Ewwwww......

[Julie]

I use Star San to sanitize. Star san doesn't remove the grape aroma and ring around the carboy no matter how much I scrub.

The aroma should go away fairly quickly as long as you are not sealing the carboy. Use oxyclean if the carboy is getting that stained but stay away from the bleach, especially if you are using the carboys to make beer as well. Bleach will hamper head retention on the beers.

 

[JoyofWine]

Roaches...snails...and wine?! <gag> Those are some images that are gonna stay with me for a while! Lol

 

[Brew and Wine Supply]

I use Star San to sanitize. Star san doesn't remove the grape aroma and ring around the carboy no matter how much I scrub.

Starsan is only a sanitizer not a cleaner, use oxyclean, onestep or craftmeister cleaners, then sanitize with Starsan.

 

[Brew and Wine Supply]

Roaches...snails...and wine?! <gag> Those are some images that are gonna stay with me for a while! Lol

You forgot bird poop, other bugs and just plain old dirt that blows onto the grapes

 

[WVMountaineerJack]

Stink Bugs are the worst!

 

[jimmyjames23]

Just picked up 50 free bottles. They sat in a basement for 2 years and were never rinsed.
Black mold!

Star San, elbow grease or bleach?
I'm willing to post a YouTube vid on this one.

 

[dralarms]

Oxi clean and cut the loop off a bottle brush so it fits in your drill.

 

[Polarhug]

Oxy clean feels so slick and slimy to me, I feel like I can never get the residue off

 

[REDBOATNY]

Oxy clean feels so slick and slimy to me, I feel like I can never get the residue off

Oxyclean gave my carboys a white haze I can't remove, One step left white water spots, I have used both bleach and ammonia(not together). I have to admit, the ammonia did the best. My carboys sparkled. It was recomended in Vines to wines but frowned upon here. I am now using oxy to clean and k-meta to sanitize. Most of the carboys (10) now have a cloudy haze from the Oxy. Am I the only one who has noticed this?

 

[jimmyjames23]

The battle is on!

I'll try every sanitizer known to man in my bottle cleaning YouTube vid.

 

[Brew and Wine Supply]

According to one of my suppliers:
Cleaners are not sanitizers
sanitizers are not cleaners

that said. cleaners will sanitize a little and sanitizers will clean a little, I prefer to use each for their own use.

 

[Polarhug]

I can't wait to see your vids Jimmyjames!! Let the battles begin!!

Will you link them for us?

 

[jimmyjames23]

Definitely.

 

[MNwino]

Oxyclean gave my carboys a white haze I can't remove, One step left white water spots, I have used both bleach and ammonia(not together). I have to admit, the ammonia did the best. My carboys sparkled. It was recomended in Vines to wines but frowned upon here. I am now using oxy to clean and k-meta to sanitize. Most of the carboys (10) now have a cloudy haze from the Oxy. Am I the only one who has noticed this?

It has to do with your water. I have heard of this befor. I dont know if its too soft or hard but their is a reaction between your water and the Oxyclean. I use Oxyclean (without perfume) to clean out my carboys after making beer. Sometimes I get lazy and it will sit in their for a week. Water doesnt turn cloudy and no residue.

 

[saramc]

I inherited a 40+ year old blue glass six gallon carboy...with a petrified mouse in it. Carcass slid right out, and I cleaned, sanitized and used steam for quite a while & then repeated for a few days. It is my favorite carboy...so not telling if I make wine in it!

Edit: no bleach allowed in my winery

 

[novalou]

I inherited a 40+ year old blue glass six gallon carboy...with a petrified mouse in it. Carcass slid right out, and I cleaned, sanitized and used steam for quite a while & then repeated for a few days. It is my favorite carboy...so not telling if I make wine in it!

I received a one gallon glass jug with mice "evidence". After cleaning and sanitizing it, I can't bring myself to use it, even though it is fine!

 

[Brew and Wine Supply]

I inherited a 40+ year old blue glass six gallon carboy...with a petrified mouse in it. Carcass slid right out, and I cleaned, sanitized and used steam for quite a while & then repeated for a few days. It is my favorite carboy...so not telling if I make wine in it!

+1.......

 

[GreginND]

My $0.02 on bleach.

You don't want bleach splashed around your winery space. Specifically you don't want bleach to contact your wine, corks or other wood products that may have wood preservatives on it. That is what creates potential for cork taint.

Washing glass and steel with bleach is fine if it is not going to touch your wine right away. Rinse and dry well and it will be just fine.

I presume these soiled bottles will be cleaned and stored for some time. They will then be cleaned and sanitized again before filling with wine.

You can use bleach carefully.

 

[robie]

Bleach is a lot better at bleaching than it is sanitizing. I know that sounds sort of nutty, but really, bleach (chlorine), compared to a true sanitizer is just not that good at killing critters.

Oxyclean is a much, much better cleaner. Do you want to bleach the color out of your stain or do you want to remove it completely?

Bleach bleaches really well (go figure!), but there are better cleaners than bleach; better sanitizers than bleach.

 

[Abrnth3]

Wash with hot water and Dawn dish soap scrub bottom with carboy brush, rinse well and sanitize as usually. If this does not kill all germs the next time you make wine should kill everything.