[sparkleberry]

happy accident...

i was soaking some recycled bottles from several different brewers(i like drinking my own, but don't hesitate at all to drink great stuff) and discovered that in addition to cleaning bottles like nobody's business, oxyclean will also break down glue used for affixing labels to bottles.  double whammy!

this is great because, i feel like i can now rinse a bottle with hot water, soak in oxyclean to break down any left over crap AND peel labels.  way before i sanitize.

i think my bottling process just got that much easier.  it should be said that i will clean/peel the extra bottles i need for a batch way in advance.  seriously.  a few bottles a night for a couple of weeks will do the trick and make your bottling simple!  i also make my priming sugar ready and sanitize the night before.

i previously would rinse a bottle with hot water, soak in an ammonia/water bath to peel and then clean & sanitize and bottle.

i haven't proved this yet, but will get back in a couple weeks for a final thought. 

all said, if you are diligent in rinsing bottles as you drink them, bottling isn't as bad as you think!  and you get great, conditioned beer.  i like to make high OG ales that love to develop anyhow.

[punatic]

Don't leave them in the oxyclean too long.  A scale builds up on things that soak too long.

[sparkleberry]

thanks for the input!  i'll totally incorporate the notes.

i haven't let things soak too long.  maybe an hour or three, still with a solid hot water after-rinse and clean.

as a side note, i've only been on the forum for a couple of weeks(got my card just in time for the GABF pre-sale this year), but i have learned and taken a great deal of information from this amazing online experience.  i can't wait to brew sunday! 

thank you everybody.  the knowledge has been invaluable!

[uthristy]

Don't leave them in the oxyclean too long.  A scale builds up on things that soak too long.

? I've left bottles soaking  for 3weeks and never had scales, slim but no scales.

[Mark G]

Oxyclean, cut one-third with TSP substitute, is what I use to clean all my brewing equipment. Not quite as effective as PBW, but at a fraction of the cost, it's close enough.

[jhwk]

Oxyclean until I 'found' PBW.  Works just fine.  Unscented...

[gymrat]

Don't leave them in the oxyclean too long.  A scale builds up on things that soak too long.

? I've left bottles soaking  for 3weeks and never had scales, slim but no scales.

It depends on how much oxyclean you use. If you don't overdo it, it won't leave the scaling, a little too much and you will get a gritty bottle that will take a really long time to clean up. I add about a half a teaspoon to a sink full of water. Does the trick and no grit. I learned that over time.

[denny]

Don't leave them in the oxyclean too long.  A scale builds up on things that soak too long.

That seems to be dependent on your water.  I've occasionally left bottles/jugs/flasks in Oxiclean for a week without any problems.

FWIW, it's interesting to see how things come around...I recall first posting about using Oxiclean to remove labels back around 99-200 on rcb.  Just a reminder that it's a good idea to revisit what we've ;earned in the past for the benefit of new brewers.

[tonyp]

I soak bottles in oxyclean also, but one thing i've noticed is that there are a few brands that oxy just won't get off. The labels from Eerie's Mad Anthony just won't come off no matter how long you soak them.

[pyrite]

happy accident...

i was soaking some recycled bottles from several different brewers(i like drinking my own, but don't hesitate at all to drink great stuff) and discovered that in addition to cleaning bottles like nobody's business, oxyclean will also break down glue used for affixing labels to bottles.  double whammy!

this is great because, i feel like i can now rinse a bottle with hot water, soak in oxyclean to break down any left over crap AND peel labels.  way before i sanitize.

Yes, but have you tried it on Pliny the Elder bottles? PTE labels are hard to peel off.

[sparkleberry]

i find those ones come off pretty easily with an ammonia/water soak.


"FWIW, it's interesting to see how things come around...I recall first posting about using Oxiclean to remove labels back around 99-200 on rcb.  Just a reminder that it's a good idea to revisit what we've ;earned in the past for the benefit of new brewers."

i knew i probably wasn't the first to try this, just got excited to discover it worked.  i'm actually surprised i hadn't though of it sooner.  way better than sticking my hands in ammonia.

[Will's Swill]

FWIW, it's interesting to see how things come around...I recall first posting about using Oxiclean to remove labels back around 99-200 on rcb.

Wow, Denny really has been around a long time! rcb = roman conqueror beer   

[denny]

 

[gymrat]

FWIW, it's interesting to see how things come around...I recall first posting about using Oxiclean to remove labels back around 99-200 on rcb.

Wow, Denny really has been around a long time! rcb = roman conqueror beer   

And yet, not a hair out of place.

[pyrite]

i find those ones come off pretty easily with an ammonia/water soak.

thanks, good to know.