Recommended Steriliser

[Niall K]

What Steriliser is the best or are they all basically the same. There is so many to chose from. Any recommendations?

[steve_flack]

Depends what you want.

Bleach is good and cheap but you need to rinse it.

Iodophor is available as Betadine aqueous solution from the chemist and is good for no rinse (in the right concentrations).

The best is peracetic acid which is what breweries use but that's not available in the homebrew trade. It's scary stuff undiluted. I have some and I can see why homebrew shops don't carry it. It could easily blind you or burn you very badly. Goggles and thick gloves are essential.

[maxashton]

It also has a nasty tendency of detonating when it gets hot.

[Horden Hillbilly]

I use Ritchies steriliser & cleaner myself after using Chempro for many years, had no problems with it, no shiny gear for me, just good old plastic fv's & king kegs.

I believe it is chlorine based, therefore it may not be suitable for Cornies if you have them, although I may stand to be corrected on this one, iirc cornie users recommend Iodophor or Soda Crystals.

[mysterio]

I use Iodophor, which can stretch quite a long way and is a no-rinse sanitiser. You can spray it on FV's which means you only use a few drops worth (diluted in a cup or so of water). A couple of capfuls in 5 gallons of water will soak a keg, and you can use the same solution if you're cleaning multiple kegs at once. It's also great to have a spray can full of it on brewday to quickly sanitise things.

[bitter_dave]

Cheap thin bleach at 1 tablespoon per galon (plus I add one or two for the road), then paranoid rinsing. I've got some betadine, but I've only used it to spray a tap once. Bleach works for me, and old habit die hard. I even use it as a cleaner - one 2 litre bottle of very cheap bleach diluited with water in my budget barrels, soaked overnight, gets rid of dried on crud very effectively.

I didn't realise this for ages, but only stuff that comes into contact with the beer after the boil needs to be sanitised. Therefore stuff like paddles etc used before the boil only get a clean with a sponge and a small amount of washing up liquid, rinsed very thoroughly afterwards to remove the detergent.

[tubby_shaw]

Cheap bleach for when I need to sanitise lots of things, fill FV with solution and chuck everything in, a good rinse and a final swill round with boiling water at the end.
Betadine solution in a spray bottle for everything else.
I clean with soda crystal now I have been educated on this form

[steve_flack]

It also has a nasty tendency of detonating when it gets hot.

If you go around heating sterilisers to 110C you deserve everything you get

[maxashton]

Well, there is that.