Bottle cleaning ....

MikeyG

I've just bought a new batch of Coopers Pet bottles , and I need to sanitise them so I can fill them with my next brew , do you have any tips on home to do this for 26 bottles ( I don't have a dishwasher) .... . .?

HBO_Staff

Hi there, we advise not to use a dishwasher on plastic bottles as they can melt them due to the temperature, instead just clean them in warm water, not hot. You can either make up a solution in a sink or in your fermenting vessel and clean them, if using BrewSafe they just need to drain, or with other cleaners such as VWP the bottles must then be rinsed in clean water.

There are a selection of dryers and rinsers available to help if needed:

http://www.home-brew-online.com/search/drainer

lilyalvin

For cleaning out such a large number of bottles, you do need something big to clean them all but it will take time. But a dishwasher is as essential as a keezer or a fermenter or even an upright freezer is.

BUDFORCE

I re-use glass bottles which saves loads of money but it is a ball ache.

Once I have used them, I rinse them out with the tap, then put them in the dishwasher and put them back in the garage.

Once I come to bottling, I take tham all out and I visually inspect them and the ones that look clean go to one side, the others that still have residue in, I use that drill attachment cleaning tool to scrub them out.

I then sterilise them all for about 20 minutes with milton, before rinsing them all out and bottling.

The whole thing from start to finish takes a couple of hours though.

I do keg 1 in every 3/4 brews which is definately a quicker and less time consuming process, but, I also do not feel the qaulity of the beer ends up quite as good and there is also a slight cost involved with the co2 bulbs.

Jane

I use PET bottles too, I find them useful, as I can tell how carbonated the drink is.(usually cider in my case - although am having a bash at both beer and larger this week).
Anyway, I simply make up a load of VWP, pour it in the bottles and leave them for a couple of hours, then rinse. I don't pour the solution away then, but put it in 5 litre drums, so I have some handy for wiping up, worktops etc.
The bottles are either new or previously sterilized (I tend to sterilize when they're emptied too), so aren't dirty as such.
Cheers Jane

Jane

Oh forgot to say, I get the PET bottles from HBO in 40s, cheaper than Coopers.