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Newb question about 1 Step...

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BubbaMan

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Hello all!
I'm a newb, and I've got a gallon of 1 Step sanitizer water that I saved from when I sanitized some (clean) bottles.
It is capped and just sitting in a one gallon container...can I now safely use that same sanitizer to sanitize my fermenter? It has been sitter there for a couple of weeks.
Thanks!
 
I wouldn't, it not really an acid based sanitizer like Star San that if effective as long as the ph is low enough.
 
^ This!

Stop using One Step, it's not good at doing either.

PBW, Oxiclean, or Washing Soda (NOT baking soda) and a suitable brush for cleaning.
Starsan for sanitizing. Easy and effective.

Remember you can't sanitize unless it's clean in the first place. IOW, you can't sanitize dirt.
 
In the spirit of your question, on reuse of cleaning and sanitizing solutions, a Starsan working solution can be used for weeks, even months after mixing it. Even when it gets cloudy it still works fine. I always have a bucket or 2 with Starsan sitting around and a spray bottle for spot treating areas, such as around airlocks, bucket rims, jars, lids, etc.

Aside from just dunking things into I also keep a few small washcloths in those buckets for mop-sanitizing items like side walls and rims of fermentation buckets, bucket lids (the groove!), around jars with yeast before opening, and so on.

I make a new Starsan solution when the old one gets grayish and too grimey to my standards. As long as the pH remains under 3.0 (pH/indicator strips) it's active. As long as you only use it to sanitize clean items, there's little reason for the pH to rise.

Cleaning solutions like Oxiclean and PBW lose their O2 relatively fast. But the remaining solution, which is now mostly washing soda (and metasilicate in case of PBW), is still a very good cleaner. IMO, the acclaimed O2 action is highly overrated through aggressive and annoying TV advertisements.

I keep some of those used, but still fairly clean cleaners, in a bucket or a couple plastic containers (with lids) for later use, such as cleaning fermentors, buckets, kettle, plate chiller, hoses, etc. Most cleaners work much better at higher temps, so use that to your advantage where it counts. Use "common" sense.
 
Cleaning solutions like Oxiclean and PBW lose their O2 relatively fast. But the remaining solution, which is now mostly washing soda (and metasilicate in case of PBW), is still a very good cleaner. IMO, the acclaimed O2 action is highly overrated through aggressive and annoying TV advertisements.

I didn't know that. Thanks for the tip - it makes a difference in my cleaning routine.
 
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