Cleaning large numbers of bottles...

[MonkeyMick]

I'm planning on bottling 80 litres of various brews in the next day or so, and have a variety of swing top bottles I've aquired. Some are brand new, while some look to be pretty grim...

Would soaking them in oxy cleaner for 30 minutes then blasting with starsan be adequate to ensure I didn't ruin my beer?

And how much oxy should I normally use in a 23l FV to soak the bottles in?

 

[Cheshire Cat]

Also use a bottle brush

 

[Richie_asg1]

A bottle brush in a cordless drill?

(Not my idea - have seen 2 people use them now)

I would really like an easy way to do this myself. Like a rack and pump that fits in the sink.

 

[Clint]

What a chore! I got a batch that had to be bottled this week...
If you can keep bottles indoors for a couple of days prior to sanitising and using then I'd do a good job over physically cleaning them in batches rather than getting fed up and doing a less than great job all at once. Not unless you don't mind.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

I have the demijohn version of this and it works a treat in my cordless drill, i got mine on eBay.

 

[Drunkula]

As a pre-emptive now ever time I have a beer I swill the bottle after glugging down the yeast, swill, shake and drain and then push the top back on. Even if I've got to store the bottles in the garden that stops slugs n gunk going inside. Doing that and using starsan has taken my bottle wash down to two steps from 4 because I don't have to oxi soak them any more. Also agree with a bottle brush or wand. I've put a big 90 degree kink in the handle on my brush because it makes it so much easier to twist.

 

[The Baron]

As a pre-emptive now ever time I have a beer I swill the bottle after glugging down the yeast, swill, shake and drain and then push the top back on. Even if I've got to store the bottles in the garden that stops slugs n gunk going inside. Doing that and using starsan has taken my bottle wash down to two steps from 4 because I don't have to oxi soak them any more. Also agree with a bottle brush or wand. I've put a big 90 degree kink in the handle on my brush because it makes it so much easier to twist.

Drunkula is spot on with this advice I do exactly the same or rinse them first thing the next morning. I do not put the caps back but cling film the top store in acrate and put a old towel over them too to stop dust
Ps make sure they are really well drained and dry before re-capping or cling filming

 

[DavidDetroit]

+1^

Not that this helps OP since the bottles are dirty but, yeah, that rinse directly afterward makes bottling day a pleasure. I also put them in the dishwasher before they go in the basement. I love not needing to look for debris on bottling day since that part is done after each use.

 

[DavidDetroit]

An advantage of swing-tops is that you can fill each with a teaspoon or less of Oxy Clean and half way with hot water and close them. Shake them periodically over a 24 hour period.

 

[Cheshire Cat]

Bottled 38 of Vienna lager today very therapeutic cleaned most bottles with brush before sanitation. Look inside the bottle if the bottom is hazy them clean with a brush if sparkling them just immerse in the sanitiser.

 

[MonkeyMick]

All great ideas. Thank you..

I'm tempted to jam a bottle brush into the pillar drill and clean them that way!

 

[foxy]

I'm planning on bottling 80 litres of various brews in the next day or so, and have a variety of swing top bottles I've aquired. Some are brand new, while some look to be pretty grim...

Would soaking them in oxy cleaner for 30 minutes then blasting with starsan be adequate to ensure I didn't ruin my beer?

And how much oxy should I normally use in a 23l FV to soak the bottles in?

I would go with 2 or 3 table spoons and a one hour soak just to get rid of any bio film, spray with acid cleaner the night before. And the bottle brush will get any gunk out of the neck of the bottle.

 

[Richie_asg1]

Just spotted this -

It's a water powered spinning brush.
Invented for the bicycle crowd I think. Maybe adaptable?
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SFIXX-CY...232458&hash=item2acb7ced7c:g:8N4AAOSw7VJc0cyj

 

[hedgerowpete]

i only ever use a battery drill and a bottle brush, buy a brush and break the plastic handle off it, i fill the bottles with water, wizz them and empty out, then wash the outside and stand. after i have done the full fourty i need once it all goes back to the other side of the drainer and we do it again if they need it.
once they are physically clean i then steralize with chemicals

for the really stubborn grot you can either pre fill all the bottles for a few days prior to cleaning to soften them, or in my case i have a home made bottle scrubber that will shift any amount of grot

 

[kelper]

Used, grungy bottles need a good soak to loosen any dirt and then a brush. Good thing is you'll only have to do this once unless you forget to rinse every bottle as soon as it's empty

 

[Cwrw666]

For baked on crud fill the bottles with concentrated washing soda solution and leave for a day or so. Softens it up a treat.

 

[Hopperty]

Curious as to your thoughts on the following.

All my bottles are washed soon after use and then stored full of a very mild bleach ( 12-15 ppm sodium hypochlorite) with a (well cleaned) old top pushed back on.

Then on day of bottling, I drain the bottles and put 6 at a time on the following home made contraption. A few minutes blast on this to rinse them out whilst I am adding the priming sugar to the previous six.

Have done two batches so far with this method (80 bottles) and so far all seems to be well.

 

[Richie_asg1]

Most of the types like that recirculate sterilising solution to be effective. Otherwise you may get some bacteria in there.
Not sure on the size of pump you would need. Probably a shower pump used in low pressure water areas would be ideal. Maybe also ideal as a wort pump too - so double use?

Would be interesting with a pressure washer - the bottles may take off!

 

[Hopperty]

they get a fair blast but not enough to get the bottles airbourne -

 

[hedgerowpete]

i used to own a smaller six bottle but 10mm copper pipe rig and feed it with steam from a wall paper striper, worked very well