No brush. How would you clean a carboy?

[Mcbobs]

Here's my dilemma...

Last night, i finally got around to bottling my cider and after racking it into my bottling bucket, I realized that my bottle brush is missing.

Just recently, I moved into my new house and cant find my bottle brush anywhere! I have a dirty 2.5 gallon carboy that I can't figure out how to clean. I'll be getting a new bottle brush in the future, but if possible, I'd like to rack some mead into the carboy tonight.

Does anyone have any good ideas on how to get rid of the scum line at the top of my fermenter?

I'm all out of ideas at this point. If nothing else I've filled the carboy with sanitizer to hopefully soften the gunk and make things easier in the end.

Thanks for the help guys and gals!

 

[broadbill]

1-2 gallons of hot oxyclean into carboy, put carboy on its side. On its side, 1-2 gallons should not come up to the mouth of the carboy and leak out (if it does, that is too much). Let that "side" soak for 30-60 minutes, then rotate carboy and repeat.

 

[Revvy]

Like a lot of us who never use a brush. Hot water and oxyclean soak, followed by a good rinse. I like a jet bottle/carboy rinser for high pressure rinsing. But I've never used a carboy brush.

 

[Mcbobs]

So what you mean to tell me is that when I get home from work after a day of it soaking with the solution in it, it should come right out? That's almost too easy!

Maybe I'll get lucky and all it needs is a good rinsing.

Cheers!

 

[Revvy]

So what you mean to tell me is that when I get home from work after a day of it soaking with the solution in it, it should come right out? That's almost too easy!

Maybe I'll get lucky and all it needs is a good rinsing.

Cheers!

Does for me. If not, I dump it out, fill it with more hot water and more oxyclean and give it another night.

 

[Hamsterbite]

Getting it to look clean without a brush is pretty easy using the methods described above, assuming the thing hasn't been sitting around empty and dirty.

I have been using a brush, but getting that thing to bend and twist to reach every square inch is an exercise in futility anyway. I've been letting mine soak for at least 24 hours with sanitizer after that. I tried to soak for a couple hours before and was still able to detect the aroma of the last brew. Although that may not pose a risk of contamination, I just feel a lot better when it smells clean, and the 24 hour soak seems to take care of that in a glass carboy. That may not be the case with plastic fermenters though.

 

[Hamsterbite]

Getting it to look clean without a brush is pretty easy using the methods described above, assuming the thing hasn't been sitting around empty and dirty.

I have been using a brush, but getting that thing to bend and twist to reach every square inch is an exercise in futility anyway. I've been letting mine soak for at least 24 hours with sanitizer after that. I tried to soak for a couple hours before and was still able to detect the aroma of the last brew. Although that may not pose a risk of contamination, I just feel a lot better when it smells clean, and the 24 hour soak seems to take care of that in a glass carboy. That may not be the case with plastic fermenters though.

This coming from a guy with only 5 brews under his belt. But, all successes.

 

[BetterSense]

I don't even soak, nor do I brush.

I just put hot water in the carboy, oxyclean, and swish. Rinse and repeat if necessary. Usually everything comes off. If not, I stuff a washcloth with just a little bit of water into the carboy and repeat.

 

[Mcbobs]

This is all very encouraging. I've never attempted to clean my carboy without my bottle brush so I'm glad to hear that it can be done. We'll know for sure tonight!

 

[amandabab]

if oxyclean alone wont work, dump out 1/2 of the oxyclean put a rag in the carboy and swish it around.

It works pretty well for those fake plastic carboys