# Carboy cleaning



## Julie (Sep 24, 2013)

Every so often someone will post up about how to clean their carboy. I and some others have always recommended using oxyclean to clean your carboys. I had a carboy that was very stained, I added one scoop of oxyclean and let the carboy sit for about an hour, then drained the water. Below are before and after pics


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## Tess (Sep 24, 2013)

I went and bought a cleaner from my supply store and when I opened it my first thought was, this is no more then oxyclean. I could smell it as soon as I opened it. Live and learn. I will be buying Oxyclean from now on. Looks good Julie


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## Elmer (Sep 24, 2013)

what is the difference between Oxyclean and Onestep cleaner?

Carboy Look good Julie.
So good, I will be shipping all my carboys your way for the same treatment!

Thanks!


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## ckvchestnut (Sep 24, 2013)

Is everyone referring to the product you get at the grocery store? Liquid or powder?


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## Tess (Sep 24, 2013)

Yes you can get Oxyclean anywhere


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## Julie (Sep 24, 2013)

Actually I used my grocery store brand of oxyclean, it comes in a 3 1/2 pound tub and it is a powder.


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## ckvchestnut (Sep 24, 2013)

Thanks guys, I assume it's less work than making a bleach and water soaking solution?


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## bkisel (Sep 24, 2013)

Nice job.

So was the carboy just filled with water and cleaner (which is how the post seems to read) or was it also a shake and slosh job?


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## Julie (Sep 24, 2013)

ckvchestnut, you need to just keep the bleach out of your wine room. Bleach will cause cork taint and while this is a carboy, it is best just to stay away from bleach.

bkisel, yes just filled and leave for about an hour and the drain and rinse.


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## ckvchestnut (Sep 24, 2013)

Thanks Julie only the carboys did bleach ever come near but I'm switching!


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## ckvchestnut (Sep 24, 2013)

Thanks Julie! Ya we only ever used a weak bleach solution on carboys but I'm going to make the switch.


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## ckvchestnut (Sep 24, 2013)

Sorry for the double post had a technical hiccup I guess!


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## dangerdave (Sep 24, 2013)

I have laways used nothing but Oxyclean. Thanks for reminding everyone, Julie! NO BLEACH!


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## cedarswamp (Sep 24, 2013)

Julie said:


> Every so often someone will post up about how to clean their carboy. I and some others have always recommended using oxyclean to clean your carboys. I had a carboy that was very stained, I added one scoop of oxyclean and let the carboy sit for about an hour, then drained the water. Below are before and after pics




How does a carboy get like that in the first place?


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## Julie (Sep 24, 2013)

cedarswamp said:


> How does a carboy get like that in the first place?



Making wine from grapes. That was from a batch of Muscadine. And that was around the fourth racking I did for that batch, it was started last fall.


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## jamesngalveston (Sep 24, 2013)

I use tsp to clearn with and a dryer vent brush that fits on a drill. works very well.after tsp cleaning I use one step...to finish with.


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## WI_Wino (Sep 24, 2013)

Just a note, some of the store brand Oxiclean knockoffs contain chlorine. Be sure to read the labels.


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## Julie (Sep 24, 2013)

WI_Wino said:


> Just a note, some of the store brand Oxiclean knockoffs contain chlorine. Be sure to read the labels.



Thanks for that. I always read labels, but I didn't know that about the OxyClean Knock offs


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## buckhorn (Sep 24, 2013)

I have been looking for the OxiClean - but I am only finding it in the laundry soap section --- What specifically should I be looking for on the label to be sure I am getting the right thing that is not going to mess up my wine?

-Brian


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## vacuumpumpman (Sep 24, 2013)

buckhorn said:


> I have been looking for the OxiClean - but I am only finding it in the laundry soap section --- What specifically should I be looking for on the label to be sure I am getting the right thing that is not going to mess up my wine?
> 
> -Brian



It typically has a green top and is 
dye - perfume - and chlorine free 

yes you can find it in the laundry soap section


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## Runningwolf (Sep 24, 2013)

Good post Julie as you know I've been preaching oxyclean for years. I buy the big box from Sams club or Home Depot.


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## ou8amaus (Sep 24, 2013)

Oxyclean free works like magic. Even the nastiest carboy gunk comes off. I add scoopful and fill carboy with water. Leave for 24 hours to soak, then rinse. Sucks that I have to drive south of the border to buy it...


