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What is your cleaning and sanatizing process?

dabeer

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After transfering from my bucket or carboy, I clean first then sanatize. I then put away and when I am ready to use it again, I do the same process, clean and sanatize before use.  Is that overkill?  Do I really need to clean and sanatize again before use.
 
dabeer said:
Do I really need to clean and sanatize again before use.

You definitely don’t need to sanitize at your first cleaning. Save that for just before you use it.

Additionally, the “just before use” cleaning need not be too involved. I give the carboy a soak with just a bit of OxyClean… just to knock off the dust. Then sanitize.
 
I clean and sanitize before putting it away, partially b/c StarSan is a good rinse agent.  I figure I'm storing it with no soap film.  I sanitize again before use. 
 
dabeer said:
You definitely don’t need to sanitize at your first cleaning. Save that for just before you use it.
We will agree to disagree here. I always put my stuff away sanitized and re-sanitize before use.
 
I clean - rinse - and store.

And I try to always store the items in a plastic tub + lid or in a clean metal cabinet with doors to keep dust and crap to a minimum.

On using everything gets cleaned-rinsed and those items that need to be sanitized get sanitized.


Key here is even if something just sits over night after cleaning and is used the next day it still needs to be cleaned and rinsed again. House dust - dander - spores .... pretty much everywhere.

And things like plastic transfer tubing I replace every 6 months
 
I'm a minimalist by nature, I clean and rinse everything after use and again before using but I only sanitize right before use.  I think all will agree that it needs to be sanitized right before use since just sitting around can invite the nasties.  I think sanitizing before I put away would just be a waste since I have to do it again right before use and that stuff isn't cheap.

$0.02
 
You can reuse starsan until it gets cloudy... just make it with distilled or RO water. Under most circumstances, it won't get cloudy unless contaminated by organics, which would cleaning regimen should have removed. A lot of folks use s spray bottle full... you only need to keep the surface wet for 30 seconds to a minute.
 
The one thing I have to plug is StarSan - it just makes sanitizing very easy and quick. I started out using Idophor but never really felt like it was a no-rinse solution. And being able to use StarSan in a spray bottle is way slick. Truly a no rinse tasteless sanitizer

It was strange that a recent BYO article on sanitizing seemed to lean towards Idophor ...
 
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