Sterilising preferences?

[Edmund]

What are peoples preffered cleaning and sterilising methods?

I've been using thin bleach for cleaning as you can just pick it up round the corner and i had to getr some milton tabs from the local pharm to sterilise for emergency.

I think i need someone to fully point out the differences between cleaning and sterilising and which chemicals are used for them

cheers

Eddy

[Edmund]

ahhh yes i gave that one a read, i just got confused from hearing bleach was a sterilser somewhere, and then there are these 2 in 1 things, a lot of the cleaners say they sterilise aswell.

[Edmund]

ahh yes that makes sense. Bleach to clean it then sodium metabisulphate before use.

cheers

[agentgonzo]

I just use VWP. Sanitising barrels/FVs requires about half a gallon of warm water with a teaspoon of VWP in it. Seal and shake to get the solution around everything, leave for 5 minutes, shake again, then leave for another 10 mins. Anything that needs to be sanitised can just go in there. Suck the solution through any siphoning hose, then chuck the hose into the barrel/FV at the start.

[Edmund]

ahh right, yeah vwp says it's a cleaner and steriliser, so it sounds like as long as all the sediment is washed out, you can just use that. Cheers

[Aleman]

If you take a handful of dirt, put in in the pressure cooker, and pressure cook it for 20 minutes then allow to cool naturally, what you will have is a handful of sterile dirt . . . . but its nor something you want in you beer .

I clean my brewing equipment with chlorinated caustics (Antiformin S a powerful cleaner and sanitiser) . . . . . I then sanitise items using either peracetic acid (Another powerful brewery sanitising agent and no Rinse) or and iodophor (another no rinse sanitiser)

It should always be considered a two stage operation . . . Clean the item . . sanitise the item. . . . . I'd be wary about using bleach to clean, you are better of with washing soda, and a washing up sponge. then use a good quality sanitiser to finish

[Edmund]

heh yeah, thin bleach is good enough for cleaning, plus it's cheap (all the brand cleaners get expensive). I've been reading up on that star san, looks pretty good and you don't need much from the concentrate.

[mysterio]

Soda crystals to clean then Iodophor to sanitise. I don't use bleach after I ruined a batch leaving some residue on a keg.