Using Bleach on Equipment

[mrgrimm101]

I was reading in my Complete Joy of Homebrewing that bleach is an acceptable sanitizer for homebrewing.

After many batches, my buckets and hoses have taken on a sort of stain (could be from the iosan, could be from the beer) as well as a faint odor. I was wondering if I could soak my buckets and hoses in bleach water to get rid of any stains or odors that get left behind after batches.

I DONT want to use it as a sanitizer, I just want to use it to get my hoses and buckets looking like they used to.

Would this be a bad idea? If not, what is a good bleach/water ratio so that I don't use too much.

 

[RmikeVT]

I think you could give it all a mild bleach soak for a few hours and then rinse really well before using.

Alternatively, why not try soaking in PBW or Oxiclean overnight. Tried and true and you don't have to worry about staining your clothes, spilling, etc.

 

[Brewsbury]

I used diluted bleach for sanitizing on my first batch (just so I didn't have to buy anything extra) and that is what the book is referring to. I don't think I would use bleach for cleaning purposes.

For cleaning equipment you have a couple options, but I (and I think most) recommend soaking in hot water and unscented Oxyclean.

 

[Billy-Klubb]

I keep bleach away from my equipment. only thing it's good for is keeping whites bright and making Bleachers.

 

[mrgrimm101]

I always fill my buckets with water and do a big scoop of Oxyclean free after every use. I let that soak for about 24 hours, but it never gets rid of the smell all the way, and it doesn't get rid of the discoloration all the way either.

 

[rekoob]

I don't see any reason why you can't. Just rinse well after.

 

[Billy-Klubb]

I don't see any reason why you can't. Just rinse really really really really well after.

ftfy.

if the discoloration and smell are really that bad, it just might be time to replace your plastic. or switch to stainless when you can. I'm not even gonna get into the glass vs. plastic on account of all the haters, but after 15 years I still love my glass.

 

[Calder]

I use bleach all the time. I generally just estimate the amount to use, but it should be about 1 tablespoon per gallon.

When not in use, I keep my fermenters (all closed vessels, no buckets) filled with bleach solution. Before and after use, I run the same bleach thru my hoses. I keep my hoses and blow-off tubes in a large bucket with a couple of gallons of bleach solution in it. I toss everything in there after use; airlocks, corks, jars, lids (not metal), etc.

You just have to remember that if/when you use it, you need to thoroughly rinse with hot water (cold will not do it).

I do use idophor for bottling and caps, and always have a bowl of the stuff ready to sanitize small items before use.

I keep thinking about switching to Starsan from bleach, but it works for me, and I'm concerned that Starsan being just a sanitizer might not be as good as bleach which is also a cleaner. In my case I see no obvious benefit to changing; just potential problems.

 

[atoughram]

I used bleach exclusively for years until I read that it was bad for stainless kegs, so I started using Idophor on the kegs.

I never liked Idophor, it smells medicinal and stains plastic and vinyl.

I did switch to Starsan after reading about it here, but only because it's a no-rinse sanitizer. It's hard to beat in a spray bottle.

I still have a jug of bleach with my brewing stuff, probably always will. It IS a good cleaner and sanitizer.

 

[MaxStout]

Plastic tubing only lasts so long before it becomes an infection risk. (Ask me how I know.) Ditto with plastic buckets. Replace them from time to time. And the old buckets can do secondary duty as cleaning buckets, grain storage, etc.

 

[Calder]

Plastic tubing only lasts so long before it becomes an infection risk. (Ask me how I know.) Ditto with plastic buckets. Replace them from time to time. And the old buckets can do secondary duty as cleaning buckets, grain storage, etc.

As I said in a previous post, I use bleach in my fermenters. I am still using the same HDPE fermenters I bought 30 years ago. No infections, great beer.

I only replace tubing because it becomes opaque, and I can't see thru it. Not because of any concern about infection.

I would like to move away from bleach, but it is comments like this have me concerned about changing to anything else.

 

[StonesBally]

I use bleach and water to clean my carboys after every ferment. I give them a quick rinse and then fill them with water and a good splash of bleach. After a day or so they are sparkling clean and after a good hot rinse all the bleach is gone. I used to use it for all of my sanitation and never had an issue. You have to rinse really well in hot water though. In the end I switched to Starsan because it is so much faster and easier to do no rinse. You may save a few dollars with bleach, but you will save so much more time with Starsan. I still have over half a bottle two years after buying it.

