White distilled vinegar for cleaning/sterilising

[ryanshelton]

My other half asked today why we dont use white distilled vinegar to clean buckets,bottles etc.

I've checked online and it does kill 99.9% bacteria and most uses are in kitchens etc.

The smell would put me off but apparently it only lasts seconds and doesn't leave a taste.

Anyone ever tried it or got any thoughts?

 

[dennisking]

Never heard of that before.

 

[bobsbeer]

Certainly good enough for the cleaning ladies Aggie and the other one. :grin: But I expect the active ingredient is the high acid value. But I've never tried it.

 

[rpt]

I'm guessing it works out very expensive. And is it no rinse when making beer?

 

[graysalchemy]

I use it in cheese making but wouldn't want vinegar anywhere near my beer though. :thumb:

 

[ryanshelton]

Bob, your right it is the high acid that is active in it but if this was properly rinsed would it be a problem? As for being expensive I have no idea of cost it was swmbo who asked and I didn't know the answer lol

 

[MattN]

I use it! Vinegar into water... then bleach, no ill affects yet!

This whole sterilising/sanitizing debate intrigues me as cleaning is the most important thing. If something has been cleaned thoroughly then strictly speaking it doesn't need to be sanitized. (if it is used straight away) Sanitization, which I do every time is only a secondary precaution.

I use 1tbs vinegar and 1tbs of bleach per 10ltrs mixed separately and never had any issues. I don't rinse and have not had any off/tcp flavours

After all, this is what the guy who invented Starsan RECOMMENDS!

Matt

 

[Base]

I use it! Vinegar into water... then bleach, no ill affects yet!

This whole sterilising/sanitizing debate intrigues me as cleaning is the most important thing. If something has been cleaned thoroughly then strictly speaking it doesn't need to be sanitized. (if it is used straight away) Sanitization, which I do every time is only a secondary precaution.

I use 1tbs vinegar and 1tbs of bleach per 10ltrs mixed separately and never had any issues. I don't rinse and have not had any off/tcp flavours

After all, this is what the guy who invented Starsan RECOMMENDS!

Matt

I actually do the bleach and vinegar 1T of bleach and 1T vinegar to 2UK gallons(9L) water. Starsan guys recipe he gives is 1oz of each (2T each) to 5 gal. Thing is that hes american so gallons are smaller (3.8L to 4.5L UK). :thumb:

 

[winelight]

I use 1tbs vinegar and 1tbs of bleach per 10ltrs mixed separately and never had any issues. I don't rinse and have not had any off/tcp flavours

Can you explain in more detail... for example for the FV you fill with water with 2.5tbs vinegar and soak and then empty, then repeat with bleach and then don't rinse?

 

[Base]

4 imperial gallons. COLD water 2 tablespoons vinegar and 2 tablespoons thin bleach. I think he says either 2 or 5 minutes contact time. There is a podcast with the starsan guy somewhere. :thumb:

 

[MattN]

I use 1tbs vinegar and 1tbs of bleach per 10ltrs mixed separately and never had any issues. I don't rinse and have not had any off/tcp flavours

Can you explain in more detail... for example for the FV you fill with water with 2.5tbs vinegar and soak and then empty, then repeat with bleach and then don't rinse?

Put the water into the FV, add the vinegar and rinse the spoon, then add the bleach.

Matt

 

[graysalchemy]

I don't rinse and have not had any off/tcp flavours

I would suggest you have been lucky, probably due to the fact you are brewing kits and not using fresh hops. Not something i would advocate.

 

[wezil]

Hi just as an aside please don't mix bleach and acid, yes it will kill germs etc. because it makes chlorine gas!
I use the cheapest bleach I can find, scrub, then rinse well then put a few campden tabs (or powder which is cheaper and yes I know it has fillers in it) to neutralise the bleach. This solution is then left in the f/v d/j etc till needed.

 

[winelight]

i don't know about all this... I just follow the instructions on the Coopers kits. Cheap bleach then rinse thoroughly.

 

[Aleman]

I don't rinse and have not had any off/tcp flavours

I would suggest you have been lucky, probably due to the fact you are brewing kits and not using fresh hops. Not something i would advocate.

The use of a dilute acidified bleach solution (ie a solution of hypochlorous acid) is a no rinse solution. Hypochlorous acid is the active ingredient in bleach, but because the pH is alkaline, there isn't very much about so you have to use a much stronger solution to have the same bactericidal effect. At the concentrations we are talking about here there is no issue with teh TCP effect that we get just using bleach on its own.

There was a company supplying hypochlorous acid in a stable form, and I trialled it . . . it did an excellent job, but unfortunately cost was the killer, as it was more expensive than peracetic or iodophors.

It is very easy to make your own as has been mentioned here by Matt, I personally add the bleach to 3 gallons of water and the acid to 1 gallon of water, then mix the two this way the compound formed is hypochlorous acid

NEVER! BUT NEVER!! EVER!! ADD NEAT BLEACH TO NEAT ACID, UNLESS YOU ARE CAPABLE OF BREATHING CHLORINE GAS!