Infection risk assessment...

[Banksy]

Hi there,

My first batch of wine, 5g of Californian Connoisseur Merlot, is ready to bottle.

4 days ago I got hold of a turkey baster. I was eager to try the wine, so I washed it with washing up liquid, briefly dried it, then sucked up some juice.

Since then I have been considering my actions. First, by drying it I may have recontaminated it, 2nd, washing the outside does not cover the inside. 3rd, is it sufficient to use washing up liquid to clean things?

I hope I have not put my wine at too high a risk of infection. If I have, is there anything that I can do to reduce the risk again. Finally, what is the general consensus for sterilising small things? Should I be making up a gallon of sterilising fluid (SF) every time, and can I keep a DJ full of SF to use over a period of time.

Thank you for your help.

 

[Runwell-Steve]

You will probably be fine, but in future there are some things you could do.

There are 2 real steps you should be looking at

Cleaning and Sanitising/Disinfecting

As long as an item is clean, it can be sanitised in a no rinse sanitiser like Peracetic Acid / Starsan / Videne

To clean an item you should ideally clean it in something like Oxy cleaner, or Caustic Soda if it's really dirty.

There are specialist all in one cleaners and sanitisers but they work out quite costly.

Personally I keep a garden spray bottle of ready mixed starsan for sanitising things as I need to.

 

[HLA91]

Before I use my turkey baster I make up 1L solution of videne and pop the baster in the jug and suck up some solution, leave for 2 min then squirt out and rinse. Job done. As for actual cleaning, well the baster doesn't really come into contact with anything that will dirty it, all I do is rinse well in warm water after use to wash out any wine residue.

Just as I was about to use my baster for the first time my mother walks in and says "did you know they use those for artificial insemination?", thanks a bunch mum.