sanitizing woes

[vendejp]

yesterday i brewed my 3rd batch, and i have to say, i keep expecting the next time to go smoother and it doesnt.

after the first batch, i made a wort chiller. after the 2nd batch i got an autosiphon. i was still spilling water everywhere and making such a mess yesterday, i almost wanted to throw in the towel.

im an organized person and the cook in the house, so i know how to work efficiently, but all the sanitizing is horrible.

sanitizing then rinsing the carboys blows, and the autoshiphon is about 1 1/2 - 2 ft long... how do i sanitize that!! then i have to have sanitizer go through all the tubes, and after its sanitized, i cant just put it down on an unsanitized area.

i shouldnt have to get a huge tub with gallons of sanitizer in it to sanitize a siphon, tubing, funnel, and some stoppers. the best way i can see is using a 6.5 gallon bucket and just “swishing” maybe a gallon of solution over the autosiphon body and other stuff.

what do you guys do to quicky and easily sanitize stuff when brewing in the kitchen?

thanks

[kevin]

Originally posted by vendejp
the best way i can see is using a 6.5 gallon bucket and just “swishing” maybe a gallon of solution over the autosiphon body and other stuff.


That's what I do I swish about a gallon of one-step. I make sure the counters are clean before I set my stuff down. I just know it needs to be sanitized not sterilized.

[jsmurphy]

Get some StarSan. It's a no rinse sanitizer. Put some in a bucket to soak small stuff in, airlock, stopper, etc. Also put some in a spray bottle. You can spray it into the siphon, racking cane, hoses, bottle caps etc.

[michaewa]

I have a 5-gallon plastic bucket reserved for sanitizing. I put 1-2 gallons of one-step no rinse cleaner in it, and throw everything that will touch the brew in it. For the longer items (autosiphon), I stand them up in the bucket, and using a measuring cup slowly pour sanitizer over the areas that stick out of the water.

You can flush sanitizer through your tubing by attaching to the autosiphon, dipping the end in your bucket, and pushing down the cane a few times.

If you are cleaning a carboy first, just mix up the one-step in the carboy, shake it like a baby you don't like, and then pour it into your bucket.

Not perfect, I'm sure, but seems to work for me. I'm also a little anal, so I have antibacterial gel in a pump that I put on my hands a few times during the process, especially if I'm handling something that will be in the wort.

[YamahaXS]

Originally posted by michaewa
... shake it like a baby you don't like, and then pour it into your bucket.


Remind me to never ask you to hold my kid while i stir my wort. :D

[toneyc]

We know whatcha mean! I do all my brewing out on the front porch. I have the water hose handy to spray down equipment or spills. The racking cane/autosiphon is one of those things that I just gave up worrying about, but if it really bothers you, get a couple of wallpaper trays sanitize one and use the other to sanitize the tubes and siphon then use the first to park the clean siphon on until you want to use it. I usually soak mine in one 5 gallon bucket, inverting it after a while, and keep another clean bucket around to stash things in.

:)
Toney.

[mcarlson74]

I, like Toneyc, have pretty much given up worrying about my autosiphon. I just stick mine in the dishwasher and let it do its magic.

[Professor Frink]

and after its sanitized, i cant just put it down on an unsanitized area.

I took some veterinary med classes and was told there that paper towels are virtually free of bacteria, and extremely sanitary. I usually use those to cover counters where I put sanitized stuff, i.e. siphon, and have never had a batch get skunked yet. I'm also a huge One-Step fan, it has yet to let me down.