No Rinse Sanitizers Sodium Percarbonate vs Oxyclean ?

[Weizenmeister]

So far I've only ever used bleach to sanitize, and bleach or hot water/dish soap to clean, rinsing all well with hot water of course.

I see pure Sodium Percarbonate becomes hydrogen peroxide when combined with water, is Sodium Percarbonate "no-rinse" sanitizer? Not rinsing sounds somewhat appealing.

I also see Oxyclean is primarily Sodium Percarbonate and Sodium Carbonate. Not sure if there are other trace ingredients? I presume Oxyclean isn't a "no-rinse" sanitizer?

Are either Sodium Percarbonate or Oxyclean good "do-rinse" bleach replacements for sanitizing? I'm more bothered by bleach than rinsing, and would like to replace it.

Thanks!!!

 

[IslandLizard]

Neither are sanitizers, they're cleaners. I use a lot of simple Sodium Carbonate (washing soda) for routine cleaning including glassware. I think Oxiclean is overrated anyway, most of the time one doesn't need all that "oxygen" action. It dissipates rather quickly too.

Why not use a dedicated sanitizer like Starsan to sanitize after cleaning? You'd never want to go back to anything else. A 32oz bottle runs ~$20 and will last years. The working solution can keep well for months.

Added: You do need to rinse off alkaline cleaners with water before dunking in Starsan. Otherwise the small amount of acid in Starsan will be depleted quickly, yielding it ineffective.

 

[slym2none]

I think the Oxi-Clean needs to be rinsed.

Cleaners like One-Step use the sodium percarbonate, and while the they actually do sanitize, the makers don't spend the money with the gov't to get the "sanitizer" label, so they can only legally call themselves "cleaners".

I used them as sanitzers for quite a while, and they worked fine. Some people will tell you not to use them for that. You make the call for yourself.

I will say, it's one of the most effective label-removers I've ever used. Since it "goes bad" after a few hours, I always used my leftovers to de-label bottles with after each brew.

However, if you want the HBT-accepted recommendation for no-rinse sanitizers, use Star-San. And, as it is often said when using Star-San, "don't fear the foam!"

 

[Weizenmeister]

Star San eh? And I see it only takes an ounce per 5 gal of water, that would last a long time.

I was initially resistant to the "no-rinse" idea because I wondered what it left behind. My local brew shop's no-rinse sanitizer is a powder with no label, and they claimed to have no idea what's in it, which seemed odd

 

[IslandLizard]

Starsan, without a doubt!

It will make the sanitation part of your brewing life a lot easier, almost foolproof: As long as the surface is wet from the Starsan or its foam the surface remains sanitized!

Chlorine has its use and place, but never as a dedicated no-rinse sanitizer.

I keep a bucket of the working solution around as well as a few spray bottles. My PVC racking hoses live under Starsan. They do get a good scrub with a long draw brush every now and then. A white deposit seems to form after time, and they also feel kinda slick.

Starsan is very acidic, pH ~3. So don't leave anything in there that gets attacked by acid, like aluminum, copper, bronze, brass, plated metals etc. Even silicone hoses start to look weird after prolonged soaks.

 

[Hamaki]

Starsan, without a doubt!

It will make the sanitation part of your brewing life a lot easier, almost foolproof: As long as the surface is wet from the Starsan or its foam the surface remains sanitized!

Chlorine has its use and place, but never as a dedicated no-rinse sanitizer.

I keep a bucket of the working solution around as well as a few spray bottles. My PVC racking hoses live under Starsan. They do get a good scrub with a long draw brush every now and then. A white deposit seems to form after time, and they also feel kinda slick.

Starsan is very acidic, pH ~3. So don't leave anything in there that gets attacked by acid, like aluminum, copper, bronze, brass, plated metals etc. Even silicone hoses start to look weird after prolonged soaks.

I used to store my hoses in Starsan as well but noticed the same slick feel and milky look. I quit after that and replaced the pvc stuff but not the silicone. Any idea what that is?

 

[IslandLizard]

I used to store my hoses in Starsan as well but noticed the same slick feel and milky look. I quit after that and replaced the pvc stuff but not the silicone. Any idea what that is?

The milky look is from the water, once you thoroughly dry the (PVC) hoses they become clear again, or mostly. It takes a few days.

I wish I knew what the deposits were. After a few weeks in the Starsan, when I run a draw brush through the tubing there's a white chalky residue coming out. It doesn't seem to harm anything, but I'd rather not have it in my beer, so I scrub them every couple weeks, and before racking.

Not sure about the slick feeling either, maybe it's related.

My silicone hoses turned almost opaque after a week or 2 in Starsan, I had forgotten about them. When I removed them, they were slick too. After a good brushing inside and out, and drying, the outer surface had a very, very matte/flat/chalky look and feel to them, no shiny luster anymore. That look and feel hasn't recovered all that much the past 6 months; and they don't stay in Starsan any longer than 5-10 minutes.

There are surfactants in Starsan and under the low pH they may react and rob the PVC and silicone from elastomers, mould releasing coatings, and/or additives.

I've never had an unintended infection, except in a starter flask a few times.