Homebrewing Stack Exchange
Homebrewing Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [sanitation]

The practice of removing the majority of microorganisms from equipment, utentils, fermentors, bottles etc. that comes into contact with the cooled wort. Poor sanitation can contaminate the wort, producing off-flavors.

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Homebrew sanitisation in a Pinch

So it's that time of year where none of the local shops are open (at least in my area) and I am itching to put on a new brew but haven't got any sanitiser. I thought some Napisan (I believe AKA OxiClean - sodium percarbonate for washing clothes)…
Mark McDonald
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Do you reuse Io Star Iodophor Sanitizer?

I understand that Io Star Iodophor Sanitizer is reusable, but it seems cumbersome. Do you reuse this sanitizer?
CLJ
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How can I use my oven to sanitize equipment

I want to sanitize and dry off my plate chiller using my oven. What temperature do I need to set the oven to, and how long do I need to hold that temperatures for?
Pete Hodgson
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Sanitizing Second Hand Equipment (plastic fermenters etc)

Would you ever use second hand brewing equipment? What's the best way of making sure it's absolutely clean? Ordinarily, for something like this, I'd just buy new (so you know where it's been), or for things like glass bottles (which are hard to…
smylie
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What will happen to this un-sanitized batch of Wheat beer?

So my brother-in-law (great guy, btw) sent me a brew kit, ingredients, and instructions. Except the instructions never went over the whole "sanitation thing"... So, uh oh... I didn't sanitize the fermenting bucket (eek) and then my daughter even…
MigBrewery
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Apparent steriliser residue left on bottles; is this safe?

A few months ago I bottled using Wilko's Bruclens steriliser: http://www.wilko.com/homebrew-accessories+equipment/wilko-cleaner-and-steriliser-100g/invt/0022658 After sterilising I gave the bottles a few rinses with cold water. After bottling I…
Tom Reddington
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Risks of Iodophor

Most of the commercial versions of iodophor recommend a very small amount of the product to a large amount of water. So, i want to know if they do this because is dangerous to ingest / handle large amounts of iodophor or if they do this because…
matt_zarro
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Sanitizing and septic tanks

The last time I did much home brewing I was on a municipal sewer system. A little bleach or sulphite (spent hops & grain, whatever) down the toilet couldn't affect it. Now that I live in the country, I worry about knocking my septic tank out of…
Glasseyed
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What is the expected degradation of Sodium Metabisulfite?

I have a jar of Sodium Metabisulfite which has been opened and used from. A volume of about 4 oz. is left and looks to be in good shape. I would want to use it to sanitize some equipment. Should I expect it to be effective after purchasing it after…
Blanthor
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Loss of Head retention

i’m having a problem with head retention in my latest brew. Is there anything I can do to improve the head once the bottle is opened ?
Graeme Bodley
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Do I really need to sanitise my equipment for 10 minutes?

My sanitiser/cleanser (VWP) says that I need to leave it submersed for at least 5-10 minutes. Is this the case for it? I've seen in a few videos people just swirl the sanitiser around the fermenting vessel and I was wondering if I could just do the…
Dean
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How big of a Noob am I? Or, What to Do when You spill a stir-bar in your 5-gallon bucket

So 24 hours ago I made my first yeast starter, ever. I built a homemade stir plate. Today I was feeling like a boss because of this and simply dumped the 2L flask into the 5gallon wort I spent all morning making. PLOP OH NO MY STIR BAR IS NOW…
Matthew Moisen
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Iodophor and StarSan reaction?

I have a spray bottle of Iodophor, and a spray bottle of StarSan. Is there any issue with the two products reacting with each other? In other words, can I spray something with StarSan, and if I accidentally spray it again with Iodophor, is there…
dangove
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harmful mold growing in fermentation freezer?

I have a freezer that I use for temp control. However, it's been unplugged all summer and its growing mold. Is this going to be harmful to my respiratory system for me to open and clean it? What precautions should I take?
CLJ
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