This is probably a very silly question. . . .

[Pennack]

Can I use boiling water to sterilise all my kit? I realise that it won't work on PET bottles (ruined one finding that out!!), but can everything else be done with boiling water?

Also whats the best way to clean and sterilise muslin?

[orlando]

Yes but no not really. I wonder however whether you are really asking about sterility or more likely sanitising? Sterile is a lot more challenging and largely unnecessary at our scale and fairly impractical. A good sanitiser like Starsan or its equivalent is all you need once you have all your kit cleaned, there are a number of products you can use for that part. Even thin bleach in the right proportions will do but you have to be very careful with rinsing it free of bleach afterwards. Starsan is a no rinse sanitiser.

As long as your kit is clean then whatever comes into contact with the beer before the boil you really have nothing to worry about. After that it is all about keeping bacteria numbers as low as possible, once fermentation is underway then hops, alcohol and a low pH environment all help to keep bacteria at bay.

As for muslin, I boil mine for 10-15 minutes before using so in that respect boiling is fine but it is probably not sterile.

p.s. It's not a silly question, they are the ones you are too proud to ask.

[winka]

My dads brewed for 40 years using nothing but hot water from the bath tap, fv and pet bottles. Obviously not as hot as the boiling water you shrunk your bottles with

Only issues he's had is with vinegar fly in a couple of his country wines, which may not nessecarily have been down to the cleaning. Basically he fills 2/3 full then leaves the steam to do the rest.

Not sure I'm brave enough to follow in his footsteps and try and I still use bleach

cheers

[oz11]

The hot tap?!! Have you ever looked in a hot-water tank?

[Pennack]

I get freaked out by chemicals, especially bleach, so I really want to avoid that option. I filled the bottles full to the brim of boiling water and left them for a few minutes. Will this have affected the beer that is now in them?

Do you need to still clean the bottles out properly first if using something like Starsan

winka wrote:
> My dads brewed for 40 years using nothing but hot water from the bath tap. Basically he fills 2/3 full then leaves the steam to do the rest.

oz11 wrote:> The hot tap?!! Have you ever looked in a hot-water tank?

I wouldn't worry too much about what was in the tank if it's hot enough to produce steam!

[Dominic]

The hot tap?!! Have you ever looked in a hot-water tank?

He may have a combi boiler, in which case no tank to worry about.... Mind you, that was probably unlikely 40 years ago

[masterosouffle]

Do you need to still clean the bottles out properly first if using something like Starsan

Star San is purely a sanitiser, and will not clean, it would normally be used just before filling to kill off any nasties left behind after cleaning or storage

[Kev888]

Heat can be very good as a sanitizer/sterilizer; though as you've found, the things you heat need to be up to it!

Autoclaving is used to sanitise in very sensitive applications like yeast propogation- the best we can usually get at home is say a 16psi pressure cooker for around 15mins - its better than most chemicals. The pressure means the temperature is higher (and so works quicker) before it boils. Things like plate chillers can be sanitised this way and the heat can (given time) penetrate organic remnants that chemicals may struggle to sanitise.

Steam can also be used; it is used commercially and I've heard of wallpaper strippers etc used in homebrew but i haven't tried it myself yet.

Boiling can definately be used as well; people tend to consider things boiled for 20mins are good enough for most homebrew purposes, though really it should be longer than autoclaving for sterilizing, as boiling temperature is lower without the pressure. I sanitise stainless tap parts like this, and many people will place the Immersion Chiller in the boiling wort to sanitise it, or recirculate boiling wort through pumps and pipes for the same reason.

Dry heat takes longer, but plate chillers and bottles (slowly raised to heat) in the oven can work very well. Its best to only use on physically clean things though - any residues left can be burnt on even harder otherwise

But don't dismiss chemicals, they can be quick and easy sanitisers and better in some applications than heat. Environmentally speaking, its not clear cut either: the energy required for sustained heat is often not small and some chemicals (like starsan or peracetic acid) can be used in small quantities and degrade quickly and/or relatively harmlessly. In terms of safety too, chemicals can indeed be bad if not treated with respect; acids, bleaches, caustic mixtures etc are not nice at all, but then quantities of boiling water and wort, high-temperature steam, and hot ovens are of course also dangerous without care too.

Cheers
kev

[Cozzyb]

Although you can of course do this, I used boiling water for my first batch as forgot to buy something, next batch i used VWP, but honestly when you can sanitize for such a small price why bother? I mean bleach is pennies, and even StarSan or in my case Saniclean is still cheap per batch, esp if you reuse it.

[Wolfy]

I get freaked out by chemicals, especially bleach, so I really want to avoid that option.

LOL, just last night, I was reading the 'warning' label on the home-brew sanitizes I have here, they suggest wearing full length clothing, face mask, eye protection, gloves - washing all the clothing immediately after use - and a whole range of stuff that makes them sound like they will hurt you just to look at them!
Yet home brewers all over use them, they are very effective and useful, and I'm quite sure that virtually none actually follow the suggested information - and once diluted to the correct quantities (same as bleach really) you'd have to do alot wrong to have them be harmful.