sanitizing

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AAASTINKIE

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I have been sanitizing my bottles and equiptment with 1 campden tablet per gallon. When I was at the brew store I always noticed his bottles on the tree were all covered with white stuff, I asked about sanitizing and he said to use 5 campden tablets per gallon. Does that sound right to everyone? I need to use something that is no rinse as my wellwater is sometimes of questionable quality (I have special filters for my drinking water).
 
Yes that sounds about right.I am surprised you haven't had sanitation problems! No need to rinse off the sulphite residue, just drip dry and wipe off the white stuff from the outside of the bottles, or not, it don't hurt anything.
 
I always wash everything in campden before putting it away too. Also when I wash bottles and take the labels off I put the bleach right to them.
 
I am pretty sure bleach is a no-no in winemaking. The residue can react with corks and produce a compound called TCA, commonly known as 'cork taint'. Google it.
 
OK I bought a 4oz bottle of Sodium Metabisulfite yesterday and on the
bottle it says Sanitation: 2oz per gallon...that's a lot of powder, I
looked in my wine book and it said 1oz so I went with that much, I used
warm water and the fumes about clogged my lungs up, I see I need to buy
this by the pound but they didn't have any large bags. I ordered a
digital scale off ebay last night (it never stops does it?).
 
Nope, never.


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Country,


I have heard the same about bleach, but I was reading the Texas laws on wineries and they require a chlorine sanitizer. Sulfites are not acceptable. You can count on the government to make everything more complicated than it should be. You should see the regs just for having a tasting!
 
We have dry areas. Sometimes it is a town or a precint or a whole county. Fortunately, last year we passed a constitutional amendment that allows wine making everywhere in Texas regardless whether it is a wet area or not.
 
I use bleach on a regular basis for sanitizing bottles and haven't had any problems yet.





Chris
 
Today I washed my equiptment in b-brite then rinsed and washed it all again in sodium metabisulfite so it was nice and clean, then I bottled beer,I also pounded the bleach to the primary when I was done with it.
 
i use no-rinse sanitizing powder, which is a tablespoon per gallon, and it is not nearly as strong smelling (better for the lungs and nasal passages) as the straightsodium metabisulphite... for the bottles, i will rinse them out with regular well water, then soak them in a 5-6 gallon bucket filled with than sanitizer for about a minute, drain and shake, finish draing, then hang on my beautiful tree (thanks George)... no problems, and no bleach/chlorine
 
I use bleach, postassium meta, sodium meta,C Brite. when using bleach I rinse three times with water, when using sodium meta or cC Brite once with water. Never had any problems.
 
I have read many articles that state bleach is acceptable but to make sure you use unscented bleach. Me not being a laundry expert never knew there were different types of bleach. I thought a bottle of Clorox was a bottle of Clorox.


Smurfe
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I have used almost all.


My rundown, but I am sure others can comment:


1.) One-Step - great, easy, no hassle, no rinsing necessary. If I could clean my house with it, I would.


2.) Clorox/Chlorine - just as great, but you have the extra step of rinsing out everything 2-3 times more than if you'd use the one-step.


3.) Campden tablets/K-meta - also great, but just doesn't give me the feel that I've done enough. My problem, I know. But if used in the right amounts, definitely a logical alternative.


4.) I have no experience with B-Brite, but I have heard similar reports that I have experienced with One-Step.


5.) Iodophor - Iodine: Bad staining. I've seen it used in surgeries, and nah, I wouldn't use it. Stains everything that is absorbable (skin). For beer - I dunno. I've never made beer. But wine? Stick to the other options, I would think.


6.) Boiling water: Well, great for musts (if you're infusing, etc), but for most equipment in winemaking, a little too harsh. Carboys could crack, primaries could melt, racking tubes - ? - I'm not sure. There are many other (better) options than simply boiling water, in my opinion. For musts it's a different story, but for equipment I would not use it.


Those are my opinions, not the gospel-truth. Different people have different experiences, and I also would like to learn - if someone sees my opinions differently. I am welcome to discussion.
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MartinaEdited by: MedPretzel
 
Thanks for the rundown on sanitizers.Since I've learned so much from all of you about wine-making, I thought I shouldgive back:


Betadine, the brown liquidwe rub on an area before surgery, is an iodophore with the interesting property of residual killing. The iodine lingers on the skin and continues to kill microorganisms via oxidative damage, unlike surfactants or alcohol.


Pretty gross stuff -- I'd recommend using it with wine only if you stab yourself with a broken wine glass.
 
Erik,


Thanks for the feedback about Iodophore.
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Good to know. Just so everyone knows, I am not a surgeon, but did a 4 month rotation in Surgery, where I had to prep patients before surgery. I got the betadine (somehow, even with latex gloves) on my skin and it took forever to get off. That is why (among other reasons) I would like to go into radiology. A clean field!


Thanks for your input.
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I'm glad we're back on track to the topic of Winemaking.
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What wines are you currently making?
 
Well if you're going into radiology could you just give the bottles a massive
dose and kill everything that way? I can just see it, bottles with their little
lead protective jackets on. Hang on, is that why we sometime see lead
wraps on wine bottles?
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