Should we wear gloves and sanitize them?

[masic2000]

I've always wondered about hands touching stuff like door knobs and equipment. Should we spray our hands with sanitizer just before handling stuff or should we just wear latex gloves and spray them.

 

[Boatboy24]

I usually hit my hands with a sulfite spray. Gloves? The smell from them isn't something I want near my wine.

 

[balatonwine]

You are making wine.

Not doing major surgery or building satellites.

Bacteria, fungus, virus are in the air all around you, your wine, and your equipment. The moment you do any sanitizing, the surface is re-coated with any an all of those. So don't over think this.

If you just touch equipment, simply washing your hands normally is enough.

For direct contact with the wine, such as punching down, if you don't use tools you can clean, then your hands are food safe. Simply wash them, then spray them with a sulfite spray, I keep a small spray bottle for this purpose.

 

[JohnT]

Just wash your hands. You will be fine

 

[robert81650]

I agree with balatonwine, not a rocket shot, but use common sense and good sanitizing techniques.

 

[mainshipfred]

I help out at a commercial winery and although they are cautious it's too large of an operation to totally sanitize to the extent we find necessary. Don't know if it's the large batches they produce or what.

 

[stickman]

I also noticed that many of the professional wine laboratories don't handle a lot of sanitizers, usually some type of oxygen based cleaner, as well as some other general cellar chemicals that may be used for rinsing. Brewing is different, much more sensitive, that is where I see more sanitizers being used.

 

[mainshipfred]

My winery uses soda ash and citric acid. I think Soda Ash might be an oxygen based cleaner.

 

[stickman]

Soda Ash is sodium carbonate, not oxygen based as it doesn't yield hydrogen peroxide. It is used as an alkaline cleaner which is usually followed by a citric acid rinse.

 

[mainshipfred]

Yep, you're right it was Soda Ash then the Citric rinse now that you mention it.