stubborn film on interior surface of carboy

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wyntheef

grunt
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Has anyone had a bluish or greyish film build up inside a carboy that won't come out by sanitizing and rinsing? when there is liquid in it, it looks clear but after drying the film shows up again. I'm thinking this is a result of repeated exposure to one-step, but not sure.
I've seen the video of the 'carboy cleaner' (like a drill degasser except it has long scrubbing pads instead of the plastic wings) and this might work, but I wanted to see if anyone has had luck cleaning this type of thing with something else.

Steve :a1
 
What ype of cleaner do you use? I've noticed it a liitle bit with EZClean No Rinse. I've used that and a long handeled carboy brush and it seems to reduce it but not completely elimate it. I wont scrub too hard though because I don't want to scratch my carboys (both better bottles and glass.)
 
haven't tried oxy. My thinking on that was, that's what one-step is.?? it isn't?

Tom, are you saying you've successfuly used oxy-clean to clean carboy film?

I just wanted to be clear if this was a known remedy or just a suggestion. Thanks.

what has been tried is 2 cups of bleach in 6 gal water with no visible change.
 
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never had to scrub to clean a carboy or better bottle. the better bottles clean easier because they repel water and grime.
but either way, i soak with PBW and then rinse well and they always look brand new. PBW even makes the primary pails look brand new (no stains, no odor)
 
I dont use one-step so I have no idea. Like rawlus said maybe PBW..
 
Oxy Clean, One Step, Easy Clean, PBW are all per-carbonate cleaners. I have never had an issue with any of them staining glass. Plastic hoses is a different story. I will say though that after I clean with these products, I do rinse them. If you don't rinse it will leave a film. I then let the item dry thoroughly before storing.

I regard to the carboy scrubber, are you referring to the one that has the steel shaft with the chamois strips on it I have one and it works great
 
Ive seen it on wine bottles with the Oxy cleaners, You need to scrub with a bottle brush. Thats why I dont like those no rinse cleaners, they leave a slight build up and eventually it rears its ugly head. I only use them for cleaning and then I rinse them out.
 
I clean with one step and then leave a half inch or so of k-meta sanitzing soultion in all carboys with a solid bung. Carboys are ready go then when I need one. No staining.
 
cleaning

I simply rinse with very hot water and then store with Kmeta in the bottle caped with a piece of plastic cut from a zip lock bag and secured with rubber band.

Seems if the bottles a rinsed with hot water right away the come clean without a cleaner.

When I buy a used bottle I will fill it with a weak muriatic acid solution for a week and the rinse a couple of times. Eats any organic deposits. Never tried it on plastic yet tho.

Also removes lime deposits nicely.
 
Any kind of dishwasher soap. I just take some from my wifes supply. Splash it around inside the carboy then rinse 3 times. When needed, just sulfite it.
 
If it's from hard water you could use DISTILLED vinegar. I use it in the dishwasher to remove hard water stains once in a while. A diluted solution 50/50 may remove it. Worth a try - Distilled vinegar vs. cider vinegar removes the chance of acetobacter contamination.
 
We used to clean our coffee pots at work with regular table salt with some icecubes add enough water to make a slush then slushed it it around until it came clean worked great and no extra chemicals to worry about . I work somewhere different now .I was thinking you could do that for stubborn stuff then clean with your regular cleaners .I plan on trying it if I have that problem .
 
thanks for all the suggestions peeps. you guys are the best! :br

I'll make sure to update later if and when success occurs.

steve
 
Update

The film was removed by a combination of PBW and the 'Carboy Cleaner'.


Thanks again everyone. (insert smilie here)
 
i forgot to tell you I used the salt ,ice cubes and cleaner plus a little water not only did it clean the stubborn part I was trying to get off but the whole carboy came out sparkling .
 
carboy film

Well let's see, I've been making fruit wines for about 10 years, and about every two or three years I notice the film that you are talking about. I've tried bleach....looks good but I'm sure the film is still there. I don't like the idea of keeping it wet, that just means you can't see the film. My water is not hard or soft where I am right now ( best I've ever had ). I don't like the vinegar idea ( even distilled ) for obvious reasons, but what is carboy cleaner. I was thinking about using one of the denture cleaners, or maybe a hot water pressure wash, that will have to wait til spring! Keep the ideas coming...I'll probably try a few... Thanks
 
Could this be a "lime or calcium build up". I recently bought so
e used galln carboys that have this. Thought I'd try lime away then rinse the crP out of it.
 
I think I've got it

:d I just started using Shaklee's "basic H" . That stuff is amazing in everything I've ever tried it on. Environmentally friendly and HIGHLY concentrated. So far I've used it on two carboys and I don't see a film on either.
 

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