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Faster/cheaper way to clean bottles?

Discussion in 'General Brewing Discussions' started by Edan Z, Dec 13, 2017.

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  1. Edan Z

    Edan Z Member

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    #1 Edan Z, Dec 13, 2017
    I'm wondering if it is really necessary to soak bottles for 20 minutes in PBW before sanitizing with Star San. Problem is, it takes an inordinate amount of PBW to soak 50 bottles at the same time and the stuff is just so expensive.

    I've been trying to save by making ten liters of it and soaking bottles, 15 at a time, but that takes so long, it's ridiculous.

    As long as I'm rinsing the bottles well with chlorinated tap water after drinking before storing them. Could I make a small amount of PBW, use the avinator bottle rinser to shoot it up into each bottle, let them sit a few minutes and rinse them out with water before sanitizing?

    I have 17 liters to bottle today.
     
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  2. soccerdad

    soccerdad Well-Known Member

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    #2 soccerdad, Dec 13, 2017
    Short answer -yes.

    Also, you can use generic oxy clean (like Kroger brand) in place of lbw. Even a bleach solution, if you rinse we'l after the soak.

    And the soak can be a minute if you rinsed it well and stored it well.
     
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  3. jimmyz

    jimmyz Member

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    #3 jimmyz, Dec 13, 2017
    Personally I think people take this way overboard. I triple rinse when I drink hem then store open side down then on bottling day I rinse with super hot water and then use the avonator to spray with starsan. Never had a problem.
     
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  4. Edan Z

    Edan Z Member

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    #4 Edan Z, Dec 13, 2017
    Last edited: Dec 13, 2017
    Ok, so i just gave each 10 pumps on the avinator with PBW for good measure. I'm letting them sit now for a few mins before rinsing. Even with ten pumps, the thing saved me so much time and effort, it's definitely worth it.

    I only made a liter of pbw. Even at the max amount of 14g per liter, which is pretty caustic, it saves a ton over the alternative.

    I sure wish OxiClean was available in France.
     
  5. jeffpn

    jeffpn Well-Known Member

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    #5 jeffpn, Dec 13, 2017
    I rinse bottles after use and store them upside down. On bottling day, I wash them with a combined mixture of dish soap and bleach, using a bottle brush to scrub them. No minimum time of soaking, just until they’re clean. Who told you to soak them for 20 minutes in PBW?
     
  6. Mase

    Mase Well-Known Member

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    #6 Mase, Dec 13, 2017
    We setup an assembly line so to speak. We fill our 5 gallon buckets with about 3 gallons of One Step and the other bucket with 3 gallons of Star San. Then we put them on the bottle rack to dry. Then put them in the freezer with a foil cap on each bottle. We then use the One Step and the Star San to clean up whatever tools and equipment we use during bottling. We try to time it so that bottle cleaning coincides with other tasks so we get the most out of the cleaning/sanitizing products.
     
  7. chub1

    chub1 Active Member

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    #7 chub1, Dec 13, 2017
    being a goody goody i always rinse out the bottle as soon as i can,dry it and store it. Just needs a short soak in brewcleanse a rinse and hey presto.Easy peasy:cool:
     
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  8. Edan Z

    Edan Z Member

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    #8 Edan Z, Dec 13, 2017
    Last edited: Dec 13, 2017
    Just here and there on the internet, plus the PBW container says to soak for 20mn if you are not planning to scrub, which I haven't been doing. Still waiting for a nice bottle brush to arrive.

    That said, I can't imagine there would be anything left in those bottles that could spoil a batch after triple rinsing, PBW swish with avinator, and thourough hot water rinse. That plus the StarSan before bottling, there's no way anything could survive enough to cause any problems. Saved a ton of time today.
     
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  9. Nosybear

    Nosybear Well-Known Member

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    #9 Nosybear, Dec 13, 2017
    Here's how I do it: If I can rinse the bottle well in hot water immediately after I empty it, I just put it in a box and sanitize it with Saniclean (think Star San without the foam) when I bottle. If I can't empty the bottle immediately, I soak them in a strong bleach solution - I can't tell you the exact dilution - overnight at least, rinse them with hot water and then use the Saniclean when I bottle. Procedure works well for me.
     
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  10. KC

    KC Active Member

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    #10 KC, Dec 13, 2017
    I sanitize bottles in the dishwasher. No effort, no mess, and they come out dry.
     
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  11. Beer_Pirate

    Beer_Pirate Active Member

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    #11 Beer_Pirate, Dec 13, 2017
    I rinse bottles with hot water once they're emptied, and all they get from me is a starsan soak just before bottling. I haven't had an infection... yet.
     
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  12. Ozarks Mountain Brew

    Ozarks Mountain Brew Moderator
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    #12 Ozarks Mountain Brew, Dec 13, 2017
    I do the same, I rinse again with hot water before the star-sans especially after sitting for a while then dump a few in a bucket full of strong ice cold star-sans right before filling
     
  13. Nosybear

    Nosybear Well-Known Member

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    #13 Nosybear, Dec 13, 2017
    I don't even soak, I use one of those bottle spray device. A few pumps, the inside of the bottle is thoroughly wetted with the sanitizer, then wait on the bottle tree until I'm ready to fill it.
     
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  14. Ozarks Mountain Brew

    Ozarks Mountain Brew Moderator
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    #14 Ozarks Mountain Brew, Dec 13, 2017
    I have a device that hooks to a hose just for bottle cleaning so Ive added quick connects and and adapter to my sink so I just quick connect it to the faucet then turn on the hot water and my water heater gets very hot so its pretty clean
     
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  15. Leglesswondercat

    Leglesswondercat Member

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    #15 Leglesswondercat, Dec 13, 2017
    Just switched to sodium percarbonate as a no rinse sanitiser, 1tsp per litre and use within 1 hour. Haven't tried it but found this too:

     
  16. Vallka

    Vallka Well-Known Member

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    #16 Vallka, Dec 13, 2017
    I rinse bottles 3 times with hot water once they're emptied store upside down in a crate with paper towel on the bottom, on brew day they get a Hot water rinse and a starsan rinse just before bottling.
     
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  17. FPMBomb

    FPMBomb Member

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    #17 FPMBomb, Dec 13, 2017
    I rinse the bottles and stick them in the Dishwasher with everything else from that day. On bottling day I load all the needed bottles into the dishwasher and do a 1 hour wash with heat dry with NO detergent or rinse aid. Bottles are perfectly sanitized and dry. They only take a few minutes with the door open to cool down. I picked up this technique from basicbrewing.com
     
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  18. Mase

    Mase Well-Known Member

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    #18 Mase, Dec 13, 2017
    Obviously you place them open end down, but do you have a special rack of sorts to hold all the bottles?
     
  19. FPMBomb

    FPMBomb Member

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    #19 FPMBomb, Dec 13, 2017
    My dishwasher has 4" tall coated wire prongs on a grid so it works perfectly.
     
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  20. Mase

    Mase Well-Known Member

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    #20 Mase, Dec 13, 2017
    Just looked at ours and yep... there's plenty of prongs. But my wife raised a good point... our dishwasher has a place to use "rinse aid" spot remover. Not sure I want that stuff. And it's a months supply in the container in the dishwasher
     
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