Picked up some Oxyclean.

[vw addict]

Finally got around to getting some and giving it a try. I bought Oxyclean Free, no perfumes, dyes, or bleach. That's the right stuff correct? How much should I put into a carboy full of water to clean it? And how much do you guys rinse it afterwards?

[MrNate]

1. That's what I use

2. I usually put in about half a scoop. Probably don't even need that much.

3. Enough that there's no suds left. Maybe 20 seconds on the bottle blaster.

[iamnick]

I use generic oxyclean from the dollar store. From what I can tell it's the same thing as namebrand. The only thing I use it for, though, is to soak bottles in to get the labels off. I fill a 6.5 gal bucket with warm water and throw in 2-3 scoops depending on how many bottles are in there. At this strength the labels literally fall off. I rinse the hell out of the bottles though because rinsing is so easy and its not worth it to me to trust a quick rinse.

The label on mine doesn't say anything about general cleaning, but the "spot removal" strength is 1 scoop per gallon. Unless you've got some nasty looking equipment I'm sure far less would be fine....

-Nick

[iamnick]

Originally posted by MrNate
1. That's what I use

2. I usually put in about half a scoop. Probably don't even need that much.

3. Enough that there's no suds left. Maybe 20 seconds on the bottle blaster.

wow....apparently I am using far too much.

[Fir Na Tine]

I was using the standard OxyClean and would use 1 scoop for 5-6 gallons. Rinsed well with hot water when finished.

I just picked up the Oxy-Free stuff. The scoop in that container is at least twice the size of the other one. I've been using about 1/2 a scoop for 5-6 gallons.

FWIW, I think the regular stuff does a better job. The "free" stuff left a crusty ring on my carboy that I had to clean a second time in order to remove. I had filled it up, letting it foam. After letting it soak overnight, I came back to the crust, which I determined to be the foam having dried. The regular stuff never did that to me.

[vw addict]

Originally posted by Fir Na Tine

FWIW, I think the regular stuff does a better job. The "free" stuff left a crusty ring on my carboy that I had to clean a second time in order to remove. I had filled it up, letting it foam. After letting it soak overnight, I came back to the crust, which I determined to be the foam having dried. The regular stuff never did that to me.
hmmm, I thought the regular stuff was scented. That's why I picked up the Free.

[iamnick]

Originally posted by Fir Na Tine
I

FWIW, I think the regular stuff does a better job. The "free" stuff left a crusty ring on my carboy that I had to clean a second time in order to remove. I had filled it up, letting it foam. After letting it soak overnight, I came back to the crust, which I determined to be the foam having dried. The regular stuff never did that to me.

The stuff I have from the dollar store is the equivalent to regular as well. It doesn't have a scent that I can notice during use or after I rinse...and works ridiculously well for a buck. I haven't noticed any harm in using the regular...so if you end up unhappy with the free I'd give it a shot.

[MrNate]

I only soak mine for about an hour. It does the job for me at that dilution in that time. I do get residual white streaking on the outside of the carboys from the foam spillage, but I don't worry about that.

Also, be aware that I am one of the laziest homebrewers on earth. No doubt I will eventually be punished with a bad batch, so take my cleaning advice with a grain or two of salt.

[nwcw2001]

the crust happens to me but that is just dried foam. I am rinsing off the carboy anyway so that doesn't really have a negative effect. It rinses clean and the best part is NO SCRUBBING!

I love Oxyclean!


John

[HogieWan]

the scented stuff is great for glass but don't use it on any plastic parts

[Fir Na Tine]

Yeah the regular stuff is scented but I haven't noticed any odor issues. I rinse the heck out of my stuff with hot water so maybe that helps.

I assumed it was the foam just dried up. Still, I never had the regular Oxy do that, which made me wonder what was up with the "free" stuff.

Still, for ease of cleaning and low expense, I don't think you can really beat Oxyclean's product line.

[Jordan303]

sorry this is a little late. i have oxyclean (for my clothing) and i wouldnt want to clean with it. Mine has a huge poison symbol on it. Does this worry anyone else?

[nwcw2001]

it is only a poison if you ingest it out of the bucket. The application we are using is fine. We use a small amount with 5 gallons of water, then rinse throughly.

John