Sanitizing question...

[samcady1]

i'm aware this question has been asked more times than the sun has risen but...
I've run out of the No Rinse Cleanser that came with the brewing kit i purchased and i've been looking for an alternative. Would soaking the bottles in OxiClean "free" overnight then baking the bottles at 350 for an hour sanitize my bottles? No rinse cleansers are not avaiable where i live since the army stationed me in a hick town next to nothing....

 

[SarahMatt]

Bleach will sanitize. Just be sure to rinse the bottles until you can't smell the chlorine any more.
Good luck,
Sarah.

 

[eastoak]

i'm aware this question has been asked more times than the sun has risen but...
I've run out of the No Rinse Cleanser that came with the brewing kit i purchased and i've been looking for an alternative. Would soaking the bottles in OxiClean "free" overnight then baking the bottles at 350 for an hour sanitize my bottles? No rinse cleansers are not avaiable where i live since the army stationed me in a hick town next to nothing....

the 350 degree oven for an hour alone will sterilize the bottles and is what i would do before using bleach. the no rinse powder that came with your kit is not to be trusted as a sanitizer.

 

[Grumpybumpy]

My dishwasher has a sanitizing cycle where it flings hot water everywhere for a while then I use the hot drying cycle. Pretty sure this is adequate if you have a dishwasher that has this feature.

 

[Calder]

I've read in a lot of places that you should not use the dishwasher if you use 'jet-dry' or other spot remover. These leave a film on the glass that kills the head. Even if the dishwasher has used it and run-out, there is still some residual cleaner left.

Bleach is a pain, but works. Soak bottles in a weak bleach solution (a couple of tablespoons in 5 gallons - not much), and then rinse with HOT water. Cold water does not remove the bleach film, but hot does. You don't have to fill the bottle with hot water, just a little to rinse all the surface, then repeat, then you are good.

Using an oven is another alternative. You just have to get the bottle temperature above 160 F for 30 seconds. So put the oven on it's lowest setting, pre-heat, then put the bottles in. Probably best to place the bottles on a cool pan before placing in the oven so as not to shock the bottles with the hot rack. Make sure they are in long enough to heat to 160 F.

 

[govain]

If your bottles are already clean, don't bother with the oxyclean. That's not really going to sanitize. The oven time will be more than sufficient to sanitize. If the oven is available to you, go that route so that you don't have to worry about any residual chemicals.

I generally bake my bottles in the oven with foil over the tops and store them with the foil intact to help prevent getting dirty again.

If you were to use a sanitizer solution, I recommend StarSan. It's safe, you don't need to worry about residue, and it works. I use it on all my stuff. Hell, SWMBO even had me make her a small batch of StarSan for kitchen purposes.

Also, I live in hick-nowhere and have a supplier ship me my materials. You can order online and they've got flat-rate shipping. My shipments usually arrive within a couple days.

 

[Grumpybumpy]

I've read in a lot of places that you should not use the dishwasher if you use 'jet-dry' or other spot remover. These leave a film on the glass that kills the head. Even if the dishwasher has used it and run-out, there is still some residual cleaner left.

I don't use jet-dry. I do run the rinse cycle once with it empty to make sure there isn't any leftover detergent from the last time I cleaned my dishes. No problem getting head here!