The Simplest And Best Cleaner

[kizzyaggots]

Hi guys I'm new to brewing and just bought 2 cans of coopers bitter to throw down. I want my first brew to be a success and i need clean impliments, can any of you guys recomend a nice cheap easy cleaner as i don't want to stuff up my first brew.

Cheers Kizzy. :beer: :chug:

 

[Gulf Brewery]

Hi guys I'm new to brewing and just bought 2 cans of coopers bitter to throw down. I want my first brew to be a success and i need clean impliments, can any of you guys recomend a nice cheap easy cleaner as i don't want to stuff up my first brew.

Cheers Kizzy. :beer: :chug:

Hi kizzyaggots

There is a lot of info on this site, don't be afraid to use the search function.
2 main rules
1. Don't use sodium metabisulphate - it inhibits yeast growth, it isn't a sanitiser.
2. Visit your local home brew store and ask them for one. If desperate, a cheap and easy sanitiser is the neo pink from Big W.

Cheers
Pedro

 

[Trough Lolly]

Hi guys I'm new to brewing and just bought 2 cans of coopers bitter to throw down. I want my first brew to be a success and i need clean impliments, can any of you guys recomend a nice cheap easy cleaner as i don't want to stuff up my first brew.

Cheers Kizzy. :beer: :chug:

G'day Kizzy,
Welcome to the forum!
One thing to remember is that you need to use a cleaner AND and sanitiser. As Pedro points out, you need to make sure that what you have in contact with any wort or beer, must be sanitised to avoid infections and basically ruining all your hard work.
Your local homebrew shop should have a cleaner and sanitiser that you can use. Personally, I recommend Iodophor as a good sanitiser - it's easily applied with a spray bottle and you don't have to rinse it off. As for cleaners, you can basically go for a cheap and easy solution such as Sodium Percarbonate (aka NappySan) but as has been mentioned, go and visit your local brewshop and have a chat with the person behind the counter...If they can't help you with basics such as cleaning and sanitising, bid them farewell and go to another store!
A quick search on this forum will yield a multitude of opinions on sanitisers and cleaners.

Cheers,
TL

 

[Wortgames]

Every brewer will have a different answer for you!

For mine, you can't beat napisan (or the home brand equivalent, or dishwasher powder - it's all basically the same stuff) for a cheap effective cleaner that you can pick up in any supermarket. Use it with really hot water and it does a great job of dissolving gunk and killing bugs. Rinse well.

After cleaning you need to sanitise, a splash of bleach in a few litres of water will get you out of trouble - again, it needs to be rinsed really well.

There are better options available from your local home brew shop, mostly they just need less rinsing, but you don't need to delay putting your brew down if you've got some of those products handy.

 

[Whistlingjack]

I use Woolworths brand soaker and stain remover.

At 35% sodium percarbonate and costing around $11.00 for 2kg, its the best value. One container has lasted me for about 2 months (one brew per fortnight, racking, etc). Still about 500g left.

Use as per directions on the container. I find an overnight soak in this stuff gets my gear and clean and sparkling.

 

[Wortgames]

Feck, gazumped by TL :beer:

 

[yardy]

See IODOPHOR



cheers

yard

 

[kizzyaggots]

Hi guys I'm new to brewing and just bought 2 cans of coopers bitter to throw down. I want my first brew to be a success and i need clean impliments, can any of you guys recomend a nice cheap easy cleaner as i don't want to stuff up my first brew.

Cheers Kizzy. :beer: :chug:

Hi kizzyaggots

There is a lot of info on this site, don't be afraid to use the search function.
2 main rules
1. Don't use sodium metabisulphate - it inhibits yeast growth, it isn't a sanitiser.
2. Visit your local home brew store and ask them for one. If desperate, a cheap and easy sanitiser is the neo pink from Big W.

Cheers
Pedro

 

[Trough Lolly]

Feck, gazumped by TL :beer:

Great minds think alike!! h34r:

 

[PistolPatch]

Welcome Kizzy!

I'm going to recommend two things...

Household Bleach: This is one of those things where more is not better. Only use 30 mls to 25 litres of COLD water. Leave for a day if there are no visual stains. Secondly, rinse with hot water. Hot water kills bleach flavours. This is a very cheap and very good friend to the brewer who treats it right. I've left bleach in brewing containers at these diltuion levels for 4 weeks and experienced brewers have not noticed any off flavours.

If you don't follow the above instructions though you can get a bandaid taste in your beer. So, follow them!

The other thing you need is a spray, no-rinse sanitiser - something you can spray on brewing gear just before use but don't have to rinse off. There are many things you can use for this. The best I have found to date (thanks Ross) is a product called Hy-San which you can source through horticultural suppliers. It's extremely cheap, fast-acting and odour-less.

Cheers
PP

 

[kizzyaggots]

Thanks guys, I was in a hurry today when i purchased my kit and syrup and got all excited about throwin down a nice tasty drop. My supplier is a brilliant guy but in my rush i forgot cleaner so that is the only reason i asked, i think i like the idea of the napisan to wash off all the gunk and then the spray sanitiser to sterilize all my bottles because i know how important cleanliness is. I know nothing about brewing so i posted a thread on fish smoking in the any topic goes area: maybe we can help eachother out?




Kind Regards Kizzy :chug:

 

[poppa joe]

FWIW...Kizzy
ALDI Napisan is only 2.20...Much cheaper than Woolies Etc..(Same stuff)..
Iodophur about 8.50.....500 ml..lasts forever...(nearly)
PJ

Post your whereabouts..Some one may be near and advise...HBS..Etc.

 

[Batz]

Phos. acid

 

[Ducatiboy stu]

Hydrogen Peroxide is a great spray on non-rinse sanitizer.And it is cheap and very effective :super:

Nappi-San is your best bet for availability and cleaning power.Its really good if you also have babies.. B)

The MOST important thing is everything must be clean, regardless of how you get it clean

You cant sanitize dirty equipment :excl:

 

[PistolPatch]

I had the same question as you Kizzy some time ago and started a thread on it. Have a look at this

I started that thread because everyone would recommend something but they'd never put the dilution ratio. As I was just starting out, this was a little frustrating. Unfortunatley the thread never blossomed but you'll get some Napisan dilution answers there.

Cheers
PP

 

[BrissyBrew]

To Clean Napisan, I dont normally mix this according to ratio but instead add more if there is more gunk.
To Sanitise Idophor, 1ml per L. non rinse
Both cost effective

 

[Screwtop]

To Clean Napisan, I dont normally mix this according to ratio but instead add more if there is more gunk.
To Sanitise Idophor, 1ml per L. non rinse
Both cost effective

Same as BrizzyBrew and Batz here, Napisan Plus to clean and Phosphoric Acid as no-rinse sanitiser.

Where do you buy Iodophor? Is that the name it's sold under.

 

[Ross]

I use pure sodium percarbonate for cleaning & Hysan (hydrogen peroxide + colodial silver) as my 1ml/L non-rinse sanitiser. Not found anything better...

cheers Ross

 

[Batz]

I buy Phos. acid from an AG store,it is sold as a dairy sanitizer and pumped through the dairy milking equipment,it is also used in commercial breweries.
It is sold in 20lt drums so it pays to split it up with a few fellow brewers.
You will find a couple of litres lasts forever 10ml makes 5lt of sanitizer and that can be used several times.
I buy it by the 20lt drum so Qld. brewers can usually get a litre or so from me.

Batz

 

[bindi]

Phos. acid

DITTO

I am up for some more Batz. Screwtop, Tidalpete ?