OLD and FILTHY bottle cleaning advice

[Jumbo82]

A family friend found 36 identical bottles out in the woods that are approximately one quart each. He asked me if I wanted them and I said sure. I've never met a bottle that I couldn't clean (and I've cleaned thousands). They are really nice bottles, but full of crap and grime. They had probably been out in the woods since the 50s or 60s, but definitely since at least the 70s. They are old school. And did I mention dirty?

Well, the first thing I did was give them a rinse using my bottle washer. Soil and crud came out of them, but a lot remained. So I took a dozen and gave them a rinse in hot PBW overnight. The next day I emptied them out and gave them another rinse with the bottle washer. Big improvement, but there was still a lot of grime stuck inside. So I made up a fresh batch of PBW (the other batch was too filthy to re-use), heated it to 160 degrees, and gave the bottles another long soak. I figured that would do the trick. Wrong. Most still have some grime on the inside. Its like pond scum. I suppose I could go buy a bottle brush and try to manually clean each one, but I was hoping to avoid that.

Does anybody have any suggestions to make this easier? I really like these bottles and would like to put them into my rotation. And I can't beat the price. Other than using a bottle brush, is any good way of cleaning them? PBW has always done the trick in the past, but this scum seems to be resistant to it. Other chemicals or techniques to try? Thanks.

 

[Revvy]

Oxyclean and hot water soaking overnight....and gunk and lables and dead insicets and mold will all float to the surface...no effort necessary, and no need for a bottle brush, just a thorough rinsing after. I use a jet bottle washer to do that.

 

[conpewter]

Hmm I know PBW is really good. I'd give oxyclean a try though, the bubbling really seems to help slowly scrub away gunk. I've not had a bottle yet that didn't come clean with an overnight soak then rinse, though I've not had bottles as dirty as yours.

I just use hot tap water and a couple scoops of oxyclean either in a 5 gal bucket, or in one of the big tubs.

If oxyclean doesn't work... you may want to start using dilute acids to try to destroy the gunk, just long soak times as before.

Edit: beaten again!

 

[Revvy]

Those bottles rock BTW, kinda reminds me of the three cases of old pints I got really cheap last year.

THose were the ones that hadn't been cleaned in 30 years, and had all sort of crap including HUUUGE dead spiders...all that came off with the magic oxy action...

IIRC, PBW doesn't fizz, right? You need the fizziness to left and break stuff up.

 

[Jumbo82]

Thanks Revvy and conpewter! I've never tried oxyclean, but I'll be sure to pick some up on my next trip to the LHBS. I don't know whether PBW has any "fizz" action. I've watched it eat the gunk off the sides of a carboy right before my eyes though. If oxyclean works better than PBW, I may make a permanent switch to that stuff. Thanks again!

 

[conpewter]

I don't even think a LHBS would have it, Go to walmart, meijer, dominicks, jewel osco, kmart... etc. all should have oxyclean-free (unscented) Usually in the laundry section.

 

[HairyDogBrewing]

FWIW a strong mixture of bleach is a very effective cleaner and sanitizer.
It may go after the moss and algae better than oxyclean.

 

[bluehouse]

If you have some that oxy won't clean you can use toilet bowl cleaner. Not one of the pretty scented blue things, go to dollar tree and buy The Works Toilet Bowl cleaner. It is a high acid cleaner with no scent. It will tak off just about any stain or soil. You should use it outside & have water handy in case of spills. I had a big batch of oldes & managed to save all but 4 that would not clean up even with acid.

 

[Xakk]

Vinegar will take the old mineral deposits that build up over the years right off.

 

[stormrider27]

vinegar and the acid toilet bowl cleaner would be good choices. Another option would be to go lowes or home depot and get some muriatic acid. and use a diluted solution of that. I have a pool and always have a couple gallons laying around so its what I use.

Storm

 

[Jumbo82]

With this many options, those bottles don't stand a chance. I appreciate all the suggestions. I'll report back when I get them all cleaned and let you guys know what worked best.

 

[HSM]

Other than using a bottle brush

Soak them in everything recommended here... and then go get a bottle brush.

30-40 year old crud and grime needs a little contact to loosen it up. The brush is your friend.

 

[bluehouse]

just thought of another thing I do, put tiny little pebbles in the bottle with the acid & swirl it will take out what acid alone wont.

 

[rico567]

In the most extreme cases, the Handbook of Chemistry and Physics© has a recipe for glass cleaner.....at least my 61st Edition does. I have made it, used it, and it will clean.....anything. It will also dissolve an elephant, so I will not attempt to reproduce a recipe here, because this thing is really too strong for ordinary uses. If you really, really need this, go to the library, look it up, obtain the ingredients, and make some. It has concentrated sulfuric acid as its base, which is something that nobody should be using or compounding who isn't up on proper lab procedures.
However....I suspect that mineral residues left after using something that's going to lift anything organic (like PBW or Oxi-Clean) will respond very well to a more or less dilute acid. Most cases of mineral deposits I deal with on a daily basis respond well to Works™ "Green" spray cleaner, which is now non-phosphate, and uses oxalic acid, I believe. I'd start with plain white vinegar, and if that won't do it, move on up to some kind of muriatic (hydrochloric) acid, such as a toilet bowl cleaner like Works™ brand, as recommended earlier). Remember any time you're using a toilet bowl cleaner that it's going to damage a lot of non-glass / porcelain things, so exercise due diligence.

 

[Laughing_Gnome_Invisible]

Strange I should see this thread right now. Just 5 minutes ago I was embarking on a bottle washing excercise that brought me withing sniffing distance of a Darwin award!

Hold the bottle on the ground between your feet. Turn the power to max on your pressure washer, switch it to turbo. Point the nozzle directly down the neck of the bottle and pull the trigger for as long as your nerve holds out. This works brilliantly, and you can gain an extra thrill if you do this barefoot.

 

[Jumbo82]

Well, I think it may be time to throw in the towel. I went so far as to soak some bottles in 100 percent muriatic acid (ate threw part of my concrete floor). A 24 hour soak followed by a scrub with a bottle brush had no effect whatsoever. On the one hand its unlikely to come off in my beer, but its unsightly and may provide a safe haven for bacteria. I might sell them to someone who is up for the challenge or doesn't mind a bit of gunk. I would rather buy new bottles.

 

[chumprock]

What does it say on the neck of the bottle? Those look great.

I've also found that in really tough situations like that adding coarse kosher salt and swishing it around provides enough abrasive action to remove most film and gunk.