Clorox Wipes?

[Elmer]

I know bleach is bad around wine making.
I am not sure why it is bad, but enough people posted on this forum to keep bleach away, far away! Far, Far Away!

So last night I head down the the basement to check on my aging wine.
My carboys age along the wall in the kids play room.
There I notice everything is slightly wet.
My wife is cleaning the play room.
She admits that she took some clorax wipes (with bleach) and wiped down the floor and my carboys!

the carboys are aging and have the airlocks securely in them.

Am I in trouble?
Are then any measures I should take?

Do I need to get a restraining order to keep my wife 50 yards from my wine at all time????

 

[jamesngalveston]

as long as she did not wipe the inside, your ok. those wipes are pretty watered down..
I would say yes to the restraining order..but that may lead to a divorce.

 

[ibglowin]

I would re-wipe with a clean wet washrag (just water) especially on the carboys. No chlorine in/on/near/the wine making area as chlorine can be a key ingredient to the formation of "Cork Taint" or TCA (Trichloroanisole) in wines.

 

[djrockinsteve]

She's just trying to help. You are fine and no need for her to disappear.

I agree taking a clean damp cloth and wipe off carboys though over time all that will dissipate.

I wipe my carboys down with a clean paper towel sprayed with a sulfite/water solution. It cleans up any drips of wine etc. they become less slippery when moving them.

 

[jswordy]

Yep, it's the Law here that bleach is bad, bad, bad. Cept for Cecil. I go over Cecil's house, and he has an 8' x 10' corkboard loaded with blue ribbons and awards for his wines. I mean, not a blank spot to be found. And what does he use for sanitizer? Bleach.



Hey, you think Ima tell a guy who has won Best of Show more years than I have been out of high school that the Law is that bleach is bad, bad, bad? Nope. I wanna come back there.

 

[jamesngalveston]

I dont see where bleech is bad, if rinsed and rinsed...you could even throw in some hydrogen peroxide and rinse.
just saying

 

[chazwel]

I used bleach to clean my food grade plastic buckets. Everything is fine so far, half my apple wine is gone due to last Saturday night. Me and some friends didn't feel like driving to the Liquor store. That stuff was goooooood.

 

[Runningwolf]

I dont see where bleech is bad, if rinsed and rinsed...you could even throw in some hydrogen peroxide and rinse.
just saying

James that's the greatest thing about this forum. Everyone is given the chance to say what works for them even if the industry advises against it. What works for one may not work for another.

Another example of this is I put those red handles on all of my carboys. I always advise people to make sure they keep one hand under the carboy and one one the handle. I'm guilty as I often pick them up fully loaded just be the handle and carry them around.

We've been advised or warned and shame on us when it comes back to haunt us.

 

[jamesngalveston]

hey dan i agree with every thing you said....dang those carboys get heavy sometimes...I think i am going to buy my next 5/16 hose in a 50 foot length.lol

 

[DoctorCAD]

I think you should hug your wife and tell her how great she is for helping.

Once its dry, no worries.

 

[JohnT]

I believe that the real danger with bleach is TCA (or cork Taint). Having chlorine present does not exactly ensure that you will get cork taint (you also need the presence of phenols (like wood preservatives) and also cork that has been infested with a very specific bacteria.

The real issue is that, once you have cork taint in your winery, it is almost impossible to get rid of. I have heard of whole building being torn down.

I am not too sure if there are any fears of what bleach (in very low concentrations) will directly do to the wine itself.