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## ckvchestnut (Sep 25, 2013)

ou8amaus said:


> Oxyclean free works like magic. Even the nastiest carboy gunk comes off. I add scoopful and fill carboy with water. Leave for 24 hours to soak, then rinse. Sucks that I have to drive south of the border to buy it...



Where are you located? I definitely will start using this and will check the labels for knock offs if I can get it up here in Canada!


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## Julie (Sep 25, 2013)

Runningwolf said:


> Good post Julie as you know I've been preaching oxyclean for years. I buy the big box from Sams club or Home Depot.



I know you have, that is how I started using oxyclean, listening to you yak about using oxyclean, 

After I racked my wine and looked at the carboy I thought I need to take a before and after pic. There are so many on here that use elbow grease to clean their carboys and still don't get them completely clean with the oxyclean just fill and go do something else!


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## bkisel (Sep 25, 2013)

A scoop of oxyclean... Does oxyclean come with a scoop? What is the suggested ratio of oxyclean to water for the purposes of cleaning a carboy?

Thanks...


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## Julie (Sep 25, 2013)

bkisel said:


> A scoop of oxyclean... Does oxyclean come with a scoop? What is the suggested ratio of oxyclean to water for the purposes of cleaning a carboy?
> 
> Thanks...



Yes it comes with a scoop and I add one scoop and fill the carboy to the neck


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## ffemt128 (Sep 25, 2013)

Another one who swears by oxyclean. Buy the big box at Costco and as Julie said, 1 scoop, fill with warm water to the neck and let sit an hour then rinse. Great stuff.


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## ckvchestnut (Sep 25, 2013)

ffemt128 said:


> Another one who swears by oxyclean. Buy the big box at Costco and as Julie said, 1 scoop, fill with warm water to the neck and let sit an hour then rinse. Great stuff.



Wonderful! It's on my list next time I'm at Costco! Does this replace having to use k-meta if we are using the carboy right after cleaning? Or still give it a swish with k-meta?


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## Julie (Sep 25, 2013)

I would still give it a swish with k-meta


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## cool77 (Sep 25, 2013)

I bought oxyclean at Costco but they did not have the free perfum version. Is it ok? I rinse carboys pretty well with hot water.


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## kevinlfifer (Sep 25, 2013)

I use " SUN" brand oxygen cleaner, it has the same chemical make up as Oxyclean, and no perfumes. 6 lbs costs $5 and change. Walmart has it in the laundry section.


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## WI_Wino (Sep 25, 2013)

cool77 said:


> I bought oxyclean at Costco but they did not have the free perfum version. Is it ok? I rinse carboys pretty well with hot water.



Should be fine. I have been using the normal oxyclean (not perfume free) since January with no side effects. Many batches of beer and wine have been through my buckets, carboys, tubing, etc. I do rinse well.


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## olusteebus (Sep 25, 2013)

Looks good. That stuff is good. I would advise against Dollar General brand. It will not dissolve well and I don't thin it is as good.


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## Elmer (Sep 25, 2013)

I might have to make the switch to Oxyclean at $5 for a few lbs as opposed to One step $6 for 1 lbs.
And just stock up on K-meta for steralizing!


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## ou8amaus (Sep 25, 2013)

ckvchestnut said:


> Where are you located? I definitely will start using this and will check the labels for knock offs if I can get it up here in Canada!



I live in Montreal... looked everywhere and could only find the "free" version in plattsburg...


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## bkisel (Sep 25, 2013)

I would guess that there is a shelf life to an oxyclean solution; any idea of how long that might be?

Edit: Never mind... "Once mixed, solution should NOT be left in a sealed container. It will continue to give off oxygen and the container may rupture and cause injury. Dispose of all unused solution after 6 hours by pouring into a drain or toilet."


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## dangerdave (Sep 27, 2013)

I'm going to one-up Juile on this one! The REAL Oxyclean test!

On Wednesday, I picked up a bunch of "wine making supplies" from a fellow and his wife in Dayton. Some of you may have seen his post of stuff for sale. As it turns out, this equipment could have been sold as antiques. Now, I'm not complaining at all, mind you. It was a great buy!

But the carboys were filthy, and stained horribly. Several of them looked like someone had drewed coffee in them. From the cases of old used bottles that came with this stuff, it appears these carboys have not been used since the late 80's. We had just been discussing the awesomeness of Oxyclean, so it was time to put it to the real test.

