OxiClean Concentration

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Mexibilly

Mexibilly
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I'm out of One step. I've seen several posts about washing equipment with oxi clean. The wife picked me up some. Anybody have advice as to concentration? Is it no-rinse? Is it effective?
 
Oxiclean is a cleaner, not a sanitizer. Equipment must be rinsed thoroughly after using it. A separate sanitizer must be used on the equipment before contact with beer or previously boiled wort.

Concentration depends on how dirty your equipment is. I typically use 1-2 tablespoons per gallon for cleaning carboys and kegs.

Edit: some people are obsessive about using only the Oxiclean "Free" version. I use the giant box of Oxiclean "Versatile" from Costco without any problems.
 
Make sure it's the scent-free version.

It has directions on it for general cleaning but I use about 1/4 scoop per 6 gallons.

You DEFINITELY want to rinse it. Several times.

I think it's great for cleaning including bottles. An overnight soak cleans almost anything. Then rinse a couple of times with hot water.
 
For cleaning on brew day, I use PBW. I buy it from my LHBS..I usually get 1 lb for about $5.00 and it lasts several brew days and bottle days.

However, I do use OxiClean Free (the green container) when my equipment has a lot of gunk on it. Typically this is to clean my primary after I bottle or to clean equipment after brewing. I fill my buckets with about 5.5 gallons of water and 1 scoop of OxiClean Free. I put my equipment in with it and let it soak overnight. Then I rinse everything really well and after it dries I store all the equipment until next time.

I've always read that it was important to get the OxiClean Free in the green container, as it is dye, perfume, and chlorine free so it will not harm your equipment or leave behind unwanted smells or chemicals.

As kcbeersnob stated, the OxiClean will act as a cleanser and you have to rinse everything well and then proceed with sanitizing. I recommend StarSan (an acid based sanitizer), but have also had success using IoSan (an iodine based sanitizer).
 
There are threads about making 2:1 Oxy:TSP90, it is "close to being PBW" but cheaper. Make sure it's the TSP/90 not TSP, you want this for instance sodium metasilicate, not sodium phosphate. With that, at about 1 tablespoon/gallon, it will definitely soak pretty much anything off carboys or bottles, plastic glass or metal, with little or no scrubbing. Use it with warm water, hot is not good idea for shocking glass carboys, and in that manner I've had great success. IT IS SLIPPERY AS GREASED OWL POO. Take appropriate precautions. Rinsing 3 or 4 times with warm water is all it takes to remove it.
 
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I use Oxyclean Free and it works great. I use it for soaking my fermenters and for cleaning bottles and soaking off labels. One thing to be careful about when soaking bottles. If you use too high a concentration you can get a powdery residue on the bottles that has to be scrubbed off. Otherwise, it's great. I haven't used my carboy brush in years.
 
As already mentioned Cleaning and Sanitizing are 2 different things.
I use the green top Oxiclean to delabel and clean at the same time.
I fill a home depot 5 gallon bucket, drop a scoop of oxyclean and fill up about 3 gallon of warm water.
I submerge bottles and within hours the labels fall off.
I then thoroughly rise the bottles out with tap water and box them up until bottling day.

On bottling day I use Star San to sanitize.
 
Oxiclean is very effective at cleaning. However, it is not no-rinse, it must be rinsed very well. It's great stuff for scrub-free cleaning, and I use it at 1/2 scoop per 4 gallons to remove beer bottle labels. Just a dunk in hot water and Oxiclean Versatile, and the labels generally fall right off, or can be peeled right off with no effort.

You're going to want to get another tub of One Step, or a bottle of Star San, for sanitation. I now use Star San almost exclusively because it goes so much further than One Step (a little bottle of Star San has lasted me through several brews, but I went through two tubs of One Step before that).

I now rarely use One Step and mostly for bottling, as Star San foams up and that can get annoying in the Vinator bottle sanitizer (which I highly recommend, it makes sanitizing bottles so easy).

FYI regarding Star San, the foam is fine. Don't fear it :)
 
Like most here, I use OxiClean "Free". Works like a champ and as others mentioned you have to rinse well. Hot water rinse usually get that "slippery" cleaner feel out of the bottles/gear.
It does work well to clean up a better bottle plastic container very well.
With bottles, I usually rinse the bottles well and then put them through the dishwasher on sanitize cycle with a bit of Oxyclean in the mix. Cleans em up, rinses em out and sterilizes the bottles.
 
I use no name oxi clean - works fantastic. I would echo what others have said about it being super slippery and definitely needing to be rinsed. You may want to rinse with diluted vinegar or another mild acid as it can leave scaling behind especially on glass.
 
with the yellow label and have had no issues with any additional unwanted flavors or smells in my end result. I don't plan on seeking out the "Free" kind either. The regular Oxiclean is readily available at my local stores (ie. Lowes, Walmart, etc).
 
Ditto to what everybody else said.

Stuff's great for cleaning places you can't reach; bottoms of kegs, carboys, inside blow-off tubes, dip tubes, bottles, bubblers, etc.

Soak hot, rinse cool.
 
I buy Sun Oxygen Cleaner instead of Oxiclean. It seems to work just as well, and it's a whole lot cheaper.
 
Has anybody tried 7th generation dishwasher power by itself?

http://shop.seventhgeneration.com/dishwasher-detergent/?sku=48

It has both sodium carbonate and percarbonate, as well as an chelating agent.

I use a homemade PBW, with Oxyclean, TSP substitute, and 7th generation.

Works well, rinses clean, and does not leave scale behind.

It looks like 7th gen, has all the active ingredients of Oxyclean, plus a chelating agent to help with rinsing.
 
So far on every batch (4) I have rinsed everything thoroughly, washed (soft sponge) with one step and stored, then sanitized with star San on brew or bottle day.
Given the expense of one step relative to its size, I plan to continue the above procedure, substituting oxi clean for the one step and adding a thorough rinse before storage.
Thanks for all the responses : )
 
so if i have a 6 gallon carboy and fill it with about 5 to 5.5 gal water how much oxyclean should i use. Also i have been thinking about getting a small tub of pbw, is that stuff safe on the skin or do you need to wear gloves.
 
I use about a scoop of Oxyclean (the one that comes in the tub) for 5-6 gal in my carboy. PBW is safe on skin as long as you don't soak your hands in it for an hour.
 
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