mass bottle cleaning?

[CGVT]

Starsan is a sanitizer, not a cleaner. It should be used after the bottles are clean.

Soaking the bottles in starsan to clean them is a waste.

You would get better results by soaking your bottles in Oxyclean or PBW, rinsing them and then sanitizing them.

 

[songe]

like i said i rins them first. then use starsan.

 

[Epimetheus]

If needed, I soak a case at a time in a large Rubbermaid bin. You might have one around for blankets. A big picnic cooler might work.

Now, I always use a bottle brush just before sanitizing and bottling because of one bad experience when I could swear the bottles had been cleaned.

 

[Nameless_Matt]

If needed, I soak a case at a time in a large Rubbermaid bin. You might have one around for blankets. A big picnic cooler might work.

Now, I always use a bottle brush just before sanitizing and bottling because of one bad experience when I could swear the bottles had been cleaned.

I have this issue at the moment, got a load of brewing gear on eBay including 100x 500ml bottles for next to nothing... Cleaned them all using my normal regime of soak in a bucket of oxi and then rinse and store. Then on bottling day use my spray gun with starsan to sanitise...

Bottles looked visibly clean after the soak and rinse, but on real close inspection they have a nasty film all around the inside that won't shift with just soaking, and a bottle brush isn't cutting it either.

Can anyone recommend a really heavy duty detergent that will help shift this film on the inside of the bottles?

Looking at potentially an acid soak with 10% Acetic acid to see if its hard water deposits, then Sodium Metasilicate & a really heavy scrub with a bottle brush and then rinse and starsan to keep the bottles from water marks.

What do you think?

 

[allanyork]

Try cokecola

 

[autonomist3k]

Clean them as you empty them, and consider sterilizing them in the oven, with that method they are sterile indefinitely until you decide to use them.
I love the oven method and will never do it any other way.
I sterilized a bunch months ago and ate going to bottle with then this weekend.

 

[masskrug]

I thoroughly rinse my bottles with tapwater immediately after I pour the beer. Then I store them upside down. On bottling day I dunk the bottle in Starsan, shake, drain and fill. No issues.

 

[Nameless_Matt]

Clean them as you empty them, and consider sterilizing them in the oven, with that method they are sterile indefinitely until you decide to use them.
I love the oven method and will never do it any other way.
I sterilized a bunch months ago and ate going to bottle with then this weekend.

Only if you have them covered with a non porous material (ie wrap the tops with foil before oven baking)

Any open bottle will catch airborne contaminants.

3 years as an environmental monitoring microbiologist teaches you a few things you really don't want to know.


Not really after tips on sterilising/sanitising - and any new bottles get cleaned as I drink them. Right now I have some brutally soiled bottles that I want to clean up and use and am struggling with the usual tricks

 

[autonomist3k]

Yea I forgot that part, I put foil on all of them before baking.

 

[gr8shandini]

Didn't read all the posts, so forgive me if this has been suggested.

Back when I used to bottle, if I had a whole bunch, I'd soak 'em in Oxy and hot water for about an hour in the bath tub. You get clean bottles, no labels, and a really clean tub - so your roommates will actually love you. Be sure to rinse well

Then, when it comes time to sanitize, get a spray bottle form Target and fill it with StarSan. 2 or three spritzes in each bottle will coat the walls and you can shake out any extra before you fill.

 

[rlmiller10]

Rather than dowels for a drying rack I just drilled 1 1/4 inch holes in some boards. I place my bottle necks upside down through the holes. No putting a possibly dirty stick up my clean bottle that way