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Sterilising Glass Bottles

Greenmachine

Hey Guys looking for the best way to Sterilise glass bottles. Oven is not an option. Bottles I am using are 1L and my oven is a combi microwave and oven so they would never fit so can't steilise by heat. Would something like milton work.

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loyatemu

Greenmachine wrote: »

Hey Guys looking for the best way to Sterilise glass bottles. Oven is not an option. Bottles I am using are 1L and my oven is a combi microwave and oven so they would never fit so can't steilise by heat. Would something like milton work.

dilute bleach/vinegar mix is what a lot of home brewers use:

20L water
30ml thin bleach (you can get this in tesco - not Domestos or anything scented)
30ml vinegar.

make sure to add the bleach and vinegar to the water, do not mix the bleach and vinegar together first or you'll create chlorine gas and have a very unpleasant afternoon.

In theory this solution is no-rinse, so immerse your bottles in it, then invert them to drain, then fill them (I've used it a number of times without rinsing the bottles without any issues).

Greenmachine

loyatemu wrote: »

dilute bleach/vinegar mix is what a lot of home brewers use:

20L water
30ml thin bleach (you can get this in tesco - not Domestos or anything scented)
30ml vinegar.

make sure to add the bleach and vinegar to the water, do not mix the bleach and vinegar together first or you'll create chlorine gas and have a very unpleasant afternoon.

In theory this solution is no-rinse, so immerse your bottles in it, then invert them to drain, then fill them (I've used it a number of times without rinsing the bottles without any issues).

Phew had to do a double take 20L of water. Not for beer per say, bottle were use for, a summer for drink that would be virtually alcohol free, but if we are going to use the bottles again, which at €4 a pop from tiger we will. I assume the principle is the same. Herself is terrified of using bleach part, she think hot soapy water would do it. But after looking at the bottles, I know I will be doing the right thing with the bleach. She did the dishes last night.

loyatemu

Greenmachine wrote: »

loyatemu wrote: »

dilute bleach/vinegar mix is what a lot of home brewers use:

20L water
30ml thin bleach (you can get this in tesco - not Domestos or anything scented)
30ml vinegar.

make sure to add the bleach and vinegar to the water, do not mix the bleach and vinegar together first or you'll create chlorine gas and have a very unpleasant afternoon.

In theory this solution is no-rinse, so immerse your bottles in it, then invert them to drain, then fill them (I've used it a number of times without rinsing the bottles without any issues).

But after looking at the bottles, I know I will be doing the right thing with the bleach. She did the dishes last night.

the bleach/vinegar solution is just for sanitising, not cleaning. Best way to keep bottles clean is to rinse them thoroughly immediately after use, if you leave them sitting around with beer or whatever in them, they become much more difficult to clean and may go mouldy.

BeerNut

Greenmachine wrote: »

bottle were use for, a summer for drink that would be virtually alcohol free, but if we are going to use the bottles again, which at €4 a pop from tiger we will.

Just be cautious if you're putting beer into bottles that haven't held a carbonated drink before as they may not be spec'd to handle the pressure.

Greenmachine wrote: »

she think hot soapy water would do it.

Again, for beer, never let any soap near your bottles of equipment as it'll kill the head on the beer.

BeardySi

Greenmachine wrote: »

Herself is terrified of using bleach part, she think hot soapy water would do it. But after looking at the bottles, I know I will be doing the right thing with the bleach. She did the dishes last night.

All Milton is is thin bleach with a scent. There's a video interview out there with the inventor of Starsan where he basically recommends the vinegar and bleach method as an alternative to using his product.

Carawaystick

Milton's just half strength thin bleach and about 4x the price
And that's grand for infants

murphyebass

I use saniclean. 473ml for €13.

It's a no rinse sanitiser like Starsan only cheaper and easier to get.

I got it instead of starsan as starsan was sold out on the home brew site I use.

Used it now a good few times all well so far.

Ive heard these type of cleaners don't work well with hard water.

I'd be interested to know how true that is.
I purposely used aldi water in my brew in the past few days as my waters woefully hard.

When we brew at my mates house we use his tap water which is grand.

http://www.thehomebrewcompany.ie/ingredientsadditivessteriliser-cleaner-steriliser-c-3_201.html

BeardySi

murphyebass wrote: »

Ive heard these type of cleaners don't work well with hard water.

