cleaning very dirty demijohns

[sforeman]

I know this has probably been asked many times but.......

I have bought 8 clear and 1 brown demijohns off eBay for £11.29 so got a bargain. Only trouble is the clear ones are the colour of the brown one..... they have dried sugar and sediment in the bottom of them. What is the best process to get these clean ready for use please? As I say they are bad.

 

[Moley]

Try a non-scented oxy cleaner and a good long soak with hot water.

While I try to avoid most Young's products, their cleaner and steriliser is excellent for shifting stubborn muck.

If even that doesn't shift the worst of it, add some sand or very fine gravel and give it a good swirl and shake.

 

[sforeman]

Thanks for the reply moley.... when you say oxy cleaner what sort of cleaner do you mean, is this like bleach?

 

[Moley]

No, not like bleach, they are usually added to the detergents in the washing machine and will be found in the supermarket aisle with all the laundry products.

But you don't want the Vanish Oxy Action in the pink tub, look for own brand non-scented products at half the price. I get mine from Aldi or Lidl.

 

[Jonny69]

To get stubborn sediment off the bottom I normally use a whole steriliser tablet for a gallon and add about 500-750ml of water and leave it to soak for a day or so. Usually shifts it. I often get dried-on froth residue at the top as well; bottle brushes are quite good for scrubbing it off if you bend them into the right shape to reach round.

 

[Antony]

Wilkos brucleans?

 

[GAZ9053]

I used VWP on my ebay demi`s worked a treat left em for a week. use a nice strong mix,

 

[tippseyTony]

For really soiled demi I would use three to four tea spoons of bleach warm water leave for a couple off days. Then rinse with boiling water to get rid off smell. I normally yes vwp as well for fv and kegs . Bleach for super cleaning .

 

[Tramps Vest]

Boiling water into a DJ sounds like a disaster waiting to happen

 

[tippseyTony]

Y is that bad its very tough , and strong enough to take boiling water , ps I'm a chemist as well .

 

[JamesMcS]

I've just ordered one of these to get the last crappy bits of sediment out of one of my 5 gallon carboys:

http://www.brewstore.co.uk/carboy-cleaning-tool-3792-p.asp

Looking at vidoes online it seems to do the trick; will report back when I've had a go tomorrow night

 

[Tean Buns]

I would use caustic soda ... if that doesn't move it, providing it is organic, nothing will. :hat:

 

[tippseyTony]

I would use caustic soda ... if that doesn't move it, providing it is organic, nothing will. :hat:

Good old NAOH just make sure you rinse well because it can leave a white film .
I like bleach for very soiled kegs

 

[JamesMcS]

Re the carboy cleaner, it's pretty good - my only criticism is that the metal pole can clank against the bottom of the bottle so you have to be careful, but other than that it seems effective

 

[Brewtrog]

I would use caustic soda ... if that doesn't move it, providing it is organic, nothing will. :hat:

Be careful with it though, it can actually dissolve glass.

 

[mac.eightball]

+1 to the strong vwp mix, itll shift anything given time, even dried blood...... !

 

[baggybill]

A trick I read somewhere, that I used with great success today, is an inch of vinegar in the bottom of the demi and half a cup of dried rice. Swirl about like mad for a minute, leave it a couple and repeat. Shifts the most stubbon grunge. Obvioulsy a good rinse, wash out (I used some soapy water) and sanitise after. I thought one of my newly acquired demi's was going to be a write off as it had a wine in it from 2003 which left stains almost baked onto the glass - it came up sparkling like new :smile:

 

[JamesMcS]

Awesome, is that the acid in the vinegar I wonder?

 

[tippseyTony]

Nice sounds like an old wives tale

 

[itbrvilla]

Cleaned a load of 4/5th hand demis on the weekend using Morrisons oxy style cleaning powder. They we stained by wine, full of spider webs and insects dried onto the surface and even paint flecks. 2 scoops in demi full of warm water. Clean as a whistle within a couple of hours.