Bottle cleaning tip

Daron · Post by **Daron** » Thursday May 26, 2005 11:20 am

Just cleaned 40 bottles in 5 minutes. Well scrubbed them in 5 minutes.

I'm sure others have done this, but I cut off the end of a bottle cleaner, about an inch from the wire on the handle and then inserted that part into my cordless drill...

I had all the bottles soaking in sterilaisation powder, some int he bottle and the rest in the bath. I soaked them for 20 minutes first.

Then I went to work on each bottle with the drill scrubbing the shite out of them. A lot of gunk floated up. I'm soakling them a bit longer to get the labels off the bottles and then will rinse with he aid of oliver's bottle insing idea, minus the copper.

Should begin bottling in an hour or so.

Post by **Oliver** » Thursday May 26, 2005 11:57 am

Nice work.

I guess the only thing that I'd be worried about is that the metal part of the bottle washer would scratch the inside of the bottle neck.

Or am I just too cautious?

Oliver

Dogger Dan · Post by **Dogger Dan** » Thursday May 26, 2005 11:57 am

Daron,

Wash the bottles after you use them. Won't need the power drill then.

Dogger

Post by **Oliver** » Thursday May 26, 2005 12:13 pm

Dogger Dan wrote:Wash the bottles after you use them. Won't need the power drill then.

Dogger,

I find that a film still builds up on the inside of bottles even if they're rinsed immediately.

Oliver

peterd · Post by **peterd** » Thursday May 26, 2005 12:16 pm

> I find that a film still builds up on the inside of bottles even if they're rinsed immediately.

So do I, but a 24 hr soak in a cleaning solution gets all the film off. Evident as brown flake-like floaties. Used to think my bottles were clean. Then I did this once. Now I do it with all bottles before each bottling.

Post by **Oliver** » Thursday May 26, 2005 12:25 pm

peterd wrote:Used to think my bottles were clean. Then I did this once. Now I do it with all bottles before each bottling.

Ditto, but I use a bottle-brush. It's quite disgusting the amount of crap that builds up inside the bottles from only one brew.

Oliver

Dogger Dan · Post by **Dogger Dan** » Thursday May 26, 2005 12:25 pm

Hmmm,

Not had that film problem

Dogger

gregb · Post by **gregb** » Thursday May 26, 2005 12:44 pm

Neo Pink takes the thin film build up off with just a rinse and shake. Lumpy bits a bit of a scrub and they're gone.

Greg

peterd · Post by **peterd** » Thursday May 26, 2005 12:47 pm

> Not had that film problem

As I said, I didn't know I had it, but I did. Quite amazingly (well, to me at least), beer glasses that appeared quite clean actually had a similar film buildup.
Experiment. Get apparently clean beer glass. Put solution of a chlorine-based soaking glass cleanser in it (solution similar to that pubs use, often available from HBS, commonly pink in colour (although it need not be)). Leave overnight. Have a look at what has accumulated in the bottom. Be amazed.

Daron · Post by **Daron** » Thursday May 26, 2005 1:11 pm

i awlays rinse after I've finished a bottle, but to sterilise I stil soak and clean. Besides, after time in the garage I just prefer to be double sure that the bottle is clean. Better to be certain than ruin a few weeks' work.

Shaun · Post by **Shaun** » Friday May 27, 2005 5:37 pm

Use kegs much easier! Before kegs I used the drill when cleaning large amounts of bottles for the first time. After that I rinse after pouring, rinse before filling and cleaned with the drill once a year as I had heard about the film build up. The yearly clean was never needed as bottles were clean, never found a film.

dickTed · Post by **dickTed** » Sunday May 29, 2005 11:36 pm

I just give them a good rinse with hot water the next morning, let stand for a while, drain, screw a top back on and store until bottling day.

To wash before using, I fill the laundry sink with hot water and a good slurp of unscented White King (chlorine bleach). With rubber gloves on, take them out of their crate 2 at a time, fill from sink, and place back into crates. Then I use a little jug to top them up to the brim.

Leave them for half hour. Empty, rinse & drain.

Daron · Post by **Daron** » Monday May 30, 2005 10:32 am

so no scrubbing required then? sounds enticing

Dogger Dan · Post by **Dogger Dan** » Monday May 30, 2005 10:47 am

Never seen no film

dogger

peterd · Post by **peterd** » Monday May 30, 2005 11:13 am

> Never seen no film
Once you get electricity up there, films won't be far behind

Dogger Dan · Post by **Dogger Dan** » Monday May 30, 2005 9:00 pm

Got that yesterday.

Heard about films. Tell me there are TV's to.

Don't feel to bad about us, we have bothe types of water, hot and cold

Dogger

Jeff · Post by **Jeff** » Friday Jun 03, 2005 8:21 am

I'm with Dogger - no film to speak of even with my glasses on....

Tony · Post by **Tony** » Tuesday Jun 07, 2005 1:06 pm

Oliver wrote:I guess the only thing that I'd be worried about is that the metal part of the bottle washer would scratch the inside of the bottle neck.

The solution: sleeve the bottle brush shaft with some plastic tubing! Works a treat.

Tony

steveo · Post by **steveo** » Sunday Jun 12, 2005 8:32 pm

I don't bother washing any more. Just rinse em out after I've drunk em, and sterilise before bottling. Never had a bad one yet. And I don't miss stuffing about with that damn bottle brush and sinks full of soapy water! Seriously, how much water do you waste? Original rinse, wash, then at least one rinse again, possibly two.

Dogger Dan · Post by **Dogger Dan** » Sunday Jun 12, 2005 10:30 pm

If you are really concerned, use a jet wash, it will strip the paint off the wall

Dogger