Regarding cleaning....

[supergirl]

Probably a total newbie question but....

Assuming that i am using a dedicated brush just for winemaking and everything is thoroughly rinsed and then sanitized after, is there a specific reason to use a cleanser such as B-brite instead of dish soap? It just seems like a pain to mix it up every few days.

For background- cuz I've been lurking and I know you guys like it
I've only been making a wine a few months. Mostly skeeter pee and varieties of it for quick drinking, but have made a few batches of fruit wine from what has been growing in our backyard. No far, no catastrophes. (fingers crossed!)

 

[GreginND]

As long as you are following proper sanitation protocols when you are making your wine, and your equipment is clean and dry when you are done using it, I don't see any reason not to use dish soap.

 

[Deezil]

If you go the dish soap route, just make sure you rinse well..

I personally use unscented, real brand name, OxyClean to keep things clean.. Some of the offbrands have chlorine in them, a no-no

I clean my equipment before I put it away, and when i pull it out to use, I rinse it and hit it with k-meta

 

[jamesngalveston]

I am a bachelor, when starting this wine making my kitchen was , well
not real clean.I was so scared that things were not sterile, I cleaned the whole house, used about 10 gallons of lysol, about 5 of bleach.
It smelled so clean I let my dog come in , he left right away.
My kitchen and wine stuff are clean, clean, clean.

 

[Stefani]

Clean is always good in wine making.

When I clean used bottles, I soak them inside and out with hot water and dish soap. I have turned up my water heater so my hot water is as hot as I can stand it.

I then rinse them very good with hot water, inspect and make sure they are sparkling clean in good light and make sure there isn't any left over crud inside or label residue on the outside. I let them drip dry for a short time.

Note: A water temperature for most bacteria that is harmful to humans can be killed at 140 F degrees. 140 F water is really hot and can burn skin! Some bacterial is known to live at 105 C or 221 F.

To assure all bacteria is killed I then place the bottles in a cool oven and then heat up the oven to 250 F. After it reaches the temp I would bake them for 10-15 minutes and then shut off the oven and let the oven cool before removing the bottles (usually overnight). Once cooled, the bottles are completely dry inside and completely sterile. These bottles are stored upside-down until used. If they are stored for an extended time I give them a quick rinse before use with a solution of Easy Clean.

After I use plastics, I rinse well with hot water to get most of the remaining lees. (Not too hot since really hot water can breakdown plastic) Then use a Easy Clean solution. If there is any remaining odors, I would put a Oxyclean solution in the vessel and let it work for a day or two then rinse well.

For counter tops and sinks, I like cleaning with either a bleach wipe or an Oxyclean solution and rinse well to remove any chemical residues.

 

[Gr8zins]

I have been using Star San after the guy at the store strongly recommended it. Although it is a "no rinse" sanitizer, I still give a rinse after because it is very sudsy...and I know there's blogs out there about don't fear the bubbles...but just my OCD. I do not use b-brite to sanitize, but is a great cleaner and does real good at removing wine buildup in the carboys. Hand't thought about oxy-clean...sounds like a good idea.

 

[vacuumpumpman]

If you go the dish soap route, just make sure you rinse well..

I personally use unscented, real brand name, OxyClean to keep things clean.. Some of the offbrands have chlorine in them, a no-no

I clean my equipment before I put it away, and when i pull it out to use, I rinse it and hit it with k-meta

I do the same exact thing ^^

 

[mikey1273]

I wash everything with Dawn dish soap and dry it after use. I get used bottles and I soak then in very hot dish water and clean the inside with a brush. I have always had my water heater set to very hot which is like 140 or hotter, it will scald you for sure if you are not careful. I rinse well and let the bottles and carboys drain overnight upside down or on a bottle tree. I sanitize with K-Meta before use. I have made 4 batches so far and have had no issues. I even have a spray bottle of K-meta solution I spray and wipe down counter and anything the wine bottles or equipment touches.

 

[Elmer]

I use one step.
Use before I use something and after.
before bottling etc....etc....etc.....etc....

Never had any issues!

 

[DoctorCAD]

Soap taste like soap, if you use soap, rinse well...very well.

 

[olusteebus]

I bought an off brand oxy clean from the dollar store, it is hard to dissolve. Gonna toss it today for wine anyhow.

 

[GaDawg]

I use unscented oxy from WalMart