How do you store your equipment?

[AZMDTed]

Now that I had a mycoderma scare, which I don't think really was something, but a good wake up call anyway. How do you store your equipment when you're not using it? I've got racking canes, tubes, wine thief, thermometer, hydrometer, test tube, bungs, etc basically all sitting in an open bin on a shelf if a fairly open closet. Anything can fly, crawl, or grow in there. How about carboys? Closed bung in, bung off?

Before and after each use I clean and santize everything, but still basically having a pile of stuff open seems like it can be improved upon. Maybe a cabinet with drawers at least to hold everything.

Just wondering if I'm doing the norm and what some better ways are.

Thanks

 

[2020steve]

With this hobby you can end up with a lot of empty buckets so put them to use.
I pour a little k-meta in and store bungs, tubing, air-locks, ect. then snap the cover on.
The long items like racking canes, spoon, ect. go into a shallow tote with a tight cover.
Empty carboys get a cup of k-meta and a bung.

 

[Boatboy24]

If you've read about 'corkidors' on this site, you'll have an idea of how my stuff is stored. Anything that can fit into a 5 gallon bucket with the lid on goes into one. I have one to store corks and another for stoppers, tubes, airlocks, etc. Racking canes, thief and other items that are too tall are in an open bucket. Everything is spritzed with KMeta before use and is thoroughly cleaned after each use.

Chems, nutrients, bags of oak cubes, etc are in cabinets above the workbench.

Carboys are usually all full. For those that aren't, I try to remember to store with a little KMeta inside and a solid stopper. But I'm not as careful about that. But as with everything else, they are fully cleaned after each use and sanitized before use.

 

[CGish]

I hang my lines and racking canes, let them dry, and then keep them in a closed bin. This at least keeps the dust off of them. Before each use, I rinse and sanitize the lines and canes I will use.

Buckets and carboys I clean, rinse, and dry out. The buckets I set upside down so air can circulate and they dry out thoroughly. The carboys I turn over and set upside down in a 2 gallon bucket until completely dry. Once they are dry, I lay lids on the buckets and store them stacked, upright, in the corner of my brewing storage area. Carboys get a bit of plastic or aluminum foil and a rubber band over the top to keep dust and critters out. A rinse and sanitization is all they need before use.

Small parts like bungs, airlocks, and the like get cleaned, laid out until thoroughly dry, then put in either a small bin or plastic bag.

I try not to leave anything where dust and dirt can settle on it and stick. I forget sometimes, but isn't that what PBW & Oxiclean are for?

 

[Floandgary]

Cleaning before and after use would be of prime importance. For storage, treat equipment as you would your kitchen utensils!!

 

[Rocky]

CGish brings up a great point here. It is very important that your equipment is clean and just as important that it is DRY! Mold needs two things to grow and prosper, moisture and something organic to eat. It will not grow on a dry surface (high humidity is enough for it).

My routine is fairly simple:

Fermenter: After use, remove spigot and wash separately. Wash the fermenter with soap and hot water, rinse with hot water and dry with a towel. Allow to air-dry for a day or two. I plug the spigot opening with a wadded paper towel and set the top on the fermenter to keep dust and critters out. Open spigots and run hot soapy water through them, rinse with hot water, dry with a towel and blow dry with an oil-less air compressor. Store in a loosely covered container (I use empty pretzel containers like those sold at Sam's Club) with spigot open to allow air to flow.
Carboys: After use, rinse with hot water until "clean." Wash with soap and hot water and rinse very well. Dry the outside with a towel, particularly around the opening and invert in a rack to allow to air dry. I store them inverted in former juice buckets.
Tubing: One of the hardest things to control, I rinse inside with hot water under pressure and dry outside with a towel. Blow dry inside with air compressor. Hang on a hook with both ends facing downward.
Auto siphons, wine thief, plastic tubing: Rinse with hot soapy water, use a variety of brushes and home made apparatuses to clean inside, dry outside with a towel, blow dry inside with air compressor. Store vertically on rack or my homemade "quivers" (4" mailing tubes with holes punched in the bottom for air flow).
Stoppers: Wash in hot soapy water and dry with a towel.

I do not hit anything with K-meta before storing. I do hit everything with K-meta before the next use and rinse with hot water.

 

[wineforfun]

I've got racking canes, tubes, wine thief, thermometer, hydrometer, test tube, bungs, etc basically all sitting in an open bin on a shelf if a fairly open closet. Anything can fly, crawl, or grow in there. How about carboys? Closed bung in, bung off?

Before and after each use I clean and santize everything, but still basically having a pile of stuff open seems like it can be improved upon. Maybe a cabinet with drawers at least to hold everything.

Just wondering if I'm doing the norm and what some better ways are.

Thanks

I do almost exactly as you do and have yet had any problems. 3yrs. into this hobby/obsession.

All my additives, racking canes, airlocks, etc. are stored in an open 4 gal. bucket sitting in my basement. My carboys are all stored upside down in their original box.

 

[AZMDTed]

Thanks all,

I see a camp for clean, dry and keep covered. Another for clean, sanitize and let air dry under cover of some sort, and a third of keep things in a KMeta sulphur environment.

What I'm thinking now is that I will keep cleaning and KMeta spritzing after each use. For things that I won't be using for a while I will take greater care to let dry and then find a dust free home for them till the next time.

When I'm at a stage where I'll be using things within the next 2-3 weeks then I'll use the clean and keep them sealed in an active KMeta bucket approach.

One thing I recently started doing is using a 1 gallon glass jug to store a gallon of KMeta sanitizer in. I'll pour a couple cups into a bucket and let equipment bask in the sulphur for 10 minutes until I use it. I'll also pour a couple cups into a clean carboy and let sit closed up for an hour or two. When I'm done I have a funnel and it all gets poured back into the jug. I'm told that the sanitizer should stay good for a month like that and I feel like I'm doing the best I can.

Thanks again.

 

[Boatboy24]

One thing I recently started doing is using a 1 gallon glass jug to store a gallon of KMeta sanitizer in. I'll pour a couple cups into a bucket and let equipment bask in the sulphur for 10 minutes until I use it. I'll also pour a couple cups into a clean carboy and let sit closed up for an hour or two. When I'm done I have a funnel and it all gets poured back into the jug. I'm told that the sanitizer should stay good for a month like that and I feel like I'm doing the best I can.

Thanks again.

I always have a gallon jug at least half full with Meta solution. It gets used constantly. I top up my spray bottle with it, dump some in carboys for a few hours/days before use (with a solid stopper), fill the Vinator, etc.