Reconditioning Old Bottles

[GrafVonJon]

Hi all,

I recently received a load of old bottles (and 10 demijohns) found in an old garage.
I'd like to use them for beer and wine making, but they have been in the garage for years and smell very fusty. Some have white patches of mould on them.

Will they be safe to use - IE not spoil the beer I bottle in them?

I have given them a good clean and rinse but some are still a bit fusty. I'm guessing I'll be fine as glass is very inert.

I plan to give them a good soaking with some baby bottle sterilising tablets from Tesco. Will this do the trick? I will be sterilizing them again with non rinse brew steriliser before I actually bottle the brew in a few weeks.

Also, in between batches, what's the best practice for storing bottles etc. so they are in good nick and require the minimum of effort to prepare on bottling day?

All help/tips appreciated

[MightyMouth]

If they are actually clean then it doesn't really matter what they look like on the outside as the inside is probably still good. I would soak in soda crystal solution for an hour, rinse then soak in a bleach solution for 30 minutes and rinse well.

Another good product is Star-San. It will sanitise in the presence of organic material so if there is a little left somewhere it will probably still be OK.

[GrafVonJon]

Sweet, I'll give 'em a good old blitzing with some bleach tomorrow... I've rinsed and washed too many to consider it tonight... Be worth it in the long run!

[coatesg]

Also, in between batches, what's the best practice for storing bottles etc. so they are in good nick and require the minimum of effort to prepare on bottling day?

I'd recommend rinsing with water after their previous use to prevent the growth of mould and nasties on the beer that remains in the bottle...

[oxford brewer]

Also, in between batches, what's the best practice for storing bottles etc. so they are in good nick and require the minimum of effort to prepare on bottling day?

I'd recommend rinsing with water after their previous use to prevent the growth of mould and nasties on the beer that remains in the bottle...

Remains in bottles Graeme....what remains!!