Cleaning bottles

[phrozenballs]

Just about ready to bottle my first batch of wine up and i was going to sterilze all of the bottles i have in my fermenter bucket with the powder and do them in batches of however many i can get in there , a quick question would a hand steamer be good enough to sterilize the bottles as i have one in the kitchen . Also whats the best way to rinse the bottles out after using the sterizer mix is it with cold water staright from the tap .. :whistle:

 

[cf.]

I use warm tap water after I sterilize them and just pour the sterilizing liquid from one dj into the next so I do about 3 at a time

 

[Gayle]

If you can't fit all your bottles in the bucket, do them in batches. I've no idea how a steamer would be used, but it could be a lengthy process if you can only do one at a time? I just use cold tap water to rinse the bottles (we don't get hot tap water until the heating starts going on in December, although warm water does rinse stuff more easily), by half filling them and shaking the bottle as the water drains out, and do this two or three times.

 

[PD]

I think one of the most important times for cleaning bottles is one that's most ignored.
That is rinsing the bottles immediately after use.
Before going to bed on an evening the bottles used and contents consumed that day are rinsed once with cold water and left overnight to be taken out to the storage place in the morning. If this is done every time the bottles contents are used, cleaning and sterilising before the next brew becomes very easy. You will find that very few bottles get hard deposits that take bleaching or scrubbing to remove and a swirl in your steriliser and further rinse is all that will be required before reuse.
Of course reclaimed and collected bottles will need individual attention.
And if reusable screw bottle tops are used DON'T forget to give them all a good rinse ( I put mine in a mixing jug with a little powder for an hour in bulk before they get put into a closed empty ice cream container )