Prepping bottles for my first batch!!!!!

[bjlasota]

I’m wondering what the best way to sanitize, remove the labels, and clean the bottles I’m going to bottle in next week. *I’ve read in one book that soaking the bottles in TSP and bleach for 48 hours will remove the labels and sanitize them. *Here’s my idea.
*
-******* Soak bottles for 48 hours in TSP and bleach
-******* Wash in dishwasher with dish soap and some sanitizing powder.
-******* Leave sit in dishwasher until bottling day
*
Does this sounds like a safe way to sanitize and prep my bottles for some new beer? Any other ideas/suggestions? Is this overkill? Not enough?

 

[JasonInBTR]

I soak them for a day in water and oxyclean. Some will peel easier than others. Use a little scrubbie pad to get all the glue and excess gunk off.

 

[PintOfBitter]

the dishwasher step is pretty redundant. it won't rinse the bottle interiors, so you'd need to rinse them thoroughly afterward anyway.

I'd suggest soaking, rinsing manually, and using the dishwasher only for storage until bottling. You can run the dishwasher empty (with or without a tad of bleach) if you want to make sure it's extra squeaky clean.

You might consider investing in a Vinator bottle rinser - SO worth it if you're bottling.

 

[Yankeehillbrewer]

What I do is soak my bottles in a bleach solution, 1/2 cup in 5 gallons. If they have labels I will try to leave them overnight, but a few hours is usually good enough. If they don't have labels I will leave them for about an hour, How to Brew says 20 minutes is good. Then I will thoroughly rinse them all out with hot water. After that I will mix up 5 gallons of Iodophor, and dunk each bottle in that, letting it fill up all the way. Then I will put the bottles on a sanitized rack in my dishwasher to drain. I try to run the dishwasher prior to bottling, that way I know the racks are good and clean, then I can just fill a spray bottle with Iodophor solution to spray the rack down.

You don't want to use dishsoap, as it may leave some residue behind in the bottle. Some folks like to use oxyclean to get the bottles clean. I also have heard of folks just running their dishwasher and letting the heat of that process clean & sanitize, but I personally don't trust that method.

 

[JohnnyO]

Soak in hot water and OxyClean over night. Most labels will peel right off, and the glue will come off with a scrub pad. I will usually use the bottle/carboy brush on the inside of every bottle before removing from the soak to make sure there is nothing nasty in the bottle.

After that, I will rinse in the sink.

You can run them through the dishwasher, but don't use soap/detergent. The soap will leave residue on the inside of your bottles, and can contribute to off flavors, contamination and cut down on head retention. No need for bleach either. Use heated drying, and the heat will sanitize your bottles. Leave them in the dishwasher until you're ready to use them. Be sure, they've cooled to room temperature before bottling though.

 

[bjlasota]

Good call on the oxy clean. I've seen that vinator too, is it no rinse sanitizer?

Revised plan:
Soak in oxy clean
Wash in dishwasher with bleach
Take out and rinse
Leave in dishwasher to dry

Thanks guys!

 

[viking_brew]

I just bottled my first batch as well. To clean my bottles I soaked in hot water and scrubbed inside with bottle brush, then soaked in water with small amount of bleach for 48 hours then rinsed the bottles with water. I also used the dishwasher to sanitize my bottles - I've been told not to use the dishwasher soap as it will leave a residue on your bottles; also do not use drying agents (jet-dry) either. I used the high-temp wash and sanitize features on my washer about 2 hours before I bottled and then let them cool and bottled. The dishwasher is a handy rack to hold the bottles as well when you bottle

 

[jevehn]

I've tried a couple of different methods, and this is what I've settled on.

-24H soak in oxiclean and warm water. Scrub any new bottles with a scotchbrite pad to remove any left over label/glue.
-Drain, and rinse with high pressure bottle washer (mounts to tap)
-Inspect bottles for gunk. Recycle any bottles that aren't clean after 2 soaks (not worth it).
-24H soak in vinegar solution (removes oxiclean film - I've got really hard water)
-Drain, and rinse with high pressure bottle washer.
-Allow to dry, then store in rubbermaid tote until bottling day.

On bottling day

-Use vinator to apply starsan to inside of bottles
-Fill with homebrew
-cap, and wait patiently for 3 weeks.

 

[dosniner]

On my last batch I just used the dishwasher to sanitize. Rinsed and scrubbed with a bottle brush first as they had been sitting for a couple of years since my previous batch. I pushed the necks through the top rack so there is nothing blocking the jets and used the heated drying option. I let them cool for a couple of hours before pulling straight from the dishwasher, filling and capping. 9 beers into my batch, beer is clean, no off flavors or funky stuff. After pouring a brew, I make sure to thoroughly rinse and dry each bottle before putting away.

 

[Jawbox0]

I'm a little paranoid about my bottles. After I do the Oxyclean soak and rinse, I throw them all in the oven the morning before I bottle. I bake them at 340F for about an hour, and let them cool there for as long as it takes to get them back down.

 

[milesvdustin]

I have a vinator on my bottle tree. Allows me to quickly star san and dry enough bottles to package a five gallon batch.