I was cleaning a couple of kegs today, and I started to wonder: why can't I use dishwashing powder?
My keg washer works a lot like a dishwasher. It sprays hot water on things until the dirt comes off. If it works on dishes and glasses, it seems like it should work on kegs. Dishwashing powder is formulated to dissolve stuck-on food, and yeast is food.
I have seen people say that dishwashing powder leaves a residue on kegs, so it will kill a beer's head. But I wash my glasses in the dishwasher, they come out absolutely clean, and there is nothing wrong with the foam on my beers. Obviously, there is no residue.
I live in an area with a lot of calcium in the water. If you use a dishwasher here with just powder and well water, your glasses will eventually accumulate a lot of grey stuff on them. A few years back, I found out how to fix this problem. I add two teaspoons of citric acid to each load, and my glasses come out perfect. The citric acid removes the crud from old glasses that already have it stuck to them. I could just as easily add citric acid to dishwashing powder in the Bucket Blaster.
I'm paying about a dollar per pound for Walmart dishwashing powder, and it works just as well as Cascade. Perfectly.
The cheapest price I've seen for PBW is $5 per pound before delivery and taxes.
My keg washer works a lot like a dishwasher. It sprays hot water on things until the dirt comes off. If it works on dishes and glasses, it seems like it should work on kegs. Dishwashing powder is formulated to dissolve stuck-on food, and yeast is food.
I have seen people say that dishwashing powder leaves a residue on kegs, so it will kill a beer's head. But I wash my glasses in the dishwasher, they come out absolutely clean, and there is nothing wrong with the foam on my beers. Obviously, there is no residue.
I live in an area with a lot of calcium in the water. If you use a dishwasher here with just powder and well water, your glasses will eventually accumulate a lot of grey stuff on them. A few years back, I found out how to fix this problem. I add two teaspoons of citric acid to each load, and my glasses come out perfect. The citric acid removes the crud from old glasses that already have it stuck to them. I could just as easily add citric acid to dishwashing powder in the Bucket Blaster.
I'm paying about a dollar per pound for Walmart dishwashing powder, and it works just as well as Cascade. Perfectly.
The cheapest price I've seen for PBW is $5 per pound before delivery and taxes.
