Cleaning inside

[Rich]

How often do you give the inside of your fermentors a good scrub?

Racked my carbouys tonight, and gave them a good cleanse. This was spurred on by something Tim Vandergrift had in his blog last year. I was guilty of rinsing until it looked clean, then filling with steriliser. So far I've got away with it. In fact in about 6 years of winemaking I've only had one bottle with what I can actually say was definatley 'corked' (wet cardboard/hessian taste)

So, cleaning inside my fermentors.. I do like the look of the whizz stick type devices that have strips of cloth on them. I meant to try and make one at work last week, but real work got in the way. Not really wanting to put a bottle brush into a plastic better bottle I searched for something a bit better. I ended up with a microfibre cloth rolled up and pushed into the bottle. With a splash of water, and a good shake around it seemed to work a treat. With the inside scrubbed, then sanitised, some more wine was racked into it.

Feeling brave, I even tried it on a glass carbouy. With the outside given a clean too it looked great!

EDIT: http://winemakermag.com/blogs/entry/...nvisible-enemy

[NorthernWiner]

By fermentor, do you mean Better Bottle? I don't really scrub those out unless there's something stuck to the inside. They seem to scratch very easy. About all I do is add a bit of sodium perchlorate cleaner (OxiClean brand here), give it a few good swishes and then rinse.

[Cellar_Rat]

" scrubbing" sounds very abrasive and something I never do.

I use TFR (truck wash) on my glass carboys, HDPE plastic fermenters and stainless steel vessels to. It cuts through anything & everything and sometimes I use a soft brush (more just to spread it about evenly)and then rinse well. I really can't put into words how good this stuff is.

Whizz sticks and glass carboys sounds like an absolute no-no – these things are VERY fragile that is NOT a good idea IMO. At best you stand the chance of losing a carboy at worst you will get hurt.

Another thought is there any scratches harbour future bugs



On a similar sort of subject, if you have taken wine out of a vessel and it was perfectly okay. It needs washing, it doesn't need sterilising because there was nothing in there that was harmful. My oakery is currently on about its 8th continual fill. The only thing it gets is a few more staves.

[Cellar_Rat]

I have just reread your post and thought of something else..

In fact in about 6 years of winemaking I've only had one bottle with what I can actually say was definatley 'corked' (wet cardboard/hessian taste)

TCA is normally a bottling issue. If you lost a whole batch it might be something to do with your fermenters/storage.

So far I've got away with it.

One bottle in six years tells me your hygiene regime (whatever it is currently) is working. You don't need to be a bleach Queen

I am not aware of what Tim Vandergrift put in his blog, but washing till it looks clean, is exactly the definition of washing. Sanitising and sterilising are the next stages.

.. filling with steriliser.

Do you mean 'filling'. 54L of steriliser - that sounds expensive , when perhaps you could be 'rinsing' with steriliser

[Rich]

Having re read my post too, maybe I shouldn't post after having a couple of beers! But that wouldn't be as fun

[fatbloke]

Yer can always get the "round the corner attachment" for a Karcher power washer Rich

[Rich]

Yer can always get the "round the corner attachment" for a Karcher power washer Rich

I've got a karcher, decent one at that, and it gets the worst of the mud of the Landy. It still needs a rub with a wash mitt after to get the rest off. Which I think was kind of my point. Just swilling with some water till it looks clean and then sanitising it might not be enough. I still use a tooth brush, not just a swill with mouth wash.

[Abervin]

In one of the wine making books I have it suggests to swirl water and sand around the inside! don't fancy it much my self but shows the lengths some go to clean their fermenters.

[Cellar_Rat]

Sand is a very old idea. As a cleaner it is very very very average. Early on in winemaking I had a 54 L carboy shatter because I used sand as a cleaner.

I still use a tooth brush, not just a swill with mouth wash.

I agree with you, I only wish my teeth were in as good condition as my carboys are. I have been thinking about this and I am sure you could use truckwash on a Landy too

[lockwood1956]

Oxyclean (I use chemipro Oxi) works an absolute treat, it says it is no rinse, but i'm a tad paranoid about that.

I believe Karl has it in stock.

I've never had a stain it wouldnt remove (on carbuoys!!)

regards
bob

[Cellar_Rat]

...but can you wash your land rover with it ?

[oliver90owner]

...but can you wash your land rover with it ?

Is that before, or after, using it on your wine kit?

[Cellar_Rat]

... depends on how much sugar and nutrient you need to add to Land Rover to get it to ferment.

(why do I have an image of green wine)

[Rich]

Pah.. it'd stall/break/leak or just drip on the winery floor for no good reason anyway!

[Cellar_Rat]

Pah.. it'd stall/break/leak or just drip on the winery floor for no good reason anyway!

.... that sounds remarkably like my philosophical argument for not using taps