Confusing sterilisation and cleaning

maxashton · Post by **maxashton** » Thu Mar 01, 2007 12:07 am

Pongo, i've got one of these and the steam is 130 degrees c, and at whatever bar. Technically, that will kill anything that doesnt' live in a deep sea volcanic trench.

Put it in a little plastic bottle and steam for a few seconds and see what happens. Keep your hands away.

However, with a steam cleaner it's hard to guarantee coverage, so i wouldn't reccomend it. However, its brilliant for cleaning off Krausen, and other goo and crap that gets all over your equipment.

I can only imagine it being fantastic for corny kegs also.

Are you using the 14 quid TJ Hughes job?

maxashton · Post by **maxashton** » Thu Mar 01, 2007 12:23 am

you know those little football coke bottles?

i turned one into about the size of a large marble.
I tried to fill it with yeast slurry for a laugh, but the screw neck melted.

pongobilly · Post by **pongobilly** » Thu Mar 01, 2007 12:58 am

so let me get this right if i use 2.5ml betadine per 2l water mix and wanted to do 40 bottles which are 500ml then i would need to mix 25mls of betadine into 20 litres of water

then fill each bottle, by the time ive filled them all i can just empty them out then fill them wit something thirst quenching

maxashton · Post by **maxashton** » Thu Mar 01, 2007 1:07 am

Yeah, you can do it that way if you want.

I used as simmilar approach to a keg first time i used betadine.
i filled the keg to the brim, and loaded with 68mls of betadine. Phenomenal waste, as i could have used the default 2l mix and sloshed around.

You could probably get away with say 100ml in each bottle. shake vigorously, wait 2 minutes, repeat a couple of times per bottle.

Depends how energetic you feel i suppose. Or how many mates you can get to help you!

pongobilly · Post by **pongobilly** » Thu Mar 01, 2007 1:11 am

so if i made up a 4 ltr batch using 5ml betadine which is enough for 40 bottles at 100ml in each, thats just a tsb of betadine.

wow is it that good with just a tsp per 4ltrs

tubby_shaw · Post by **tubby_shaw** » Thu Mar 01, 2007 3:13 am

pongobilly wrote:so if i made up a 4 ltr batch using 5ml betadine which is enough for 40 bottles at 100ml in each, thats just a tsb of betadine.

wow is it that good with just a tsp per 4ltrs

You don't even need to use that much

Make up a solution at 1.25 ml per litre, put it into a cheap trigger spray and spray the insides of the bottle.
All that needs to happen is for the surface of whatever you are sanitising to stay wet for 30 seconds

If you ask nicely at your local pharmacy you will be able to obtain 5ml syringes for accurate dosing too

Post by **Andy** » Thu Mar 01, 2007 9:40 am

Or...you can pour the betadine solution from bottle to bottle after leaving it in contact for a minute or so - there's no need to add "new" solution to each bottle (assuming you've already cleaned the bottles). I'd make up 2 litres, fill four bottles with it, stand for a minute or two, then pour the solution from the bottles into four other bottles (use a funnel).....repeat until all bottles done.

maxashton · Post by **maxashton** » Thu Mar 01, 2007 9:57 am

I would have thought it'd be difficult to build a resistance to iodine as well, myself. Doesn't iodine work in the same way as chlorine, chemically? Iodizing of lipids and whatnot.

I dunno.

I'm ranty today.

I have to write propositions.

Belto · Post by **Belto** » Thu Mar 01, 2007 10:03 am

I have a case of unused and unwanted still in the original pacaging 5ml syringes from a previous life.
Free to anyone that requires them
Problem is distribution? costs.
Recommendations?

maxashton · Post by **maxashton** » Thu Mar 01, 2007 10:16 am

Well this is true. If it's good enough for hospitals, afterall, it's good enough for brew.

I know that i'd rather use bleach for example on my wooden surfaces since it's ... well nastier.
I like iodine for the convenience, but it's not really very good for feedback. When you chlorinate the crap out of a vessel and stick your nose in it, your nose melts.

Do the same with iodine and its more "Oh, that doesn't smell very pleasant eh what?"

pongobilly · Post by **pongobilly** » Thu Mar 01, 2007 1:16 pm

i think next time i come to do me bottling i will, fill the bath with the bleach solution for sanitising and dump the bottles in, just not sure how much bleach to use per bath full of warm water.

at least then im contributing towards the cleaning of the bathroom for once

maxashton · Post by **maxashton** » Thu Mar 01, 2007 1:19 pm

"I'm just cleaning the bath, love!"

Better have a coroner on standby, eh?

tubby_shaw · Post by **tubby_shaw** » Thu Mar 01, 2007 1:26 pm

pongobilly wrote:i think next time i come to do me bottling i will, fill the bath with the bleach solution for sanitising and dump the bottles in, just not sure how much bleach to use per bath full of warm water.

at least then im contributing towards the cleaning of the bathroom for once

Just a minor point but you want to be using cold water for your bleach solution, using warm water will drive off some of the chlorine making it less effective.

pongobilly · Post by **pongobilly** » Thu Mar 01, 2007 1:29 pm

so therefore is it best to rinse the bottles in warm water after the bleach then to get rid of he chlorine

tubby_shaw · Post by **tubby_shaw** » Thu Mar 01, 2007 1:51 pm

Yes absolutely, bleach is NOT a "no rinse" sanitiser.
A thorough rinse after using bleach solution is essential.
Boiling water will definately remove any trace of bleach.

Jim's Beer Kit

Practical Homebrewing

HomeBrew Forum

Sponsored by BREW-SCHOOL

Confusing sterilisation and cleaning