Here's the carboys that needed a good cleaning. I tossed the brown airlocks and pried out the crusty bungs---pitched those, too. Yuck!






I dumped a scoop of Oxyclean in each and filled them to the neck with warm water, letting them sit overnight...

....A good rinse, and a little scrubbing of the exterior, and the next day, they looked like this, ready for wine!


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## WI_Wino (Sep 27, 2013)

Is that one on the left still brown? Or is that an optical illusion from the camera?


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## cimbaliw (Sep 27, 2013)

"I add one scoop and fill the carboy to the neck"

How aggressively do you rinse?

Splendid thread by the way, thanks Julie.


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## dangerdave (Sep 27, 2013)

That's the brown carpet making it look like that. I examined them _very_ closely. They are both perfectly clean.


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## ckvchestnut (Sep 27, 2013)

Wow! I'm sold!! Don't like feverishly scrubbing anything!!


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## GreginND (Sep 28, 2013)

It looks like the glass is different. The one on the left is colorless while the one on the right has a blueish tinge.


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## Julie (Sep 28, 2013)

Thanks Dave! Those are some great pics!


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## Geronimo (Sep 28, 2013)

I use a 50-50 blend of Oxyclean (unscented and NO added bleach!) plus TSP substitute (the chemical is the same one used as beer line cleaner). This makes a powerful alkaline solution and cleans almost anything with minimal effort. Rinse thoroughly then sanitize with Star San (acid based). Your equipment will be as close to sterile as you can get without heat treating.


http://www.menards.com/main/paint/c...e-phosphate-free-cleaner/p-1683926-c-8154.htm


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## vacuumpumpman (Sep 28, 2013)

That looks great Dave !
Did you use a carboy cleaner to help with the cleaning of that ?


Geronimo-
I would be careful mixing chemicals together unless you know for sure. I read the MSD sheet and it seems like the TSP has an extremely high odor - it is rated a #2 for safety = 
taken from msd -
(Intense or continued exposure could cause temporary incapacitation or possible residual injury unless prompt medical attention is given.)


Oxiclean is only a #1 rating for safety according to their MSD sheet 
http://xserver.lipkekentex.com/kentex-msds/Coin-Op/oxiclean.pdf

Taken from msd
(Exposure could cause irritation but only minor residual injury even if no treatment is given)


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## Geronimo (Sep 28, 2013)

NOT TSP!! TSP substitute


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## vacuumpumpman (Sep 28, 2013)

Geronimo said:


> NOT TSP!! TSP substitute



Thats good - I did not read substitute - so what is the substitute ?


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## Geronimo (Sep 28, 2013)

Aside from the link up there?

http://www.savogran.com/pdfs/TSP_PF_PD.pdf

here's the safety sheet

http://www.savogran.com/pdfs/TSP_PF_MS.pdf

Oxyclean is good, probably as good as anyone needs, but combined with this stuff you can clean almost anything. First you clean at a pH of 11, then drop it to a pH of 3 with Star San. That's as close to chemical sterilization as you can get with an MSD of 1 (safe for home use). You can buy Savogran TSP-PF at Home Depot, Menards, etc. It took me 5+ years to use 8 pounds of the 50-50 mix.


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## vacuumpumpman (Sep 28, 2013)

Geronimo said:


> Aside from the link up there?
> 
> http://www.savogran.com/pdfs/TSP_PF_PD.pdf
> 
> ...



I was referring to your link above 
http://www.menards.com/main/paint/c...e-phosphate-free-cleaner/p-1683926-c-8154.htm

I also checked out your new links as well as it has no number rating on it - but I did find this -
Skin:
Prolonged and/or repeated contact may cause irritation and/or dermatitis. Contact with skin causes irritation and positive burns, especially if the skin is wet or moist.

I just want to make sure people know what they are getting themself into prior to possibly getting hurt. 

Oxiclean works great - I don't know of the results (chemically speaking ) by mixing them together


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## Julie (Sep 28, 2013)

Actually I don't see the need to mix OxyClean with anything.


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## Julie (Sep 29, 2013)

Steve, the more I think about this, the more I agree with you, the last thing any of us would want is to see someone get hurt by mixing chemicals without knowing much about the chemicals they are mixing. Plus there is no need to mix oxyclean with any other cleaner, that is a waste.


