What is PBW made from?

[Michael_Calgary]

HI all, I performed a cursory search on these forums and didn't find anything related to my question.

So I use PBW. I like it. However, it is stupid expensive.

So here is my question. I noticed the very first time I used it, that it looks/smells/feels exactly like "old school" powdered laundry soap. So much so that I started to feel that this was another one of "those" brewing items that they rip us off with. (think Gelatin finings as an example. $3.75 for an ounce or two. lol)

But seriously, it even has that "slimy" feel just like powdered laundry soap when it is mixed with water.

Is PBW related to laundry soap? I mean, is it the same class of cleaner? Or are people just selling 500 grams of laundry soap in a snap lid container with a label on it and claiming it is "PBW"? A small container of PBW costs me almost $15. I could buy Kilo's of Laundry soap for $15!

Thx

Michael

 

[steveoatley]

there is a whole thread on = formula to make PBW your self

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/threads/homemade-pbw-recipe.467655/

Enjoy

Steve

 

[JimRausch]

Homemade PBW= oxyclean-free plus some TSP. I'm not sure of the formula, but do a search on this forum and you'll find more posts than you can stand.
And Steve beat me to it!

 

[day_trippr]

[...]But seriously, it even has that "slimy" feel just like powdered laundry soap when it is mixed with water. [...]

That's the caustics dissolving your skin.
With a pH of ~12 when mixed per directions I don't think you want to be using it as a hand cleaner

Cheers!

 

[Michael_Calgary]

That's the caustics dissolving your skin.
With a pH of ~12 when mixed per directions I don't think you want to be using it as a hand cleaner

Cheers!

Lol Good Point! Maybe I should get a pair of those "Evil Scientist" gloves that go up to my armpits?

 

[mredge73]

I use 3 parts oxyclean to 2 parts TSP.
Not as scientific as the attached list above but works about the same.
Note, it mixes much better with hot water and can eat away most organic compounds.

 

[Michael_Calgary]

Thx Mredge73.

Ya, I am having a hard time deciphering that "recipe". I don't quite get the layout of the excel snippet.

 

[stan1007]

1 X 4lb box TSP (Red Label)
2 x 48oz boxes OxiClean or generic equivalent. (Make sure it is unscented.)
1 x 45oz box 7th Generation Powder Dish Washing Detergent

 

[Horseflesh]

Look for my posts in the recipe thread. It's 70% sodium percarbonate, 30% sodium metasilicate, and I included Amazon links to the cheapest suppliers.

You can add more stuff, but the simple recipe is working well for some of us. I can't tell the difference between the clone and the real thing.

 

[Michael_Calgary]

Found the post! https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/threads/homemade-pbw-recipe.467655/page-12#post-8054386

Thx Horseflesh! You as well stan1007!

 

[Michael_Calgary]

So does the attached screen shot from Amazon look right?

 

[mredge73]

That is really expensive for TSP, it is usually about $3 per lb.
Is there a reason to get the Phosphate free stuff other than feeling green?

 

[Michael_Calgary]

That is really expensive for TSP, it is usually about $3 per lb.
Is there a reason to get the Phosphate free stuff other than feeling green?

Can I just get TSP from Home Depot? I don't recall it have "90" in the name though. I just searched Amazon (Canada) till I found TSP with the number 90 in it's name. It seems that the Canadian version of Amazon does not quite have the same items that the US counterpart has.

 

[mredge73]

The 90 stuff is phosphate free, not sure if that is why it costs more.
I would just get the regular red label stuff that contains phosphates.

The phosphates make the detergent more efficient.
Algae feeds on phosphates and algae messes up wastewater facilities.
Therefore, phosphates have been banned in laundry detergent in the US and EU.

 

[mj1angier]

Yeah the TSP/90 is a ***** to fine. Ace hardware has it sometimes or can order. Not sure how the non- 90 will affect a secpit system if you are on one.

 

[Michael_Calgary]

Thx for the tips all. Just out of curiosity, what exactly is "Red Label" TSP? Is Red Label the brand name? Or are you saying that the stuff I want has a red label on it? I cannot seem to find either on Amazon.

 

[Michael_Calgary]

Also, what about this in place of Seventh Generation? (picture attached) It seems to have similar ingredients and I can buy it locally right now.

 

[mredge73]

Thx for the tips all. Just out of curiosity, what exactly is "Red Label" TSP? Is Red Label the brand name? Or are you saying that the stuff I want has a red label on it? I cannot seem to find either on Amazon.

The regular TSP you get in the paint aisle in your local hardware store.
It has a literal red label on it, should be around $3 per lb if available in your country.
You just don't want to pour a lot of this stuff down the drain if you have a septic system.

Amazon will cost a little more:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0001GOGQW/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

 

[Michael_Calgary]

Oh OK! Home Depot (Canada) has regular T.S.P. for about $3.57 per 400 grams. Not quite one pound, but close enough for me.

 

[jtratcliff]

The purpose of tsp90 is that it's actually sodium metasilicate and not trisodiumphosphate... Sodium metasilicate is one of the ingredients of real PBW...

So the recipe in the DYI PBW thread is meant to mimic PBW with off the shelf products...

If you want to mimic PBW, use TSP90..
That said, others have reported good results with regular TSP. Presumably they perform the same function.