Cleaning bottles

[eduk8or]

when reusing bottles, is there any certan way that I need to clean them to ensure that they are in fact clean? Thanks! I thought I would go ahead and start saving my bottles for when i start making wine.

 

[Wade E]

Yes, start saving them now. I use C-Brite and then k-meta.

 

[pkcook]

eduk8or,


Welcome! I do pretty much the same as wade, but I use an oxygen based cleanser that George (Fine Vine Wines) sales. I sanitize with potassium metabisulfite (K-Meta) just prior to filling with my wines.


One thing I've learned over the last couple of years is to rinse the bottles as soon as the wine is consumed with hot water and you will not have near as much trouble getting the bottles clean.

 

[eduk8or]

Okay, i have no clue as to what to guys are telling me to clean with. I have never made wine before and I am pretty much wine illiterate! HAHA! What is this stuff that I should clean with and where do i get it?


As soon as I finished the bottle i rinsed it out with HOT water, but didnt know if you just clean it with dish detergent or what. I guess I am WAY wrong.


Thanks for all your help!!!!!

 

[Wade E]

Okay, C-Brite is a special cleaner as is 1 step. It is designed for
cleaning beer or wine bottles and equipment. You can buy this stuff
from George at FineVineWines.com or just about any LHBS (Local Home
Brew Shop). The k-meta is potassium metabisulfite. It is a powder or
tablet designed to neutralize other chemicals and sanitizeour
equipment. It also doubles as a yeast killer and this is why when
making fruit wines we add this at the beginning to kill all natural and
airborn yeasts so that we can start fresh with a more specific yeast
designed for doing what we want. Natural yeasts are on or in just about
everything that you breath or eat and some strains are not good or
strong enough for our purpose.

 

[masta]

<TABLE =tableBorder style="TABLE-LAYOUT: fixed" cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=3 align=center>
<T>
<TR =msgOddTableRow>
<TD =msgLineDevider vAlign=top height=150>
<DIV =msg style=": left; OVERFLOW: auto">eduk8or,


Take some time and read through these wine making and sanitizing tutorials and this will help you understand the wine making process and the importance of proper sanitizing.




http://www.finevinewines.com/Home-Wine-Making-Tutorial.htm


http://www.finevinewines.com/cleaning.htm


http://www.finevinewines.com/Cleaning-versus-Sanitizing.htm</TD></TR>
<TR =msgOddTableRow>
<TD =msgLineDevider style="BORDER-TOP-WIDTH: 0px"></TD></TR></T></TABLE>

 

[NorthernWinos]

And always store your bottles upside down, in a cardboard box or whatever you choose, like a box that wine came in with the dividers...you can pick those up at your wine/beer/liquor stores...
If you have friends save you bottles, ask them to at least store them upside down, saves them getting full of little critters, etc...and drains any wine out of the bottles so it doesn't dry inside.

 

[eduk8or]

Should i do this cleaning right before i intend on using the bottles? If i do it now and dont using the bottles for another months or so, will i have to re-clean them?

 

[smurfe]

Should i do this cleaning right before i intend on using the bottles? If i do it now and dont using the bottles for another months or so, will i have to re-clean them?

If you cleaned them good before storage and stored them correct then you just need to sanitize them just prior to bottling. I always clean my equipment after using, dry and put away. Right before I use it I sanitize it. Just remember, there is s difference between cleaning and sanitizing, they are two different processes.


Smurfe

 

[masta]

The only cleaning you need to do now when you empty the bottles is to rinse well with hot water. When you are ready to bottle wine then rinse again and clean if necessary then sanitize before filling.

 

[PolishWineP]

We try to do it the way Smurfe says. We always rinse right away and then they collect on the counter. After we have a few (because we're lazy) we scrub them with the bottle brush, rinse well (cold then hot water) drain, and box as others have indicated. If these bottles have been stored for a long time before we use them, we rinse again then sanitize. Even upside down in a box, when stored in the basement, things sometimes crawl into them.

 

[Wade E]

Yes but thats just extra flavoring!