cleaning demijohns

[pongobilly]

can anyone tell me the best way to clean a demijohn after being used for fermentation, i dont have a brush so at te moment im soaking it in a bleach solution

[pongobilly]

how much soda crystals to a demijohn full of water, also i have me stuff steralising in fermenter ready to do me next wine, will it be ok left in there till tomorow if need be or shall i rinse it off and steralise again tomorow

[SteveD]

If it's really badly dried on muck and the namby soda crystals don't work then get out the heavy artillery - Caustic Soda. Available as crystals in hardware shops. Hiltons is the brand my local shop has. Make it up with cold water fairly strong. Be careful with it though, it's a B**tard! It will eat you alive if you give it a chance. It will shift anything.

However, the best way to clean brewing vessels is immediately you empty them. Then, just plain water does it.

[SteveD]

It will eat you alive if you give it a chance.

Watch the old peepers this stuff burns like hell when you get it on your skin I hate to think what would happen if it splashed into the eyes. It needs thorough rinsing after use.

(hopefuly that should keep the hse happy)

What it does it turn you in to a bar of soap in front of your own eyes, which may be why proprietary cleaner/steriliser solutions like VWP feel soapy between the fingers. They contain caustic, and what caustic soda does is react with fats/oils, like those in your skin, to make soap. There was a gross documentary once about someone who aquired human fat from a cosmetic surgeon (liposuction), and made human soap bars from it.

[maxashton]

They do it in Fight Club.

Saponification and defatting of tissues.

I remember my chemistry, me!

Its also why you hear about "Soap mummies" on forensics shows.

[Garth]

they do it in that documentary 'because' of Fight Club.

it was a series which each week explored whether things done in films were re-creatable or just urban myth and only possible in Hollywood.

One week they made this pump type machine which filtered and processed human piss and then they drank it at the end, this was taken from Kevin Costner film 'Waterworld', that extremely costly cinematic flop.

Oh and they said the piss-water tasted tasteless and boring but drinkable...

[tubby_shaw]

Oh and they said the piss-water tasted tasteless and boring but drinkable...

Oh, I see, a bit like Bud lite but drinkable

[Garth]

well to be honest tubby, I was gonna put something like that but thought I would leave it for someone else, you're quick mate, I was also thinking along the lines of Carling or even GK IPA

[tubby_shaw]

There's plenty to choose from Garth I just picked the worst of a bad bunch

[Garth]

you're not wrong..

[SteveD]

I'd rather have the piss.....

[maxashton]

Gotta be the only beer with a grain bill that is mostly made up of rice.

[SteveD]

Gotta be the only beer with a grain bill that is mostly made up of rice.

Ah, but they say it's the finest quality rice! Silly sods.

[maxashton]

And yet its the most popular beer in the states?
Fo shame!

[maxashton]

Yes, you'd have to take care to ensure they didn't actually make contact with the wort, though.