

My link is dated 07/03 after yours. Are we talking about the same product here?

http://www.fivestarchemicals.com/wp-content/uploads/Star-San-HB4.pdf

 

[Onkel_Udo]

Darkstar interesting. The bottom of the document has a revised date of 06/03.

My link is dated 07/03 after yours. Are we talking about the same product here?

http://www.fivestarchemicals.com/wp-content/uploads/Star-San-HB4.pdf

It appears to be the chemical make-up but potentially different dilution. The dilution rates to it are different and the name of the product is different.

I can assure you, the majority of us that use Star San, do not rinse.

Here is a thread on the "HB" verses original formula.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=113446

 

[Brewmegoodbeer]

I clean with a sponge and water with starsan in it. I then rinse with water then sanitize with star san (fresh bucket of star san or spray bottle w/star san). In thise case, Star San is my cleaner and sanitizer. I have been doing this for years without an issue.

 

[Brewmegoodbeer]

I clean with a sponge and water with starsan in it. I then rinse with water then sanitize with star san (fresh bucket of star san or spray bottle w/star san). In thise case, Star San is my cleaner and sanitizer. I have been doing this for years without an issue.

 

[Brewmegoodbeer]

I clean with a sponge and water with starsan in it. I then rinse with water then sanitize with star san (fresh bucket of star san or spray bottle w/star san). In thise case, Star San is my cleaner and sanitizer. I have been doing this for years without an issue.

 

[postalbunny]

So...the sanitizer cant reach areas that a cleanser can?

Not so much as sani can't reach areas the cleanser can, but that it can only reach areas that have been made avail by cleanser.

Picture a dirty crud covered spoon... dipping that spoon in sani will only sanitize the outside parts it can touch. If there was bacterial in-between the spoon and the crud it may survive.

You want to clean first, to expose the surfaces for sani to be more effective. The sani may work well enough if you don't clean, but it def won't work as well as if you had cleaned.

 

[Gnomebrewer]

I clean with a sponge and water with starsan in it.

Nice reply to an 8 year old thread!

You might as well just clean with water, and save the starsan. Starsan's not a cleaner (it won't hurt, but won't help either). FWIW, I always clean immediately with hot water and a sponge or brush (no cleaning solution) then rinse with hot water and sanitise with starsan before use. I have also never had an issue.

 

[augiedoggy]

In over 5 years of brewing I only had one infection and I knew exactly what it was from (not my apparently lazy cleaning practices)

I do the same as Gnomebrewer..
I clean my conical fermenters with hot water and a sponge immediately after use If I have time I clean the valves and tc fitting too, otherwise I'll pour some starsan in the conical and splash it around and leav the tc fittings and valves submerged internally with it until I do get to cleaning them with hot water right before sanitizing again with starsan before use. I rinse my hoses with water after use and they get sanitized with boiling wort.

Everyone is entitled to do what ever they feel most comfortable with but I just wanted to point out that infections are no where near as common as some fear and I was lead to believe when I started brewing. I also cant believe the amount of brewers that still think theres some sort of benefit to disassembling and sanitizing the hot side? I think some of those folks need to go on some real brewery tours.

 

[SteveH aka shetc]

For bottling, I put them in my dishwasher which has a sanitize mode, no detergent. Let it run the night before bottling, and leave the door shut until it's time to bottle. Starsan the bottles and fill.