Educate me about non rinse cleaner please.

[stylis]

I'm still not fully happy with my non rinse cleaner.

What's bothering me is if I put my hands in the solution, when I take them out they feel slimy rather than squeaky clean. Surely this is what's also on the inside of my bottles when I fill them with beer?

The slimy feel is actually thin layers of skin cells sliding off your fingers. I remember being told this in science class in school. It happens when you get any strong acid on your skin. So it actually won't be slimy inside the bottle, and of course once the beer has gone in this dilutes any remaining avoid to a level unnoticeable.

 

[stylis]

Avoid was obviously meant to say acid.

 

[hoofy]

So, maybe I will stick with chemipro oxi. I still have loads left and it will probably last me until the end of the year, so if I haven't had any problems, I might as well get it again.

It was just the slimy feel that was freaking me out.

Thanks for the replies. :thumb:

 

[bunkerbrewer]

This was an interesting read. I've never cleaned an FV with anything other than warm water and a soft sponge. I sanitise thoroughly with StarSan, but I've never felt the need to use a cleaning product beforehand.

Does anyone else do this?

 

[morethanworts]

I sometimes clean with diluted thin bleach, wash with campden solution (to get rid of the chlorine) and sanitise with Star San. But usually hot water is enough, then straight to Star San.

 

[musher]

I'm reluctant to use much in the way of a cleaning product. I always muck out & rinse as soon as I empty a FV, DJ etc., and just sanitise/sterilise immediately before reuse.

 

[Aleman]

The slimy feel is actually thin layers of skin cells sliding off your fingers. I remember being told this in science class in school. It happens when you get any strong acid on your skin.

Actually it is the alkalis in the cleaning product reacting with the oils on/in the skin to produce soap which feels slimy. . . . The stronger the alkali the worse the effect, to the point with Caustic Soda (NaOH) actually reacting with the lipids in the cell walls dissolving them and leading to severe chemical burns . . . that are very difficult to wash off

Luckily for us washing soda and baking soda are not so extreme in action, so skin contact, while preferably avoided, is OK.

Acids don't react to make soap so don't feel slimy

 

[stylis]

The slimy feel is actually thin layers of skin cells sliding off your fingers. I remember being told this in science class in school. It happens when you get any strong acid on your skin.

Actually it is the alkalis in the cleaning product reacting with the oils on/in the skin to produce soap which feels slimy. . . . The stronger the alkali the worse the effect, to the point with Caustic Soda (NaOH) actually reacting with the lipids in the cell walls dissolving them and leading to severe chemical burns . . . that are very difficult to wash off

Luckily for us washing soda and baking soda are not so extreme in action, so skin contact, while preferably avoided, is OK.

Acids don't react to make soap so don't feel slimy

Well I was close. Ha ha. Last science lesson was more than 20 years ago. I should of been paying more attention at the back of class.

 

[Swift Pint]

wait, are you guys saying that Oxi is no-rinse? :wha:

 

[Aleman]

wait, are you guys saying that Oxi is no-rinse? :wha:

No, Chemipro Oxi, claims to be no rinse, I've not used it or researched it in to much detail. Generic Oxi clean products must be rinsed.

 

[morethanworts]

wait, are you guys saying that Oxi is no-rinse? :wha:

I used it, no rinse, fine [Ed- Chemipro Oxi, I mean], but it worked out hideously expensive. Star San: £14 odd to buy a big bottle, but several brews on, it's barely taken a dent.

 

[mikeyjay84]

After reading the last few threads on sanitising , I think I will be buying some star San for my bottling. My water bill will be massive if I carry on rinsing as much as I do. Vwp will be kept for cleaning fv and tools. :thumb:

 

[user 6139]

After much ball-ache, and much experimentation, I've finally settled on a sanitizing routine that I'm comfortable with, without it being too onerous.

Golden rule is to rinse / wash FV and bottles immediately after use.. I use REALLY hot water, then a quick spray with star-san as I put them away.

I still use VWP occasionally in my FV's (every third brew or so), and rinse excessively.

I use VWP for any used bottles I've acquired from my local.

Before bottling a batch, I rinse bottles out again in very hot water, then a few squirts of star-san again and leave them to drain on the bottle-tree.

I've got to admit that when I first used star-san, I wasn't entirely convinced about the no-rinse aspect. I do leave the star-san'd bottles on the bottle tree until they're completely drained, I don't like seeing star-san "bubbles" in bottles.

--
Lee.

 

[Remf]

Don't fear the foam. :lol:

Alan :

 

[morethanworts]

I've yet to research dodecylbenzene sulfonic acid properly, I must admit (!), but there is far more phosphoric acid in some soft drinks than we will get with poorly drained Star San bottles, assuming correct useage.

One day, I will bother to work out more closely the likely content of Star San-derived acid in beer stored in a poorly drained bottle, but even when you start to do any maths, you quickly realise that it is tiny, by any accepted measure of food standards safety. I did something similar for the iodine in Videne a while ago, and (although it's not a nice idea) it turned out that any practical use would result in a minuscule level of consumption by accepted standards.