Cleanliness

[Krhamm]

I know the most important step in wine making is sterilization. What are your process or steps when to clean the equipment? Each time that I set up to use my equipment I use oxi clean, rinse, one step, and then a solution of k-meta/water in a bottle to squirt on my equipment. My equipment usually consist of bucket, wine thief, hydrometer, etc. Is this a over kill?

 

[beardy]

I dont think too much sanitizing can ever be considered overkill. Especially when we're trying to create a specific environment to keep micro-organisms alive and well

 

[Stressbaby]

This may be splitting hairs, but what I do, I consider sanitizing, not sterilizing. Sterilizing is what we do to surgical instruments at the office in an autoclave. The instruments get no air exposure and remain in the sterile packs until opened on a sterile tray just before use.

I put my equipment away washed and cleaned and rinsed with Star San. Then prior to use I rinse with K meta, but I don't wash things again.

 

[GaDawg]

I wash everything with oxi clean after use, but I don't sanitize until just before use.

 

[DoctorCAD]

Oxy Clean and One Step are practically the same thing, so that might be overkill, but I do use Oxy Clean on used wine bottles.

Also, since k-meta solution is a "wet" sanitizer (it only is effective as long as the surface is wet with the solution), using it before putting stuff away is a waste of the solution.

 

[Elmer]

I rinse everything clean first.
Then:
The big equipment I use 1 tbs of One step per gallon in the ferm bucket.
Or 1 tbs of One step per gallon in the sink (pre clean sink 1st)

for something small like the Hydrometer or spoon, I have a squirt bottle of 1 step and spray it down.

I let everything air dry!

 

[FABulousWines]

I have a policy of never letting anything go dry unless it is clean. That means cleaning everything immediately after each use, including bottles. Anything that touches the wine gets immediately sanitized with k-meta. In some cases I do re-clean items, but that is seldom necessary. One exception is bottles which get a thorough scrubbing with one step and a spritz of k-meta prior to bottling.

Also, after cleaning my buckets and carboys, they are always stored and sealed with about a cup of k-meta to keep them sanitized via the fumes. This is generally pumped off prior to use which has the added benefit of sanitizing the tubing.

 

[bstnh1]

I gave up on Oxyclean. Way too many suds and too hard to rinse thoroughly. I'll stick with One Step.