 

[shortyz]

if you want your equipment clean soak it in bleach. chlorine is by far the best cleaner for the price itll eat anything at full concentration.

on a side note, chlorine attacks stainless steel if left inside the vessel to long, so be warned.

 

[yewtah-brewha]

bleach is bettter than nothing at all and cheap. I'm thinking bout trying it out on a normal basis after reading this. I spend alot of cash on iodophor and Iodine, but if you think about it 180 degree water coming in contact with anything non-meltable for 60 seconds after a good bleaching will /should kill any bacteria.

 

[Billy-Klubb]

y'all can use bleach if you like. hell, more power to ya. just remember to rinse the living hell out out your stuff before anything comes in contact with it. which is why I go with Iodophor and Starsan these days. what's in your local water? are there any bugs hiding? rinse with tap and you could (not saying always) be exposing your stuff to things you're trying to keep out. don't fear the foam. and if mixed right, Starsan is yeast food. I'd rather pay the extra dough for peace of mind. I have used bleach in the past (15 years ago) and would rather put my hard earned money into something I don't have to rinse. just a little food for thought.

 

[atoughram]

I am still using the same HDPE fermenters I bought 30 years ago. No infections, great beer.

X2 except approaching 20 years old..

 

[KingsX]

I use bleach at a restaurant or food prep concentration, requires a 5 minute sit, for full sanitation. Bleach requires a rinse, and a rinse...and a rinse. Lots of rinses, which is often why many don't use it. I also use Starsan on the stainless (no bleach on stainless). I use pure white vinegar for beer stone problems on my stainless steel brew kettle. Bleach is also good for cleaning your brew area, ie the counter and taps, sinks etc. I replace my hoses quite often, as it's cheap enough anyway. Also, replacing buckets and pails, is a good idea, plastic harbors bacteria, especially once pitted and scratched. Hoses and pails are cheap. Where I live a new pail is at least half the price of a batch of all grain brew, so you can risk losing the batch, or just getting a new pail. Oh and I also use Oxyclean for cleaning, especially anything missed that might be "gunky". I'm new on the forum, but have been brewing for well over 10 years and have never had an infection.

Keep using those pails though, for other things, like house hold duties, or to hold your dirty brew clothes etc.

 

[brewbama]

Every now and then a bleach solution is good to use to kill everything.

I read this on another resource "Star San works on the same principle as acid washing, which means that it does not kill wild yeast or mold (the elephant in the room). Bleach kills everything, including viruses."

"The problem with Star San is the way that Star San sanitizes. Star San is not a true anti-microbial. It's more accurately an anti-bacterial. The main active ingredient in Star San is the same chemical that is used to acid wash yeast; namely, phosphoric acid. Like acid washing, Star San works by lowering the pH below that at which most bacteria can survive. Wild yeast, mold, and acid-resistant bacteria are not killed by lowering the pH to below 3.0, which is why a yeast culture that becomes infected with wild yeast, mold, or acid-resistant bacteria has to be discarded or plated.

Bleach (sodium hypochlorite) sanitizes via a different mechanism. Sodium hypochlorite is a salt form of hypochlorous acid. Hypochlorous acid is a strong oxidant that kills a microbe by breaching its cell wall. Once inside of a cell it wreaks havoc by denaturing proteins. Hypochlorous acid can perform this feat because it carries a neutral charge; hence, it is not repelled by the cell membrane's negative charge."

Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

 

[theonetrueruss]

for me no bleach any where near stainless. Occasionally I will do a light bleach soak for my buckets as it makes me feel like I am killing anything that is setting up shop there.. then lots of rinsing with hot water.. only do that maybe once a year... less now that I am using fewer buckets for fermentation.

For hoses just spend the money to get silicone hoses and you can boil them to kill anything in there. I normally just soak in star-san but every few brews I'll boil them just to make sure nothing has found a home in there. They do tend to yellow over time especially with exposure to star san. not a real problem.

primarily I use oxyclean free for cleaning and starsan for sanitizing. really no substitute for the right chemicals.. they are not super cheap but per batch the cost is pretty low.

 

[mrgrimm101]

Again, Im not planning on using bleach as a sanitizer..I just wanted to use it to get the stain/odor out of my buckets. I think I will give it a shot..sounds like it wont hurt

 

[Billy-Klubb]

Again, Im not planning on using bleach as a sanitizer..I just wanted to use it to get the stain/odor out of my buckets. I think I will give it a shot..sounds like it wont hurt

it's worth a shot if you feel it might work. I think it goes along the same lines as "personal taste".