[roguejim]

I've been using Barkeeper"s Friend, but is there a better cleaner for an aluminum boil kettle?

[tubercle]

I've been using Barkeeper"s Friend, but is there a better cleaner for an aluminum boil kettle?

 Wipe it down with a damp cloth, rinse and store upside down. Nothing more. You want a dark greyish brown patina on the inside.

[Hokerer]

Yeah, I wouldn't use BKF on aluminum either.  Before you brew in aluminum for the first time, you're supposed to boil water or something in it to build up an oxide layer.  Without the oxide layer, the acidity of your wort can react with the aluminum.  The oxide layer is that grey off-color layer that BKF is probably cleaning right off for you.

[punatic]

Elbow grease.

[euge]

Elbow grease.

Hey I was going to say that!

[roguejim]

Nothing, really??  Is stainless steel treated the same way, i.e., with no cleaner?

[morticaixavier]

I generally just scrub out my kettle with a nylon hop bag. if it gets really bad I scrub it with PBW. But with aluminium, as was said earlier, you want to maintain that passivated layer. If the beer stone starts to build up you can soak and then scrub with PBW and a gentle scrubby but then you should re-passivate by boiling water as was mentioned above.

[euge]

I go at mine with a green scrubbie or a copper tangle with good rinsing. Just enough to keep the beerstone at bay.

[tschmidlin]

Yeah, if something is building up then washing it with pbw is a good choice.  That's all I ever do to mine.

[roguejim]

Thanks for the replies.  I reviewed Palmer's chapter on cleaning brewing equipment.  Percarbonate based cleaners are recommended for ss and aluminum.  I've been using Barkeeper's Friend with a green sponge-scrubby, and have been careful not to remove the patina.  I don't know if my kettle is "anodized" aluminum or not, but I've just now discovered from their site that BF is not recommended for that type of aluminum.  In any event, I'm switching to straight hot water and a scrubby. 

[richardt]

Aluminum is a dull grey.  Anodized Aluminum can be practically any color, but is usually black (think Caphalon cookware).  If you got the tools at hand, you can easily anodize aluminum yourself (look online).  Agree with minimal cleanup of aluminum pots--I typically only use it to boil water for mashing when using the stove top.

[punatic]

Nothing, really??  Is stainless steel treated the same way, i.e., with no cleaner?

No, stainless steel is not treated the same.  Stainless steel is relatively inert.  It does not need to passivate.  Deposts can be scrubbed off with abrasives, followed with a good wiping down and rinsing.

Stainless steel does react badly with chlorine.  Bleach or other chlorine products should not be used.