bottle cleaning / sanitizing

[OldWino1]

I use bar keepers friend for the first try of cleaning the glue off. then I use lighter fluid as last resort 93 octane gas. I have found that one of these will cut the gunt off. Yes be carefull with the second 2 but I do end up with clean exterior bottles to be refilled by me. The best is once they are mine I use rubber contact cement to put my lables on. They will stay on forever but they will peel right off after i have emptied a bottle. or if a little stubborn bar keepers will work with a small brush and its ready for refilling.

 

[masta]

Please be careful with the flammable solvents!

 

[earl]

So with the bottles I got from George all I have to do is ensure no visible dirt then rinse with sani-brite? or the metabisulfite? or both?


earl

 

[bilbo-in-maine]

Earl - It wouldn't hurt to develop a routine where you get used bottles
(from whatever source) and soak for several hours or overnight before
bottling day in your cleansing solution in a primary fermenter or some
other big tub or bucket or sink. Keep an eye out for anything that might
need the bottle brush to get it off, then rinse well and hang to dry on your
bottle tree, assuming you have one now. They are extremely handy, so if
you don't have one, get one. Just before bottling rinse each bottle with
the metabisulfite solution (a vinator is very handy for this) and let drip dry
on the bottle tree as you get the wine and bottling equipment set up. Let
us know when you plan to bottle.

Bill

 

[earl]

Thanks, I will certainly do that. Hopefully about 1 month from now.


earl

 

[Joanie]

This may be all wrong but is there a reason why you can't use the Vinator with a solution of bleach and water to wash bottles before sanitizing?

 

[earl]

Joan
Be extremely careful with using bleach around wine making equipment. It must be THOROUGHLY rinsed. You can get a stinky corked smell and flavor in your wine if it comes into contact with bleach. A much safer alternative is to use the Potassium Metabisulfite solution in the Vinator.


Here is my hard learned way of sanitizing bottles.
I take a visibly clean bottle I then use the Vinator and squirt a solution of Onestep, easy clean, into it. I let it sit while I do this with all my bottles. I then rinse all the bottles with a 10% solution of Kmeta. After this is done I rinse each bottle with boiling water, or at least very hot water that has been boiled. I then hang in my bottle tree, which I sanitized prior to use with Kmeta, to drain, then I bottle the wine with them. It may be a bit of overkill but I don't like the idea of un-measured Kmeta sticking to the bottle.


earl

 

[Joanie]

Thanks Earl. I have always washed with a cap of bleach in a gallon of hot water then rinsed a million and 2 times! There is no bleach in or on anything when I get done! =)