Why Oxiclean?

[Wayne1]

Both PBW and Oxyclean are great alkaline based cleaners. They both work very well for organic soil removal.

I do prefer PBW for mechanical soil removal. In other words, if you don't have the time to let either one soak overnight, PBW work better with a scrubby to remove the gunk from a brewpot.

If you have hard water, PBW is also a bit better. It doesn't require as much rinsing.

I have been using blend of 2/3 Oxiclean and 1/3 PBW to soak in my MLT, an kettle over night. It really works fantastic! All the benefits of PBW ( low amount of rinse) at a less expensive price.

I also think PBW works a bit better at removing soils from a CFC, but it is close. I do thank HBT for introducing me to Oxyclean. When I have to pay for cleaning chemicals out of my own pocket, every little bit a savings does help, as long as it works as well.

 

[bushmills4me]

$1.00 off coupon on the website! www.oxiclean.com

I'm just sayin'.

 

[dummkauf]

So what's the deal with only using oxiclean free? I gathered from this thread that it's got perfumes and dyes in it, but assuming you thoroughly rinse your equipment after you're done with the oxiclean, does it really matter?

 

[shortyjacobs]

So what's the deal with only using oxiclean free? I gathered from this thread that it's got perfumes and dyes in it, but assuming you thoroughly rinse your equipment after you're done with the oxiclean, does it really matter?

Stinky is as stinky does.

Or something.


Dyes and perfumes are meant to work at ppm-level concentrations. While 200 molecules of soap per million molecules of water certainly won't harm you, you might be able to detect 200 molecules of perfume in a million molecules of water.

And while I love my laundry to smell like "mountain waterfalls", I don't want the same vibe from my damn beer. There's bear piss in them waterfalls.

 

[ChshreCat]

What would be the point of having a perfume in something like this if it doesn't get left behind on your clothing? I'd rather not have it left behind on my fermenters.

 

[dummkauf]

Yes, but where I was going with this is I don't see how glass would absorb the perfumes where as your clothes are a bit more permeable. If my carboy absorbed perfumes from oxiclean, wouldn't it also absorb other smells, such as previous batches of beer and eventually stink. That doesn't happen, and since I would hope anyone oxicleaning a carboy would rinse the hell out of it before putting beer into it, there shouldn't be any risk or perfumes being left behind.

Or am I missing something here? The pieces just aren't adding up in my head so I'm trying to understand since I've got a box of regular old Oxiclean downstairs in my laundry room.

 

[ChshreCat]

Doesn't have to absorb if it just leaves a perfume residue. Not saying it would, but why bother with the perfumy stuff when they have Oxyclean Free?

 

[pinkfloyd4ever]

Doesn't have to absorb if it just leaves a perfume residue. Not saying it would, but why bother with the perfumy stuff when they have Oxyclean Free?

x2

Is ALL of your equipment (racking canes, hoses, etc) made of glass? I mean, you probably won't notice a difference using the scented stuff once or twice on your brewing equipment, but if I were you, I'd pick up the unscented kind next time you're somewhere that has it, and leave the scented stuff for the laundry. I know I certainly would, if for no other reason than peace of mind that my beer isn't picking up any off flavors from the oxiclean

 

[dogbar]

Note, we've left oxyclean on clothes overnight and it ate them. Be wary of that.

Ditto my first auto-siphon.

 

[Marsdude]

Oxy works really well in removing labels. I used it the first time I tried to remove bottle labels. It was so easy I wondered if I could just soak the bottles in hot water for a hour or so and remove the labels. Although I was able to get some of the labels off with just the water soak, I then tried Oxy for the next batch and the difference was incredible. The labels actually floated off the bottles!

I now use the generic "Sun" brand Walmart sells. Cheaper and does the same thing.

 

[starrfish]

Second on the "Sun" Brand from walmart, equally as good.. cheaper.

 

[NorCalAngler]

I checked my Oxiclean container when I got home last night and it doesn't say anything about being "free" other than Chlorine free. It is mostly white powder with a few little blue grains in it. I didn't notice any strong perfumes or dyes. I used it to clean my bottles last time and now I'm concerned because everybody is mentioning using Oxyclean Free. Oh well, I guess I'll know when I take my first sip in a couple weeks. I have a feeling that the glass bottles don't allow any perfumes or dyes to stick around.

 

[dogbar]

If you rinsed them well, you'll be fine. I use the regular stuff all the time.

 

[starrfish]

as long as it's not heavily scented your fine just avoid the heavily perfumed varieties. The standard Sun Brand from walmart, big lots etc doesn't have a scent.

 

[erykmynn]

I've been using one called Oxo-brite from "earth friendly products"

http://www.ecos.com/oxo.html#spec

It's fragrance-free, and both the web site and container list only sodium percarbonate and sodium carbonate as the ingredients. It seems to work really well for cleaning, and bottle labels float right off.

I don't know how the price compares to Oxyclean or PBW, but we buy it in a rather large tub for $12.99. They sell this at my grocery store (Lucky Supermarkets), but I can't find Oxy "free" anywhere.

 

[buffalobrewer]

I had a slow drain (drains laundry and kitchen) and started dumping a scoop of oxiclean down it and adding hot water until it backed up to the wash tub. After about 3 treatments the drain flowed pretty good. Now about once a week I dump a scoop down it and it keeps getting better. Tried many of the drain cleaners and they never really go the drain going.

 

[gunner65]

Why?, because Billy Mayes says so!

 

[Padstack31]

If oxiclean bothers you, don't look into the stuff the pros use. That stuff can strip your flesh of your bones.....oxiclean is puppy in comparison.

It's called Excel and your right, you feel the oils leaving your skin on contact and that was diluted...fully concentrated, you have a matter of seconds to wash it off...brewers have emergency showers for a reason

Alkaline to clean...water to neutralize...then an acid to sanitize...don't forget to whistle while you work...