That would make sense - these cleaners rely on making the water acidic, the much higher pH of hard water would surely inhibit that.

murphyebass

Treadhead wrote: »

That would make sense - these cleaners rely on making the water acidic, the much higher pH of hard water would surely inhibit that.

That sounds like the crux of the info I read up on alright. The water where I live is brutal.

25 litres of Aldi water water was what I used. Didn't check the ph but it can't be as bad as mine!

rubadub

loyatemu wrote: »

dilute bleach/vinegar mix is what a lot of home brewers use:

20L water
30ml thin bleach (you can get this in tesco - not Domestos or anything scented)
30ml vinegar.

That recipe is probably based on the presumption the vinegar is 5% and the bleach is 5-6%.

But tesco thin value bleach is only 1.5%, milton is around 2%. Dealz do a "baby bottle bleach" too which is 1.3%

Treadhead wrote: »

All Milton is is thin bleach with a scent.

I never heard of milton having added scents. It does have sodium chloride (table salt) which most bleaches do not have.

Sodium hydroxide is also commonly put in bleach to stablize it. This is more commonly used as drain cleaner.

BeerNut

rubadub wrote: »

That recipe is probably based on the presumption the vinegar is 5% and the bleach is 5-6%.

But tesco thin value bleach is only 1.5%

Hardly matters it if works, though. And it does.

rubadub

BeerNut wrote: »

Hardly matters it if works, though. And it does.

Some might want to stick to the recommended recipe. I saw you saying it doesn't matter before, so am now wondering if you do get 4.5% thin bleach will you be lowering the amount you add? seeing as how the 1.5% works for you. I would rather be using lower concentrations of such chemicals (not just a cost issue, which is minimal.)

BeerNut

rubadub wrote: »

if you do get 4.5% thin bleach will you be lowering the amount you add?

I'll be sure to fill you in when it happens.

loyatemu

it's good enough, my bottles are all clean to start with. from time to time (maybe once a year) I get a "gusher" - whether this is down to infection I don't know but if it happens I just open another bottle, I'm not short of beer.

matt007

I do my beer bottles in the dishwasher.

RasTa

That's only useful for cleaning the outside of the bottles

maximum12

RasTa wrote: »

That's only useful for cleaning the outside of the bottles

Dishwasher is for sanitizing the bottles using heat

I keg now but when I bottled I always gave the bottles a good rinse with cold water as soon as they were used and then stored them in a covered crate.

When ready to bottle I put them through the dishwasher cycle without detergent.

Never had an infection.

RasTa

Yeah but the water wouldn't hit the base of the bottle with the tiny opening

maximum12

RasTa wrote: »

Yeah but the water wouldn't hit the base of the bottle with the tiny opening

It doesn't need to. It's the heat that sanitises the bottles.

covey09

W5 from Lidl

ian_m

maximum12 wrote: »

It doesn't need to. It's the heat that sanitises the bottles.

How hot does the water get up to?

maximum12

ian_m wrote: »

How hot does the water get up to?

Think it's usually around 70.

squiredanaher

hi, if i use milton to sanitize glass bottles..... do i need to rinse after (with boiling water say?) and also, does using milton affect or leave any real noticeable 'milton' after taste?
thanks a mill.

BeerNut

There should be instructions on the bottle, but I understand Milton is no-rinse. Some people say it leaves a taste, some say it doesn't. YMMV. I'd recommend the thin bleach and vinegar method instead. It's much cheaper, for one thing.

oinkely

what i do:

rinse the bottles after use to stop the crud getting stuck to the bottoms. let tehm dry and put them away in the shed in an open box/crate.

Come bottling time i fill a bucket with 30ml thin bleach, 20 litres of warm water and 30 ml of vinegar (in that order - don't mix the bleach & vinegar directly). I dunk the bottles in if they look dusty on the inside and give them a few minutes. If they are clean looking they get a rinse out with the jet thingy in the top of the bottle tree. Then onto the bottle tree ready to be filled with lovely tasty beer.

Have bottled a few hundred litres this way and have had two gushers on opening. So happy with the process.

RasTa

I just use starsan, it lasts forever.