Star-San vs. Iodophor - FIGHT!

[bikebryan]

how do you guys determine your ppm for idophor? I am not sure what the color should look like in a carboy at the approp. strength.

My bottles of Iodophor tell you how to measure. They state that you use one capful per 2.5 gallons of water to get a 12.5ppm solution, needed for no-rinse sanitizing.

 

[Walker]

I've been to the Five Star website. The tech sheet indicates that StarSan is good for sanitizing, but also specifically mentions that first the item must be cleaned thoroughly BEFORE applying. That pretty much implies that StarSan is not a cleaner!

Keep reading that tech sheet, dude.

Below that part you mention is this:

COMPLIANCE

STAR SAN is authorized by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for use as a general cleaning agent in official meat, poultry, rabbit, and egg processing establishments.

That pretty much explicitly claims that it is a cleaner.

As for the part you mention, it says that items must be cleaned and rinsed prior to sanitizing with STAR SAN, but it does NOT say what you have to clean the thign with. You are free to clean it with STAR SAN and then sanitize it with STAR SAN.

-walker

 

[Baron von BeeGee]

I've frequently used Star-San for light cleaning duties without any issues. As Kaiser mentions the foaming action will penetrate just about everywhere is you give the item to be cleansed/sanitized a good shake, and the foam seems to have excellent surfactant action.

 

[DrewsBrews]

I've been alternating between Iodophor and bleach water. Except for on the SS stuff, obviously. I was told by a guy at the local brew shop that switching kills the nasties that adapt to one method or the other. Maybe that's too paranoid, but it's easy and cheap enough so I do it.

I've considered trying the Star San as an alternate on the SS, but I remember reading something on the website saying that extended contact with SS could cause it to corrode.

Anybody have any info supporting this or to the contrary?

 

[Beer Snob]

I am guessing that this is a situation similar to the product One Step. For those who don't know, One Step is OFFICIALLY not a sanitizer. However, for those who remember... can't recall where it is here... we found out that there is a lengthy process to be offically labeled as a sanitizer. And cost a pretty penny too. One Step does a very good job sanitizing.

Like I said.... no idea... but it could be something along those lines with Star San and cleaning at any rate.

 

[billtzk]

Looks like in this old poll from 2005, Iodophor got the nod over Star San. I wonder if that would change if the current crowd were to add their votes.

As it stands at this point, there are 60 votes for Star San, 82 for Iodophor, and 26 for Other.

 

[Cheeto]

I am a fan of star-san !

Iododor it potentially lethal for me !

that and the fact the you can put it in a spray bottle and sanitize many other things as well.


-billtzk great job on this find !-


-Jason

 

[TopDog]

Iodophor on everything stainless -- < $30 for a gallon undiluted.
Bleach w/a hit of vinegar (highly toxic if not carefully handled) for sanitizing chiller lines.
Easy Clean for quick stuff like a wine thief or racking cane.

 

[z987k]

While I use starsan exclusivly, if your sanitizing any metal including stainless, it would be best to go with iodine.

 

[Warrior]

Choose which sanitizer you use. Post why you use it, including your list of pros and cons.

I've been an Idophor fan for years. A quart bottle lasts me a long time and it's easy to use. At $15 a quart (LHBS price) it's a very inexpensive sanitizer it also is very effective and a good no rinse sanitizer.

 

[Hammy71]

I have used both. I always scared I'm gonna stain something with the Idophor. Love the Star-San foam. As far as the price....if that was why I was homebrewing was to worry about the cost of something as important as sanitation....then I would just by Budwiper and drink that.....

 

[JPicasso]

I've used Star-san exclusively. No problems.

I picked one when I started, but if Idophore is the only thing in the store when I need someday, I'll use that.

 

[Buford]

I like Star San for other reasons besides as a sanitizer. I use it as an acid wash on my equipment that I clean with percarbonate, after rinsing the percarbonate solution out with hot water. The acid will neutralize the alkalinity if there is any still present, and the Star San wash has removed stains on my brewpot that the alkaline solution didn't.

 

[jkarp]

Star-San. I can't trust myself with something that'll permanently stain tile countertops.

 

[McKBrew]

I use star san. Never used idophor. I always have a spray bottle handy and use it to sanitize my beer faucets, drinking water faucet, and countertops when cooking. It can be spendy depending on where you buy it, I think next time I'll just order the big jug online.

