Which is better Idophor or Star San?

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dpalme

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I have been using idophor but I have been told that it goes bad faster than star san and is sensitive to light.....and star san can be put in a spray bottle and used to quickly sanitize hoses, tools, etc.

Any advice here?
 
From the lil research that I've done, I believe Star San may be better. But I can be totally wrong. That is just what I'm getting from first impressions reading the board up and down.
 
I used Iodophor for a long time, and have the stains to prove it. Once I switched to Star-san, I never looked back. give it a try and make up your own mind. Star-san does last longer, but don't believe the people who tell you Iodophor only is for one time use. I got some test strips from the manufacturer, and found that my batches lasted upwards of three weeks.
 
I like starsan just because it's less messy - iodine stains like crazy. But just my 2cents...
 
I use starsan because I'm cheap & like to reuse it over & over. From my research, idophor has a very short shelf-life.
 
Both are fine. Starsan can be re-used better than Iodophor. Get whatever is cheapest and most abundant.

Remember to give the sanitizer a long contact time.
 
I've used both, never had any issues with either one. I prefer Star San due to the lack of the yellow tinge everything picks up with Iodophor.
 
I used Iodophor for a long time, and have the stains to prove it. Once I switched to Star-san, I never looked back. give it a try and make up your own mind. Star-san does last longer, but don't believe the people who tell you Iodophor only is for one time use. I got some test strips from the manufacturer, and found that my batches lasted upwards of three weeks.

Correct about the longevity of Iodophor, commercial breweries often use it in central CIP systems ( I have brewed in four such locations) and usually only give it a boost every couple weeks or so.

Someone earlier mentioned using star san because it can be used in spray bottles, you can do that with iodophor or PAA as well... spray bottles are not the exclusive realm of star san, far from it.
 
I prefer Iodophor.
Starsan causes burns if I get it on my skin (I am very sensitive to it).
If I sanitize a carboy or bung with Starsan, the bung keeps slipping out.
Starsan is useless for doing a mash conversion check.

-a.
 
as a noob I have used both. I hate iodophor...it stains. I guess I mixed it too strong. All of my buckets are orange on the inside. I am going on 6 months on the same batch of starsan...still tests good with ph. I think starsan makes the most economical sense.
 
I moved to Star san today, its cheaper in the long run and supposedly doesn't require the same amount of time as idophor to kill off....
 
i use iodophor, and have for years. only infection problem i ever had was when i dozed off when chilling an ipa, so that was probably my fault :(
 
I wouldnt bath in idophor or even have short contact with my skin,i use it and i dont trust it to last over a week in my arilocks so i add to it or switch out every week with it. I also like to use a preboil water rinse with it for my fermenter/bottles/bottleing bucket i use.
 
I use starsan and get the diluted stuff on my hands and clothes with no problems from it. I soak a dishrag in it and use that to wipe stuff down too, so my exposure is probably on the high side. My skin feels significantly drier after brew day though, so if you have sensitive skin this might be more of a problem.

The concentrate would most likely burn if left on your skin.
 
I use both. Iodophor for fermentors and bottling buckets, Starsan for everything else. The Iodophor might be messy, but don't let any Starsan get on your countertops!
 
Another man for Starsan. The only thing I use my Iodophor for at this point is checking starch conversion.
 
I like starsan for the foaming action, the shorter contact time, and the fact I can check its effectiveness with pH paper ...
 
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