What Can I Use~Besides Starsan ????

I'm simply going to point out that I'm against using bleach for several reasons:

• When mixed with ammonia, bleach creates a deadly gas and even an explosive.

• Benzoyl peroxide, used in some acne products, tooth whitening and hair dye, is a potential carcinogen banned in Europe.

• Chlorine dioxide, used primarily to bleach wood pulp, is also used to bleach flour and to disinfect water. It is banned in Europe and Australia.

• Not that we plan on drinking it as who could get passed the fumes, but ingestion of bleach causes corrosive damage to the tissues of the gastrointestinal tract,.

• Chlorination of drinking water can oxidize organic contaminants that are carcinogenic.

• Chlorine, a gas at room temperature, makes breathing in bleach very plausible in most homes. In this form, chlorine can create dioxins, a known cancer-causing compound also related to birth defects, miscarriage, infertility, diabetes, and immune disorders.

• Many paper products in the United States are bleached with chlorine gas or chlorine derivatives. These chlorine chemicals are known to create dioxins as a by-product of the bleaching process, which is toxic.

• Smelling bleach increases asthma and allergy symptoms because of the likelihood of inhalation. It can also cause wheezing, bronchospasm and even pulmonary edema, a lung condition that prevents enough oxygen from entering the blood.

• Pets and birds are especially vulnerable to the effects of chlorine as their smaller air capacity could allow their lungs to fill with the vapors.

• Bleach is highly corrosive to the skin, lungs and eyes, as well as other materials.

 

I have been brewing for over 20 years and I have been sanitizing with bleach and water over that entire time. When I first started homebrewing I do not think that StarSan was available then; if it was I was unaware of it.

I always rinse with very hot water. I personally would never consider not rinsing.

I recognize that there is a very long list against using bleach in the above post but as with almost anything the devil is in the details. Do not overuse bleach and take appropriate steps; for example I wear rubber gloves when 'working' with the bleach.

Cheers!

 

Honestly, PBW/Oxiclean makes glass much more slick/slippery than StarSan. I've never had an issue with StarSan causing me to drop anything. What kind of glass are you dropping? How are you sanitizing said glass?

 

Justin, he posted above:

"I have dropped a few bottles because of that."

Cheers!

 

I got my start in homebrewing with a Mr. Beer kit, and while their ingredients are over priced and not the best in quality, the no rinse powdered sanitize they sell on their site is pretty good and is my go-to for cleaning/sanitizing. I buy it in bulk from their site and get the rest of my brew supplies elsewhere.

 

So then, @Larry82052 how are you sanitizing your bottles that makes them slippery?

 

I like bleach based on the price point. Not much better then that I have found.

I have started to used Starsan though because I am lazy. I used to clean my bottles then sanitize them so twice as long in front of the sink/tub... With Starsan, I clean once then let dry then spray with Starsan, and fill with beer. I was filling a unused bucket with 5 or 6 gallons of water and the needed amount of Starsan, but after 3 or 4 uses, it looked gross and grey so I would dump it and in a couple months was looking at buying more. Since buying a good sized spray bottle, I have been using less and and it is much easier. I think a spray bottle gets me 3 batches, start to bottle, and I am still on the "medium" sized bottle of starsan I bought in October of last year.

 

I would stay away from Bleach because when it is mixed with fermentation it causes nasty chlorophenols, so you have to rinse well. The rinse water isn't sanitized unless it is boiled and then chilled in a sealed environment. Rinsing with any type of tap water reintroduces bacteria.

 

I used Iodophor for a long time before switching to starsan. It is no rinse and safe to use. And I also use it to do an iodine starch test on my mash.

 

Problem solved:

http://mastervintner.com/vinator-bottle-rinser/

 

The hot water in my hot water tank is fairly well sanitized.

Cheers!

 

I use StarSan most of the time, but I use bleach once in a while, just to mix things up a bit and help assure that any critters are dead. Reason being, StarSan is acidic, bleach is caustic. As a general rule, caustic is more effective at killing stuff. Bleach has to be rinsed off very well, whereas StarSan is no-rinse... but also less effective based on what I *think* I know. I'm not much of a chemical engineer anymore but I used to play one in college.

 

Is it constantly above 175?

 

The water in my hot water heater has:

• Chloramine
• It is hot but not at 175 degrees F

The water is by no means sterile but it is sanitary.

I have been rinsing my homebrewing equipment in this manner for over 20 years (I will be homebrewing batch number 398 in a few days).

I am confident in stating this works.

Cheers!

 

Chloramine can also cause chlorophenols in fermentation. Not saying you don't make good beer this way, or that you're lying. Personally, I don't invest the time, money, and effort on a batch of beer and then add a compound to it that is known to cause off flavors. StarSan isn't that expensive, and works in minimal amounts, and can be stored for periods of time, and doesn't require rinsing.

 

For sanitizing my carboys and other equipment, I use Star San .

For the batches I bottle, I find the foaming is a pain so for sanitizing bottles I use Iodophor for that. It's no-rinse, 1oz for 5 gallons of water.
http://www.keystonehomebrew.com/shop/iodophor-no-rinse-sanitizer-1-liter.html

 

Thanks! I appreciate not being called a liar.

Cloramine will only cause perceptible chlorophenols if it is present in sufficient amounts. Rinsing off the equipment does not cause this issue.

Now, if somebody used water which has chloramine as their brewing water, then chlorophenols could possibly be an issue.

In homebrewing there is a fine line between being cautious and being paranoid.

Cheers!

 

FWIW, I've used chlorine bleach dozens of times over many years, and never experienced chlorophenol, prolly because I'm smart enough to rinse it off very very thoroughly. If you do a half-ass rinse, then beware. When in doubt, rinse twice as much as you think you should, and you'll be fine.

 

Does no one use iodophor anymore?