 

[BarleyWater]

I like Star San for other reasons besides as a sanitizer. I use it as an acid wash on my equipment that I clean with percarbonate, after rinsing the percarbonate solution out with hot water. The acid will neutralize the alkalinity if there is any still present, and the Star San wash has removed stains on my brewpot that the alkaline solution didn't.

It's also great at cleaning mineral deposits off, and kills ants instantly.

 

[SilverKing]

I've gotten into the habit of using star-san exclusively. No major reason. Staining was the only small issue.

 

[user 30639]

How does one go about re-using Star San?

 

[GAbrewer]

I still think this discussion sounds like the title of a Japanese monster film.

I voted for iodophor because that's the one I use. But to be fair I've never tried Star San yet, but I probably will eventually. One thing I wanted to comment on: people keep mentioning the color and odor of iodophor as a "con". But I like this because being able to see it helps me know if I need to add more or if I need to dilute it down a bit. Aside from the bubbles they say Star San gives off, how do you even know you've added it if it's colorless and odorless? If you're like me and would forget your head if it came unattached, that's a legitimate question.

 

[Hegh]

Where's the 'both' option? I have a slight preference for Star-San, but I really do use both fairly interchangeably...

 

[drayman86]

I use bleach exclusively.

 

[Dougan]

I use bleach exclusively.

x2

If you're confident about your tap water not having to be boiled in order to call it 'sanitary' then bleach is effective and practically free. If you follow the 'boil all water that touches the beer/wort' ideology, it's probably not as appealing. Some people are forced to follow this ideology, but I think the water here's as good as it can be and that's enough for me.

I find that knowing that my sanitizer is dirt cheap makes me more inclined to, say, fill my bottling bucket with bleach water to sanitize it instead of running a sanitizer rag over it to save on cleaner. That's probably not a common tendency that you guys will share, but it definitely makes a difference for me. I'm not going to be happy about using 5 gallons worth of a cleaner that costs money to sanitize a 5 gallon bucket once.

 

[raceskier]

OK, Here's another vote for both, with some Saniclean thrown in for grins.

For most jobs, carboy(BB), hoses, airlocks, fittings etc., I use Starsan. I make it with DI water and store it for re-use. I like the fact that it will clean as well. The spray bottle gets a lot of use as well. I use it a lot for spot cleaning and to mist the air and take down as much dust as possible, prior to cracking anything open. I took the "don't fear the foam" saying to heart. For a while. I work very hard at not just limiting, but eliminating oxygen exposure during transfers. (CO2 purge of everything) It struck me that all of that foam was full of air. Foam on all the little stuff is easy to get rid of. For the BB, I let it sit over night and then carefully drain so as to eliminate the foam.

On brewday though, I make up a bucket of Iodophor. In goes the plate chiller and everything else. I don't worry about keeping it clean or uncontaminated. I just dump it at the end of the day.

I ended up having one piece of plastic craze and crack from the Saniclean, but not from Starsan. I thought that the acid santizer was the same in both. I use the Saniclean in my tub of water that I use to hold the BB's during secondary. (I was getting mold.)

 

[ChickenSoop]

I use both Star-San and Iodophor.

I am under the impression Star-San cleans solids better, so I use it to clean the primary immediately after using - to clean and kill any remaining stuck on solids. But I find Star-San stinks ... smells mediciney, so I use Iodophor on brew day to sanitize.

 

[Buford]

I actually kind of like the smell of Star San. I wouldn't drink it or anything, but the smell doesn't bother me.

 

[BrianTheBrewer]

Star-San all the way.

 

[billtzk]

I use both Star San and Iodophor, depending on what I'm doing. I keep Star San in a spray bottle and use it to spray down stirrers, hydrometer, thermometer, test jar, thief, and so forth. I won't use it in my cornies or conical or carboys because of the foam, which I don't like. For those items, I use Iodophor.

 

[beerthirty]

Star san. There is no fight. Don't fear the foam.

 

[Bernie Brewer]

I use bleach exclusively.

I did, too, for many years. And it does work well, and is cheap. Why did I switch to Star-san?? I got sick of rinsing, and mixing up a new batch every time I brewed and bottled. Star-San is no rinse, and it lasts for months in a closed container. Iodophor is no good after around 12 hours.

And I ruined too many articles of clothing when the bleach solution spilled on them. I like Star-San now, even though it took me forever to get used to the foam........

 

[chemist308]

Bleach, 1 tbs per gallon with 10-15 min contact time...

Boiling water with 10 min contact time.

Both are cheap and easily found.