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## Geronimo (Sep 29, 2013)

Oxyclean has the same warning. Avoid exposure to skin.

http://www.melrosechem.com/english/msd_eng/hs0853.pdf

If exposed to skin, wash and rinse well.

You're right Julie. If you don't know what you're doing, don't do it. I didn't mean to set off a panic.


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## vacuumpumpman (Sep 29, 2013)

oxiclean is a #1 in msd safety and it reads like this =
If exposed to skin, wash and rinse well.

tsp substitute is a # 2 in the msd safety and it reads like this =
Prolonged and/or repeated contact may cause irritation and/or dermatitis. Contact with skin causes irritation and positive burns, especially if the skin is wet or moist.

one is wash with no irritation or burns and the other refers to irritation,dermatitis and positive burns

A lot of people don't know the the difference and believe everything that they read. 

I don't mean to beat on this, I just have a concern that someone would get hurt.


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## Julie (Sep 29, 2013)

Geronimo, you didn't start off a panic and I was glad that you posted how you do your sanitizing. This gave us an opportunity to make sure that members are aware of the dangers of mixing chemicals. And a thank you goes out to vacuumpumpman for recognizing this.


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## Elmer (Sep 30, 2013)

OK, I just picked up a huge box of oxyclean.

So how do you guys use it?

Do you fill the carboy/bucket with 6 gallons of warm water, then 1 scoop and let sit?
or
Do you just fill with 1 gallon warm water and a scoop and swish around?


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## Julie (Sep 30, 2013)

I put a scoop of oxyclean in the carboy, then fill with warm water and let it sit.


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## bkisel (Sep 30, 2013)

Julie said:


> I put a scoop of oxyclean in the carboy, then fill with warm water and let it sit.



Julie, you are, if nothing else, consistent. That's the same answer you gave me on page one.


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## WI_Wino (Sep 30, 2013)

Elmer said:


> OK, I just picked up a huge box of oxyclean.
> 
> So how do you guys use it?
> 
> ...



I rarely fill a carboy completely full unless there is obvious gunk or staining. I find a gallon or so w/ a quarter scoop max coupled with a carboy brush is sufficient for me. Too high of a oxycleanater ratio and you'll get a "slime" on the glass that takes a lot of water to rinse off.


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## iVivid (Oct 23, 2013)

You can use bleach to your hearts content; it's cheap and effective and kills dem nasty germs! All you have to do to neutralise bleach is triple rinse, and then do you normal sanitise with NaMeta. (Bleach is a contact sanitiser, whereas metabisulphates it's the gas they produce that does the job). This will turn ANY residual bleach (of which after a triple rinse there should be none) to table salt and leave you with a clean and wonderful environment. 9 years of this; no problems. Tim (Winexpert's Technical Manager) started me on this early in my winemaking, and it's never failed.


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## GreginND (Oct 23, 2013)

And queue the anti bleach comments.


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## SpoiledRotten (Oct 24, 2013)

Julie said:


> Steve, the more I think about this, the more I agree with you, the last thing any of us would want is to see someone get hurt by mixing chemicals without knowing much about the chemicals they are mixing. Plus there is no need to mix oxyclean with any other cleaner, that is a waste.


 

Definitely, NO NOT mix any cleaning chemicals. An old friend once cleaning the bath tub, used a mixure of Chorox and something else. His wife came in a found him dead. Cause of death was the toxic fumes from the two chems he mixed.


Julie, thanks for sharing the Oxi-clean suggestion. Mine need a good cleaning too, but haven't thought about that. I use Oxi-clean for just about every thing else already. That just didn't hit me.


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## spaniel (Oct 27, 2013)

SpoiledRotten said:


> Definitely, NO NOT mix any cleaning chemicals. An old friend once cleaning the bath tub, used a mixure of Chorox and something else. His wife came in a found him dead. Cause of death was the toxic fumes from the two chems he mixed.
> 
> 
> Julie, thanks for sharing the Oxi-clean suggestion. Mine need a good cleaning too, but haven't thought about that. I use Oxi-clean for just about every thing else already. That just didn't hit me.



I am sorry about your friend.

The most common cause of something like this with household cleaners is chlorine bleach and ammonia being mixed. This results in the release of chlorine gas....potent and lethal enough that it was used in the trenches of WWI. One should know exactly what they are doing when mixing chemicals, and cleaners are often potent chemicals.


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