Five Star Saniclean for sanitising bottles

[biggtime]

I just wanted to check I'm not about to make a big mistake. I recently bought Five Star Saniclean assuming it was the same as Starsan, i.e. a no rinse sterilising/sanitising rinse that I could use as the final rinse on clean bottles just prior to bottling. It doesn't get a mention here viewtopic.php?f=36&t=33843
I was going to use a vinator with 2.5mls of Saniclean in 1litre of water (suggested ratio on bottle is 25mls per 10l, but I don't need that much for 40 bottles). Am I about to go wrong?

 

[Ceejay]

It's not the same thing. Saniclean is a "final rinse product":

"SANICLEAN is a blend of phosphoric acid and Sulfonate Oleic Acid. This synergistic
blend provides a unique synergistic system that is unaffected by excessive organic
soils. SANICLEAN is low foaming. Unlike other acid anionic detergents, SANICLEAN
will not produce excessive foam when recirculating through CIP systems. Cleaning
with SANICLEAN on a daily basis will leave equipment in an acid condition that will
eliminate water spotting, mineral build-up, and corrosion. SANICLEAN is also
excellent for part soaking. If kept at a pH of 3 or below SANICLEAN will remain
effective for a week at a time and not require sweetening to eliminate spotting and
remove odors. It is not recommended to use SANICLEAN on soft metals because of
the acid nature of this product."

It need to be rinsed before using the vessel.

Starsan however is a high foaming, non-rinse sanitiser so it's going to be better for your bottles I'm afraid. You can probably still use the Saniclean, but you'll need to rinse afterwards, which risks potential re-introduction of bacteria.

 

[biggtime]

Starsan however is a high foaming, non-rinse sanitiser so it's going to be better for your bottles I'm afraid. You can probably still use the Saniclean, but you'll need to rinse afterwards, which risks potential re-introduction of bacteria.

As the main 'ingredient' in both is Phosphoric acid, why would the Saniclean need rinsing but the Starsan not?

 

[biggtime]

Just found this on an American brewing site - he'd heard someone from Five Star being interviewed:
"Legally he has to say that Star San needs a contact time of 3 minutes, but 30 seconds is enough. Also legally he can't say that Saniclean is a sanitizer due to the huge costs of testing and registration (apparently Star San was approved before new stringent regulations were put in place). So legally Saniclean is a non-foaming acid rinse. So what is Star San? It's a foaming acid rinse -- that's also legally a sanitizer."

 

[Ceejay]

I see! Then it should be fine, I guess :wha:

 

[biggtime]

I see! Then it should be fine, I guess :wha:

Yeah, it would be nice to think so. Would still be interested to know whether anyone else had successfully used it this way though...

 

[biggtime]

Another interesting link on this subject: http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/star-sa ... hb-113446/
It sounds like I should be able to risk it!

 

[stuey]

I have been using Saniclean for a year now as a no-rinse sanitiser for everything.
It is essentially Starsan without the foamy surfactant.
It works very well in the bottle scoosher thingy and does the same job as Starsan with out all the crazy foam!

You don't need to rinse it.

 

[abeyptfc]

I have been using Saniclean for a year now as a no-rinse sanitiser for everything.
It is essentially Starsan without the foamy surfactant.
It works very well in the bottle scoosher thingy and does the same job as Starsan with out all the crazy foam!

You don't need to rinse it.

yeah I used Saniclean for years and never rinsed it as there was no foam residue, I've never had any problems with it.

 

[biggtime]

Thanks both. That reassures me. I've just bottled, using it to rinse the bottles using the scoosher thingy (like the name), and also to sterilise the caps. Fingers crossed!

 

[stuey]

Thanks both. That reassures me. I've just bottled, using it to rinse the bottles using the scoosher thingy (like the name), and also to sterilise the caps. Fingers crossed!

Perfect :) You will be fine with what you have done there, don't worry :)

Glad you like the word
Scoosher is a multi functional word in our house...
Also refers to the windscreen washers on the motor, the spray bottle of saniclean for "scooshing" stuff with etc etc :)

 

[Ceejay]

Good stuff, and I learned 2 new things today

 

[rpt]

I'm also under the impression that Starsan is Saniclean + surfactant.