Scorched wort on conical flask

[Paddy Bubbles]

Anyone got any tips for removing scorched wort from a conical flask? I tried boiling a little water in it with some citric acid powder added, but I think I've made it worse, if anything.

Help!

Ta.

[Morten]

Are you sure it is on the inside?

I had some in my flask, or so I thought. Tried everything possible, only to find that is was scorched on the outside, cleaned of within 2 minutes with a scrubby.

If it is on the inside, have you tried soaking it for a few hours in some sort of concentrated chemical bath.

[Paddy Bubbles]

No, it's definitely on the inside.

What kind of chemicals would you recommend?

[Aleman]

Hot Strong Cuustic alternatively

Dishwasher powder for a long soak

Drop a scrubby in there and stir it round with a stick

[Morten]

I removed some hard-to-remove-dried-gunk-thingy in a glass carboy with some fine sand and warm water, swirl around for a few minutes.

[orlando]

Really hot water and a softish cloth on the end of an implement to gently rub the surface. Don't use anything too abrasive as the scratches will be easier for bacteria to "hide" in.

[jmc]

When wort burnt on to outside in the past I've put a dollop of cream cleaner, (the sort you use on glass hobs) on a plate, then sat the flask on it for an hour or so (or overnight), then just rub off / rinse.

Goes without saying that you'd need to rinse well if you used it on the inside of a flask

[Paddy Bubbles]

Thanks for the suggestions lads, I'll let you know how that goes.

Either way, I'm going to be doing my WLP550 starter in a plastic bottle this weekend! :-/

[YeastWhisperer]

Sodium hydroxide (a.k.a. Na0H or simply caustic soda) and water will definitely remove it. Sodium hydroxide is the main ingredient in many drain cleaners and oven cleaners. It's also known as lye. However, sodium percarbonate (a.k.a. oxygen bleach or OxyClean) will do the job without the risk of chemical burns. Both chemicals will dissolve any organic compound given enough time.

[Paddy Bubbles]

Thanks for all the suggestions lads. I thought I'd post back and tell you how I resolved this in the end. I used about a tablespoon of Lidl's W5 Oxy Power along with some boiling water. Lifted the scorched wort right off. No fuss.

Here's a photo of the product...