Mash paddle question

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narl79

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So a friend of mine gave me a 2 year old wood mash paddle thats been used but its decently clean and has been sitting in his shed for a year. Its in good shape but was wondering what I would use to clean and sanitize it?
 
You cannot effectively sanitize wood. It doesn't matter though, as the boil after the mash will kill off the baddies. There are probably more baddies on your grain than your mash paddle.

Use whatever mild, clean rinsing detergent you would use on your dishes. Avoid cleaners like PBW of Oxiclean, as they can sometimes stay in the pores of wood, even after multiple rinsing (ask me how I know)

A quick spritz of star san, or a stir in Iodaphor after a cleaning is all you need.
 
I've always wondered this. I always figured wood never really gets sanitized. Sure, the surface can be cleaned, but there has to be lots of bacteria that gets into the grain of the wood.
 
A good "seasoned" mash paddle won't hurt anything. Agree with all above thus far - you can't sanitize wood as it is porous. There will always be critters on it. But for the same reason you don't sanitize your grains before you toss them in your mash tun, you don't need to do that to your paddle. A good rinse is great, and make sure it is clear of all overt dust, dirt, or leftover grains and you'll be set.
 
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