What is the best bottle cleaning tool?

[Yeti]

Hi,

Since Xmas is coming I'm looking to get some kit for my brewing. The most laborious part is the bottle cleaning before I bottle the batch so I was wondering what are the 'best recommendations' that people have? I've got about 50 euro to spend.

Cheers!

:thumb:

 

[pittsy]

hi , i have just got myself the bottle tree and bottle rinser http://www.thehomebrewcompany.co.uk/bot ... p-238.html and , http://www.thehomebrewcompany.co.uk/bot ... p-580.html if you have left **** in bottles to go manky you still need to bleach em but if you give your bottles a little rinse out when you use each 1 then doing bottles now takes me around 15 mins to do 45 bottles , btw you also need some star san (£9 for a years worth)

 

[PD]

Star San + bottle tree +1

Clean your bottles as you use them never leave dregs in them. Rinse and drain before you fill them...Shimple...

Old rescued bottle might need a good soak in bleach to get rid of hard deposit, and a few marbles dropped in to swill around will help.

Simple equipment only required for this basic but important task of home brewing. But if your looking for a Christmas present for yourself...Go buy a bottle tree...wonderful little gadget to have.

 

[Andyhull]

+1 for the bottle tree and rinser mine have been ordered and wil be gift from my parents.
Also a little bottler is a good idea as is a good bottle brush.

 

[graysalchemy]

big bucket hot water and oxyclean. soak them overnight then rinse, No problms. Also make sure you rinse you bottles after you have drunk them its easier to get fresh yeast off than dried on mouldy ****. :thumb:

 

[LeedsBrewer]

+1 bottle rinser (took ages to set the bloomin thing up cos of the daft spring, but it's worth it!)

My first bottling day took hours without it! (wash bottles 5 at a time in sink, rinse bottles, sterilise, wash) took forever. This also shows the importance of thinking through your process first. Washing them all in the bath in one go would've been a lot quicker. duh!

2nd bottling day took about an hour with the rinser. Would've been even quicker with a bottling tree but guna get one of those later.

 

[ScottM]

Another bottle tree and rinser here. Again I rinse out my bottles as soon as I've poured to get rid of the crud while it's still wet (comes off with a quick rinse). Every week or so I take up my empties and stick them on the bottle tree.

When it comes to bottling day I use starsan and the bottle rinser and then just hang them back on the tree for an hour or 2 before bottling.

Job done, easy peasy

 

[Yeti]

Hey, thanks for the replies.

Reckon I will get a rinser from these guys, the-home-brew-shop in the uk or here in Finland if I can find the shop again.

I don't need a drying tree as my kitchen has a draining cupboard above the sink which will hold about 50 bottles easily.

:thumb:

 

[Buster]

big bucket hot water and oxyclean. soak them overnight then rinse, No problms. Also make sure you rinse you bottles after you have drunk them its easier to get fresh yeast off than dried on mouldy ****. :thumb:

Do you find that Oxi-Clean leaves a slimey white residue on bottles soaked. I agree it is brill at cleaning them, just that residue :wha:

 

[LeedsBrewer]

I've heard a few people mention the residue. It has put me off buying the stuff.

 

[Springer]

Think this residue might appear if you let bottles dry covered in Oxy solution. :) I take mine straight out of the soak and then rinse while they are still wet.
S

 

[Aleman]

For cleaning most of my glassware, I have a few lengths of acrylic rod with various sized pieces of sponge cleaning scrubbies attached (Silicone Glue). . . It makes wiping any residue off the sides really easy . . . I've had real issues getting some marks off of my yeast starter conicals . . . even strong hot caustic doesn't shift it with a soak . . . wipe with a scrubby and it's gone.

As for a residue with oxiclean . . . don't soak them too long and it's fine . . . I normally only do 2 or 3 bottles at a time . . . my rule is if it doesn't come clean in 15 minutes it goes in the recycling bin.

As far as batches of new (to me) bottles go . . . I have a bottle Blast Rinser, connected to a Flojet G46 pump . . .

And I pump a cleanser round the bottles . . . stack on bottle tree . . . Pump Water round . . . Stack on Bottle Tree . . . Pump Sanitiser round . . . Stack on Bottle Tree . . . . Seal, with either swing tops / Silver Foil or reusable bottle caps.

Come bottling day . . .spray with star san, shake, invert, turn right way up . . . fill . . . cap

 

[kentmark]

big bucket hot water and oxyclean. soak them overnight then rinse, No problms. Also make sure you rinse you bottles after you have drunk them its easier to get fresh yeast off than dried on mouldy ****. :thumb:

+1 for rinsing once drunk. I always do this and don't have any problems with old cack in the bottles. Just a hot soapy water wash then a bath in WVP and they are good to go next time around!

 

[oz11]

I have found the residue left behind by oxi can be removed very easily with a little starsan.