Cleaners and sterilisers

[Brewshed]

I am sure this has been covered before but I will ask it anyway.

I am just about to return to home brewing after a 10 year break (I got carried away and bought a pub!). Things have clearly changed a lot in that time and so I am learning lots of new things fast. I always used to use Chempro SDP for my cleaning and sterilising but this is not around anymore. What do people think is the best (and cost effective) cleaner/steriliser on the market bearing in mind that I am going to be using a plate chiller which I think cannot tolerate chlorine based sterilisers.

Many thanks for any advice.

 

[Brightonnik]

A lot of people seem to use unscented oxiclean as a cleaning agent and sanitise with starsan.
It's what I use and I'm happy with my cleaning regime. 10 brews in and no infections.

 

[Simonh82]

For cleaning, I use oxi clean powder which you can get for £1 per tub in poundland. It's really good at lifting crud off my equipment and is a much cheaper version of Sodium Percarbonate cleaning solutions. I still need to use vinegar to get rid of the beer stones/ limescale from my kettle but for general cleaning oxi stuff is great.

For sterilisation you can't beat Star-san. It might feel expensive buying a small bottle but it is very concentrated and you can store it and reuse as long as the pH of the mixed solution stays under 3. If you live in a hard water area you might need to use something like Tesco Ashbeck/Asda Eden Falls water to mix it with but this is only £1 for 5L, then it can last for months.

 

[TheRedDarren]

I am sure this has been covered before but I will ask it anyway.

I am just about to return to home brewing after a 10 year break (I got carried away and bought a pub!). Things have clearly changed a lot in that time and so I am learning lots of new things fast. I always used to use Chempro SDP for my cleaning and sterilising but this is not around anymore. What do people think is the best (and cost effective) cleaner/steriliser on the market bearing in mind that I am going to be using a plate chiller which I think cannot tolerate chlorine based sterilisers.

Many thanks for any advice.

I had to 'like' your post after reading that!

I clean with PBW and sterilise with VWP then sanitise with Star San.
It might not be the cheapest way but it defo works!

 

[Graz]

As above the general consensus now seems to be Sodium Percarbonate for cleaning and Star San for sanitising.

I've been using Star San for a while and will probably switch to sodium percarbonate once my tub of VWP has run out. There was a thread on here about buying pure sodium percarbonate e.g. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Sodium-Pe...hash=item33806d6549:m:miJQxmSsZQ6iqE9uGfAy33g

The pure stuff is probably better than that sold as Oxi Clean as you'll need less of it and there's no concern over the other mystery ingredients in supermarket Oxi.

 

[Slayer]

If my FV is stained or got some krausen that's difficult to remove without scratching the plastic I soak overnight with Milton solution and then steralise everything with VWP, which seems good value for money.

 

[chub1]

I always wash out my FV.s as soon as they are finished with, never had a problem getting them clean with just hot water and a cloth, rinse and dry, there again i am a goody goody two shoes who has to do it straight away:lol::lol:
I use Wilko Brewcleanse for my sterelising, obviously not as cheap an option as some others but never had a problem so far and will continue with it.10 minute soak and a rinse job done:thumb:

 

[yeastinfection]

So why can't you just wash everything with starsan? What difference does it make? And why use oxi clean?
I guess you use oxi clean as you would normally use a soap then spray star san to sterilise ,,is that right?

 

[chewie]

So why can't you just wash everything with starsan? What difference does it make? And why use oxi clean?
I guess you use oxi clean as you would normally use a soap then spray star san to sterilise ,,is that right?

Starsan is not a cleaner, the company 5 star do make cleaning products, starsan though is a reusable foaming sanitiser. Oxi based cleaners are used for a lot of things, below taken from this URL
http://mistralni.co.uk/products/sodium-percarbonate-ultra-pure
Where to use:

• Laundry cleaner & bleach
• Spot cleaning fabrics
• Carpet & Upholstery cleaning and prespotting
• Kitchen surfaces and utensils
• Destaining cups, Coffee Pots etc
• Fridges & freezers
• Chopping Boards
• Bathroom surfaces
• Mildew Removal tiles, grouting and walls
• Wood Decks and wooden garden furniture
• Plastic garden furniture
• Kills algae and moss on driveways, patios, brickwork and roofs.
• General household Cleaning
• Sterilizing utensils in hairdressers and barbers

 

[yeastinfection]

I never knew that. Ive allways just rinsed stuff and sprayed it. Must pay more attention..

 

[MickDundee]

I use Oxi for cleaning and Milton tablets for sterilising/sanitising.

 

[Brewshed]

Many thanks for the advice.