Sanitizing question

[Iceman6409]

Hello all. What are the accepted thoughts on, let's say, sanitizing a carboy and then covering it in aluminum foil or whatever, and then not using it fir a few months. Would the carboy be sanitized when I went to use it in a few months?

 

[m00ps]

its always advised to sanitize right before you use it. But what I usually do is pour in a bit of starsan, cover and leave it for a few days. When I'm going to use it, I just shake it all around and dump it out. Easy Peesy. But for MONTHS, it may not be good to have that much contact time if the carboy you are using is plastic. Other than that, I'd think you'd be fine if nothing got into the carboy to spoil the starsan effectiveness

 

[PGEduardo]

Not worth it. Clean it and rinse it out, cover it and store it.

When using again - rinse it out, sanitize and fill.

 

[kh54s10]

It is probably ok by sanitizing then closing tightly. But, Starsan and Iodaphor, among others, are contact sanitizers. When the are dry they are no longer working. It is so easy to sanitize there is no reason to not do it soon before use.

 

[Vandulus]

My method is to spray about 2-3 oz of StarSan into the carboy and swish it around thoroughly after cleaning it with PBW after brewing. The day of the next brew, I repeat swishing with a fresh batch of StarSan and the cover with foil.

I'd be leary about it remaining sanitized for an extended period of time due to:
- Foil is not airtight and some air and its accompanying flora/fauna is bound to get in
- Even if you got an airtight seal, the air already in the carboy plus any residual moisture would be an ideal place for growth