# Cleaning S shape airlocks



## Jal5 (Oct 5, 2018)

Never had a problem like this before. Took off an airlock to bottle wine that had been aging since April. Tiny black spots on the inside plastic and nothing washes them out. Oxyclean solution made them smaller but still there. Can’t seem to get any tool in there to really scrub. Any ideas?

Tried pouring boiling water, OneStep cleaner, Dawn kitchen cleaner, salt water.


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## dralarms (Oct 5, 2018)

Cheap enough to just toss and get new ones when they get like this


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## NorCal (Oct 5, 2018)

Toss and get a breathable, silicon bung. You will never look back.


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## Ajmassa (Oct 5, 2018)

Mine get a yellow tint stained in em. Little pipe cleaner to scrub it. 
Now I’m only using water airlock for the 1st month or 2. And then I’m 100% silicon vented waterless bungs.


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## balatonwine (Oct 6, 2018)

This is why I prefer the two or three part airlocks. Easier to clean. I no longer use my one piece airlocks (and they are glass, somewhat historical, and so I won't just throw them away ...)

Never tried a breathable bung, mainly because they are not available where I am. But, honestly, I like to see the water level at the end of fermentation, where you can see that there is a pressure difference between inside and outside the fermenter/storage tank, and thus know everything is indeed air tight, rather than just "trust" a bung.


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## Jal5 (Oct 6, 2018)

Ended up soaking it overnite in oxyclean that really did it. Just make sure to wash and sanitize good after the soak. 
Joe


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## Johnd (Oct 6, 2018)

Jal5 said:


> Ended up soaking it overnite in oxyclean that really did it. Just make sure to wash and sanitize good after the soak.
> Joe



If you ever have the problem again, use your vacuum cleaner to pull a piece of string through the airlock and tie an appropriate sized cloth to the string. Puts some cleaner on the cloth and pull it back and forth through the airlock.


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## bstnh1 (Oct 7, 2018)

dralarms said:


> Cheap enough to just toss and get new ones when they get like this



I agree! I have a drawer full of them and if one gets crapped up, cracked, etc., I just toss it and dig out another one. I like being able to see the changes in pressure which is why I stick with the S airlocks.


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## Jal5 (Oct 7, 2018)

Johnd said:


> If you ever have the problem again, use your vacuum cleaner to pull a piece of string through the airlock and tie an appropriate sized cloth to the string. Puts some cleaner on the cloth and pull it back and forth through the airlock.


I like that idea. Thx


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## Johnd (Oct 7, 2018)

Jal5 said:


> I like that idea. Thx



Works great for cleaning your tubing as well.


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## mainshipfred (Oct 8, 2018)

Johnd said:


> If you ever have the problem again, use your vacuum cleaner to pull a piece of string through the airlock and tie an appropriate sized cloth to the string. Puts some cleaner on the cloth and pull it back and forth through the airlock.



Sounds like you've been spending too much time watching electricians.


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## Johnd (Oct 8, 2018)

mainshipfred said:


> Sounds like you've been spending too much time watching electricians.



Nothing quite like a good old fashioned pull string................


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