# Using Vinegar to clean water spots on carboys



## Cracked Cork (Jul 5, 2009)

Where we live we have very hard water. So we clean our carboys and bottles with Sal Soda and rinse everything well with hot water. Then we get big water spots. So then we fill the carboy up with cool water and add DISTILLED white vinegar and let it soak a little while. We also put some in a spray bottle and wipe down the outsides of the bottle. Bottles get dunked into a bucket of vinegar water or some vinegar tossed in during the rinse cycle in the dishwasher. Everything is then drip dried. Results are crystal clear clean carboys and wine bottles. We then just put a dry paper towel in the neck of the carboy and store it on its side, bottles are boxed upside down and ready to be filled.

DISTILLED white vinegar is DISTILLED so it doesnt have any bacteria. This wont work with apple cider vinegar! If you use DISTILLED white vinegar you will not infect your wines with bacteria. After they are drip dried you can not smell any vinegar on them.

Crackedcork


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## Waldo (Jul 5, 2009)

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm!!!!


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## Cracked Cork (Jul 9, 2009)

Is that you trying to think Waldo?  Crackedcork


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## AlFulchino (Jul 9, 2009)

if a vinegar is distilled..and it is exposed to air....does it STAY distilled?


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## Wade E (Jul 9, 2009)

Yes, it is a very sanitizer and like K-meta it can stand some good time. We keep all the kids medicine cups and my sons Nebulizer mouth pcs in there


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## smurfe (Jul 10, 2009)

Many are under the impression to NOT use vinegar anywhere near your wine as it will then introduce the bacteria to you wine that made the vinegar as most vinegar was once wine. You are correct though about DISTILLED vinegar. Now, I knew it was a good cleaner. I didn't know it was a sanitizer. I will have to check more into this.


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## Travisty (Jul 10, 2009)

I would imagine that the pH of vinegar would be low enough to have some sanitization capabilities. But I doubt you would want to use it as a no rinse sanitizer for wine and/or beer just because of any flavor it may add. And you don't really want to rinse due to the possibility of adding back any contaminants.


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## Cracked Cork (Jul 10, 2009)

Not using it to clean or sanitize. We use it just to get rid of the water stains on carboys and bottles. We then drip dry. I then store the carboys with a paper towel in their neck to keep dust out. When its about to be used for wine it gets a rinsing inside with some Kmeta just to make sure, but since they are squeaky clean and stored dry nothing can grow on them while they are in storage. Crackedcork


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