Cleaning New Equipment

[blink23]

Hey guys, quick question. Ill be starting tonight probably !!! Im exited. I have one last question regarding the NEW Equipment. So the carboy is a better bottle plastic one, and all the equipment including the primary fermenter is plastic. How and with what should I clean it first to remove any odors, tastes etc? I dont want these things to affect the taste of what im making right?
So, any tips on how to clean New Equipment (Dishwasher Soap and water with good rinse? I dont know lol )...

I know I have to sanitize all the time, but cleaning... hmmm

jaja thanks guys

Jorge

 

[non-grapenut]

Anytime you find any food-grade plastic container, it's good to rinse it out first with a baking soda and water wash to get rid of the plastic smell. You will find many various cleaning solutions, too, but I crush 5 campden tablets in 1 gallon of hot water and put about 2 inches of this solution in the bottom of the carboy and seal the top (with a cap or tight plastic wrap is fine, too) letting it sit overnight...many references say that letting it sit for about 30 minutes is enough...the gass created by this method is the actual sterilant. Break a leg, Jorge!

 

[cpfan]

Jorge:

K-meta is a sanitizer not a cleaner. If the equipment needs "cleaning" rather than just getting rid of the newness, K-meta is NOT a good choice.

Steve

 

[Wade E]

5 campdens in a gallon of water is also not sanitizer strength! Im not positive on how many it would take as I dont use them for making a sanitizing solution but I believe it would be around 80 tablets per gallon.

 

[blink23]

thanks for the advice, cleaned everything nicely, hopefully clean enough jaja

peace

 

[Becks the Elder]

sterilizing Glass.

I've been wondering about sterilizing glass in the oven. I do this when making pickles. You clean and rinse the glasseware and then put it in an oven at 150 degrees C for about 15 mins. You leave to cool in the oven and then its good to use. Is it reasonable to adopt this approach with demijohns and wine bottles or is there a reason that most people advocate the use of chemicals?

Similarly, I have been using boiling water to 'scorch' sterilize things like my stirring spoon before use. Is this bad practice?

 

[cpfan]

Becks:

By demijohn, I suspect you mean 1 gallon jug. You may be making 1 gallon batches. In NorthAM, we mostly make 5 Imp gallon (6 US gallon) batches. That means carboys that don't fit in the oven and 30 bottles at a time. Sorry I'll stick to iodophor for sanitizing.

Boiling water poured over stuff, like hoses and spoons and hydrometers. Not my preference. It will probably break the hydrometer (perhaps that's just my luck with hydrometers), and for the rest I'll be removing my fingertgips.

Steve

 

[jbullard1]

I tend to agree with Becks The Elder and the hot water bath.
I may be proven wrong in the near future but all my cleaning involves a chlorine bleach dilute followed by a hot water rinse.

 

[cpfan]

Chlorine bleach can be a sanitizer. So you don't really agree with Becks.

Steve

 

[Skyhawk]

Chlorine bleach has always been my cheap sanitizer, cleaner, and room wash downstairs. You must rinse extremely well, and remember that glass with chlorine is very slippery and dangerous.

But a jug of chlorine bleach is great for cleaning and sanitizing wine bottles before bottling. Filling a bathtub with 100 bottles and water, along with a quarter of a $1.25 jug of bleach from Walmart is a great way of cleaning and sanitizing them. After the bleach treatment, I refill the tub with plain water and re-sink the bottles that are floaters. After that rinse, I rinse one more time each bottle individually before filling with wine.

 

[jbullard1]

Chlorine bleach can be a sanitizer. So you don't really agree with Becks.

Steve

I wish I could bring myself to nitpick all posts as well as you can
You must be a lawyer

Yes I do agree with him
Jerry