[roguejim]

I can't figure out why I'm consistently getting a white residue on my equipment (kegs, plastic hoses) that I soak in Oxyclean.  After a hot water rinse, I'm now forced to douche everything with vinegar/water to remove the white film.  My only suspicion is that overnight soaking is the culprit, i.e., too long.  How long do you soak your equipment in Oxyclean?`

[denny]

I never go more than about 3 hours.  Also, your water can make a difference.  Is it pretty hard?

[euge]

I soak with oxyclean no longer than a few minutes. IMO it's not really an extended "soaking" product. It performs best with agitation and very hot water.

[blatz]

and very hot water.

but not too hot - if you go over 150df, it will cause a white film to form even if only soaking for 1-2 min.

[Beer Monger]

I never considered using Oxy clean to clean any of my brewing equipment.  I usb PBW Keg Wash and Star San.  

Is Oxyclean considered an acceptable substitute?  

[denny]

Is Oxyclean considered an acceptable substitute?  

Heck, yes.  It's essentially the same as PBW, but not identical.  I've used Oxyclean for the bulk of my brewery cleaning for 13 years.

[theDarkSide]

My intention is to only soak my Better Bottles with Oxyclean for 30-60 minutes, but it ends up being 4-7 days because I forget, get lazy, or just plain don't want to do it right away.  When I do clean, I dump most of it out, shake the h3ll out of it, then rinse with hot tap water to clean it out.  No real problems with film.

[theDarkSide]

I believe the guy from 5 Star said on Brew Strong that PBW has a chelator, where Oxyclean does not.  So there is less chance of hard water scale build up or something like that.

I think I need to relisten to that episode.

[denny]

I believe the guy from 5 Star said on Brew Strong that PBW has a chelator, where Oxyclean does not.  So there is less chance of hard water scale build up or something like that.

You're correct.  I use Oxiclean most of the time and about every 3 cleanings I use PBW to remove the tough organic stuff.

[tonyp]

Like euge I use oxyclean to clean then immediately rinse, I never let it soak for more than a few minutes unless its something that is seriously stained like my gold coffee filter, which i'll let sit for a few hours or overnight depending how bad it is.

BTW, if you have a dollar store near you they sell a small bucket of an oxyclean knockoff, saves a ton of money.

Tony

[euge]

What I've been doing lately for the hard to remove/inaccessible crud on my plastic and glass is to use sodium hydroxide.  I don't have any PBW but do have a #10 tub of lye.  It'll remove stains and residue. This does soak for a while. Overnight works well.

[badhorsie]

When you say oxyclean do you mean oxyclean free? I was always told that regular oxyclean had perfume in it?

[Hokerer]

When you say oxyclean do you mean oxyclean free? I was always told that regular oxyclean had perfume in it?

Yeah, the "free" is the best for just that reason

[Beer Monger]

I believe the guy from 5 Star said on Brew Strong that PBW has a chelator, where Oxyclean does not.  So there is less chance of hard water scale build up or something like that.

You're correct.  I use Oxiclean most of the time and about every 3 cleanings I use PBW to remove the tough organic stuff.

OK.  Considering this, I'll stick with PBW. 

[kgs]

Safeway sells a percarbonate cleanser (Oxyclean knockoff) that appears to have no perfumes and is very inexpensive. I have tubs of it all over the house, and one set aside for brewing. I do let bottles sit in it sometimes for weeks in a Homer bucket and they seem fine. Plastic tubing, on the other hand, clouds up quickly.