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Poll

How often do you soak your bottles in oxyclean (or other cleaner) before sanitizing?

Every time, right before sanitizing.
14 (40%)
Every now and then.
4 (11.4%)
Just the first time I get the bottles.  I think rinsing after drinking is enough to keep them clean.  I still sanitize.
10 (28.6%)
Now why would I do that?
7 (20%)

Total Members Voted: 34

Author Topic: Cleaning Bottles - Soaking - How Often?  (Read 8452 times)

Offline jayoun

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Re: Cleaning Bottles - Soaking - How Often?
« Reply #15 on: April 17, 2011, 08:56:00 pm »
I will do an oxyclean/PBW soak initially just to get the labels off, after that I will do a good rinsing after use and maybe a rinse right before I sanitize.  I might add that I always inspect the bottles for obvious gunk before they go into the sanitizing bucket.  Although I don't bottle that often, I can't ever think of a time where I have had a bad bottle due to this practice.
-Jared

Offline Pinski

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Re: Cleaning Bottles - Soaking - How Often?
« Reply #16 on: April 17, 2011, 10:31:16 pm »
Many dishwashers have a high heat/sanitize drying cycle as an option.  We rinse the bottles out thoroughly after pouring and then store them in an office paper box with a lid in the garage until a bottling occasion comes up. We run the bottles we need by themselves, NO SOAP in the dishwasher on the sanitize setting. Has worked very well for us. No fuss.
Steve Carper
Green Dragon Brewers
Clubs: Oregon Brew Crew & Strange Brew
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Offline morticaixavier

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Re: Cleaning Bottles - Soaking - How Often?
« Reply #17 on: April 17, 2011, 11:08:47 pm »
For first time use of a bottle I'll usually soak it in cold bleach water over night, rinse multiple times and spray with some star san. For future use I guess I just rinse them with hot water a few times when empty and store them someplace until I need them again and I'd probably just spray with star san. The oven idea sounds like a good one, I'd be too worried them would crack or bust though. I wonder what the heat threshold is on a glass bottle..

I've done three batches in the oven now and had 1 bottle crack. I suspect it was week anyway. I have had one bottle bomb in all my brewing so far (Knock on wood) and I could clearly see the bubble in the glass that caused it to fail. I didn't look on the one that cracked in the oven but I suspect it was an existing weakness. Given that glass doesn't melt until some thousands of degrees I am not too worried about the effect 375 f is going to have.
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Offline Will's Swill

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Re: Cleaning Bottles - Soaking - How Often?
« Reply #18 on: April 18, 2011, 06:25:10 pm »
Well, to get good sanitation, you probably don't need to keep your bottles in a hot oven for a week anyway.  :D

No cleaning for me.  Rinse after use, store upside down if I won't need them for a long while, squirt the interior with StarSan just prior to use.  First time bottles get a hot water soak just to get labels off.  Nearly two decades of brewing and no infections; from the bottle anyway.  YMMV.
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