What Sanitizer do you use?

[aekdbbop]

Im looking for a good all purpose sanitizer.. one that will clean everything, even my kegs.. is Iodophor a good way to go?

 

[the_bird]

.... let the battle begin!....

 

[rdwj]

I don't think this has ever been discussed before - lol

I like Star-San. If you do anything anywhere that staining something might get you in trouble with SWMBO, Star-San is the way to go.

 

[aekdbbop]

I don't think this has ever been discussed before - lol

well, I am glad I am getting the gears around here turning..

As long as it doesnt stain "stainless" steel I think I am good...

 

[Evan!]

There's a difference between sanitizing and cleaning.

My method is as such: if there's grime, gunk, etc., caked on the inside of my carboy, I soak it with a Simple Green solution for awhile, the scrub with a carboy brush.

Then I rinse it completely and add a solution of Star San. Best stuff in the world.

Now close this thread, mods, before it gets out of hand.

 

[Evan!]

well, I am glad I am getting the gears around here turning..

As long as it doesnt stain "stainless" steel I think I am good...

Yeah, until you spill the iodophor and it stains something, like your clothes or some carpet, etc. I'd go with star san, just to be safe.

 

[the_bird]

IODOPHOR, BABY!

ALL "REAL" HOMEBREWERS USE IODOPHOR!

(just kidding, don't ban me... )

 

[Brewpastor]

Star San is great and so is PBW. And I do use BLEACH*



*Now the games can begin!

 

[aekdbbop]

your right, i meant sanitize only. I just have been buying oxygen based stuff in small quantities. I need something in bulk..

 

[Brewpastor]

IODOPHOR, BABY!

ALL "REAL" HOMEBREWERS USE IODOPHOR!

(just kidding, don't ban me... )

I have been waiting for a chance to abuse my Moderator powers....

 

[Orfy]

Oxyclean for cleaning............ I've heard say its also a sanitiser but I use PBW and then a quick rinse.

Belts and braces.

Never had a problem and NEVER USED IODOPHOR.

Not sure if it's available in the land of REAL BREWERS!!!!

 

[rdwj]

Oxyclean for cleaning............ I've heard say its also a sanitiser but I use PBW and then a quick rinse.

PBW is just a cleaner, right?

 

[Brewpastor]

REAL BREWERS!!!![/B]

Sure, they sell it in Saint Louis...


One of the things I love about Star San is that it is no rinse and so it is great for tubes and things like that.

 

[Orfy]

I have a brand.....hang on......


I use them as a steriliser but they are all an all in one. Steriliser, cleaner and deodoriser.

Brew maker Bruclens
Youngs Steriliser and Cleaner.

Both Marketed as professional brewers wash/steriliser.

So I could use just the one product but I find the Oxyclean does my scrubbing for me. I've never needed to use a brush.

 

[Biermann]

Starsan for sanitizing. I use an equivalent to oxyclean for cleaning, and like Brewpastor, I also will occasionally use bleach.

For surface sanitizing, I use Vodka.

 

[JimiGibbs]

I'm in the StarSan group ... Just don't like all the bubbles.

 

[Brewpastor]

For surface sanitizing, I use Vodka.

Yes, the surface of my mouth, with a little olive.

 

[rdwj]

I... Just don't like all the bubbles.

I'll admit - those are a bit hard to get used to. I just doesn't seem right to pour beer over them.

 

[Brewpastor]

I'll admit - those are a bit hard to get used to. I just doesn't seem right to pour beer over them.

One of the things I had to over-come was a need to rinse, even with no-rinse cleaners. I still find myself doing it as second nature. It pisses me off. I get something all ready and then rinse it with water. Fortunately it happens less and less.

 

[Orfy]

I'm thinking if the waters bad enough to kill my beer than it will kill me.

The local authority sanitise the water before it hits the system.

 

[Evan!]

When you're bottling, the starsan foam isn't so innocuous. It's a bit of problem for me...I have to fill the bottle till the foam gets to the top, then let it sit for a couple mins while the foam subsides, and top it off. But it still beats thoroughly rinsing the bleach out of 36+ bottles one by one...

 

[Buford]

I use StarSan and don't have any issue bottling. I use a bottling wand attached to a bucket spigot and fill to the very rim of the bottle, forcing all the foam out. The removal of the wand from the bottle leaves enough headspace for capping.

I put a bucket and a long sheet of wax paper underneath the bottling setup so any excess foam/beer goes into that instead of on the floor.

 

[elderbrewer]

I clean with Oxyclean or StraightA. I sanitize with Star San. I mix up one gallon,pour a couple cups in a carboy and shake sto coat all of inside the rest of the gallon goes in a wallpaper tray(home depot) and all tubes,etc goes in there till I need it. After brewing I pour the Star San back into the milk jug and save till racking,again use I use the wallpaper tray to sanitize and return to jug after and save till bottling or kegging. I can brew from start to bottled or kegged with very little use of Star San. On the Star San bottle, I squeeze enough Star San till it comes halfway to the 1/2 oz mark,never had a bad batch. I think Iodopher is very good however I am a bit messy and it will stain the clothes.

 

[Focus]

I sanitize my equipment with One Step - usually a galon or two of solition scrubbed with a sponge that's used exclusively for that purpose.

For bottles, My typical method is incubation: 200 deg for 20 min in the oven then leave closed for 1-2 hours to cool. Never had a problem as long as there's no solid gunk in the bottles when I cook them.

Between brews, I'll use a beach solution to clean the gunk off my plastic buckets, conical, etc.

 

[Ol' Grog]

Nobody here uses One Step?? I find that stuff to be really good and easy to use as well.

 

[the_bird]

Grog, I'm not picking on you, but look at the thread directly above yours...

I used to use One Step, but I could never figure out the proper dosing. Methinks I was using far too concentrated a mixture. I just like Iodophor, although I'm sure Star-San works just as well (and I've been known to use a little bleach, but only for big, easy-to-rinse things like buckets, carboys, and bottles).

 

[Llarian]

Star-san for most things.

However, I use idophor for bottling because of the aformentioned bubbling issue with star-san. Haven't noticed any negative results because of it yet.

-Dylan

 

[Onescalerguy]

We went to bleach at my place.We started out using One-Step but it was getting too costly when we started brewing every week.We have to mail-order everything and postage is a big expense these days.I went all over the forums and read everything i could find about it and decided to go with bleach.Homebrewing,for SWMBO and I,started out all about saving money because we love beer(good beer).4 months and 15 batches(5 AG) later,it's all about the taste!!!!
Cheers

P1-Schwheat!(AG)
P2-IslandPaleAle(AG)
P3-SwirlyPearlyWheat(AG)
S1-DeerBrownAle(AG)
S2-NewYearSpiceAle
Bott./Aging-Can.Ale,Diabolo
Drinking-Dunkelweisen,ShortBlondeAle(AG)
OnDeck-AmberAlert(AG)

 

[uwmgdman]

One step, it works for me, easy to use and it's what I started with (I don't care about any FDA license and burning hoop jumping). If it's not broke....don't fix it right?

 

[Biermann]

I use StarSan and don't have any issue bottling. I use a bottling wand attached to a bucket spigot and fill to the very rim of the bottle, forcing all the foam out. The removal of the wand from the bottle leaves enough headspace for capping.

I put a bucket and a long sheet of wax paper underneath the bottling setup so any excess foam/beer goes into that instead of on the floor.

Seriously, take a small amount of vodka, and rinse your sudsy star san bottles/fermenters, whatever, with it, and swirl it around. Your suds will mostly disappear, and your rinse is sterile.