cleaning and re-using bottles

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jakedasnake

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So i am getting ready to help bottle one of my buddies first wine kits and in a few weeks my first one, we are both planning to re-use some bottles we have got from a local winery, people have told me that cleaning them is very important and sanitizing them very good. Any suggestion on what to use and how to clean them the proper way. thanks for the help and i tried searching and looking in the tutorial threads but couldnt find anything
 
Hi Snake, welcome to the group.

I haven't been in in a while so I am getting re-familiar with things in here.

I know there have been many discussions on cleaning and reusing bottles. We al do.

I will take a look in a sec here and see what I can come up with, and will post the links for you, and those interested, in this thread.

As you know, cleaning and sanitizing the bottles is important, and critical.
 
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Hi Snake, I'm new to this wine making also, but here is what I do:
As soon as I get bottles, I rinse the inside out good, I believe this will keep anything in their from getting hard and sticking to the inside of the bottle which makes it hard to get out.
When I clean the bottles, I put about a tsp of oxiclean in each bottle and fill it up with hot water. I have a tub that holds about 40 or 50 bottles. You have to fill the bottles up before you fill the tub with hot water or the bottles won't stand up. Fill the tub with hot water and I usually wait until the next day to start cleaning. Each bottle gets scrubbed with a bottle brush, then I start by cleaning the labels off. I have a piece of quarter inch tubeing with a 90 bent about 3 inches from the end, with this I rinse the inside of the bottle. I usually rinse each bottle about 10 to 15 seconds. After that I take them to the sink and rinse the outside (neck down) and hold them up to a light to see if I see anything the bottle brush missed. I have a piece of half inch plywood about 2 feet wide and 8 feet long which I have drilled 2 inch holes in, this is where I dry the bottles, it will hold about 40 bottles. After dry I store them in empty cardboard wine boxes until ready to use. When I need bottles, I take what I need out and put about 2 inches of sorbate solution in them and cap them and shake em up real good and let em set for about 5 minutes. Them I rinse em out, (some say you do not need to rinse but I do).
Like I said, I also am new to this and this may not be the proper way to clean bottles, but that's the way I do it. Hope this helps.

Semper Fi
 
Ooh-Rah Bud. I was going to mention the use of Oxi-Clean.

Alot of people have mentioned it and claim good successes with it.
 
I think Bud meant to say "--2 inches of sulphite solution---".
 
Mike, I forget where, but somewhere in here it was recommended to use 1 or 2 TBLS per gallon of powdered sulfite for general cleaning and sanitation.

Thats what I use.So far the only fungus growing around here is in my shoe!!! LMFAO!

I still rinse my"stuff" off after the sulphite thing and allow it to dry.

It goes without saying that cleaning and sanitation are very important. But we are not talking about contagious viruses being spread. I think some people take the subject of cleaning TOO serious!

I am not in anyway saying slack off on these practices, but keep everything clean and you will most likely be fine.

Guess it is easier when you have running water in your house or wine room.
 
Hey Jake! Welcome! Welcome!

I am similar to Bud. I soak my bottles in a big plastic tub full of Oxyclean solution for at least one day (sometimes two). I scrub them out with a bottle brush, rinse and drain on my bottle tree. I store them on shelves until needed. I use one of those plunger type contraptions to sanitize before bottling.

My moto? "If you are not anal about cleaning and sanitizing, you will be. You will be."
 
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Mike, you are right. I'm still new to this and sometimes get the wrong word for the right thing. You know, it would be a good idea for me to proff read before posting.

Semper Fi
 
hi thanks everyone for the advice i will start cleaning my bottles as soon as possible and hope i get everything nice and clean.
 
Get one of these or something like it sure does speed things up.
br310lg.jpg
 
They are the only ones that I have found so far. I thought it was to much money till I cleaned about 15 case with it. Now I won't clean bottles with out it.

Even my wife ( sounds the same as tight with money ) won't do bottles with out it.
 
I found the cheap bottle brushes at the local retailers sucked big time - I couldn't get to the corners of some of the older bottles I was given.

Tub-full of hot water
Oxy-clean

and a J-cloth and a long rod and everything as clean as a whistle.

Taking the j-cloth out was simple - used a hook on a metal shirt hanger and voila.
 
I found the cheap bottle brushes at the local retailers sucked big time - I couldn't get to the corners of some of the older bottles I was given.

Tub-full of hot water
Oxy-clean

and a J-cloth and a long rod and everything as clean as a whistle.

Taking the j-cloth out was simple - used a hook on a metal shirt hanger and voila.

Gio, what is a j-cloth?? I imagine it is something common around the house, but I don't know what it is. (communication problem.) lol, Arne.
 

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