# How do you store clean bottles?



## Daisy317 (Apr 11, 2010)

I just spent a big chunk of today washing and peeling labels off a gazillion bottles. My wine won't be ready to bottle for another few weeks but I just wanted to get the scrubbing of nasty ickiness out of the way now.

I used to wait til the last minute and scrub them and sanitize them and then bottle as soon as they're dry but that is exhausting to me...

I do have a newly dubbed "wine room" in my basement but after last week I'm worried about spiders. I HATE cleaning spider webs once, let alone twice... so I don't want to store them back in the cases (besides, most of my bottles are from friends and they don't even have cases...

Now that I have the room to store bottles in that room instead of my brother's garage I can do things ahead of time. I was kind of considering getting some clear plastic bins and sorting them by color in those to keep dust and bugs out.

Thoughts? How do you store your clean bottles? Suggestions?


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## Runningwolf (Apr 11, 2010)

Daisey if you do a search there is a lot of discussion on this and we all do things a bit different due to what available to us. I stand 24-30 bottles upright in my laundry sink and fill them with hot water. Then I fill the sink up to about 3" above the label with three big scoops of oxy clean. after several hours of soaking I scrape the labels off with a razor blade scraper. If there is glue left on the bottle i let it soak another hour or so and then the rest comes off with a scotch brite scubber. I rinse my bottles out with a double bottle rinser. I then hit the insides with a one step cleaner and store upside down on a bottle tree on in cases. An hour or two before I bottle I sanitize once more with a k-meta solution.


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## Wade E (Apr 11, 2010)

I put them back into boxes upside down with newspaper or paper towels in there and keep them like that until bottling day and then use my vinator with sulfite solution on them.


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## Daisy317 (Apr 11, 2010)

Runningwolf: I usually do look in the archives for old threads but I'm tired and lazy today I guess 

I have a good method for cleaning my bottles and will still sanitize before bottling. The bottles I get for free are almost always disgusting and I just don't have it in me to scrub the nasties out too right before bottling.

Sometimes I think that I wouldn't mind paying 12 bucks a case to NOT have to scrub out moldy hardened wine from bottles... ick... 

If I can find totes that's probably what I'm gonna do... maybe? Idk... It's a woman's prerogative to change her mind


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## Runningwolf (Apr 11, 2010)

Did you get those from Presque Isle or Heritage?


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## Daisy317 (Apr 11, 2010)

The 2 cases I got from Heritage weren't too dirty... I mostly got very nice green punted bottles and I was very happy with them. Some of those white labels were a b*&^# to get off though! I used a straight razor on them and they were stubborn buggers... I ended up peeling the plastic film off them and letting the paper part soak in the tub longer...

As per your advice I didn't even ask at Presque Isle (do I get a pat on the head or treat for following directions?... hehe)

The really nasty bottles I cleaned were from local bars and my friends who don't rinse them even though they know I ask them to... c'est la vie...

I still have a lot more bottles to clean. I've just been collecting them and hadn't messed with them until today. If I had cleaned them as I got them I wouldn't be in this situation, but I just procrastinated too long.


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## Runningwolf (Apr 11, 2010)

Daisy317 said:


> As per your advice I didn't even ask at Presque Isle (do I get a pat on the head or treat for following directions?... hehe)



 Atta girl! Dan gives Daisey a pat on the back.


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## Julie (Apr 11, 2010)

I usually put mind back in the boxes upside down but I do sort them be punted and unpunted and by color.


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## xanxer82 (Apr 11, 2010)

Upside down in cases.


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## arcticsid (Apr 11, 2010)

What in case you find youself upside down? LOL


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## Julie (Apr 11, 2010)

arcticsid said:


> What in case you find youself upside down? LOL



They are talking about how to store wine bottles. LOL how many of those Pabst have you drank today


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## millwright01 (Apr 11, 2010)

I also store mine upside down in cases after my bottle tree is full. I try to clean them as I use/get them. Then set on the tree. When it's full, into the box and on the pile.


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## djrockinsteve (Apr 11, 2010)

I'll clean and scrub mine by soaking in hot sopay bleach water, usually over night in the laundry sink. Next day the majority of the elabels fall off. Those stubborn ones I'll take a razor blade scraper to get them off or I've used a product called "De Solv-it". After a few drops and a few seconds the glue disintigrates. Draw back is it makes the bottle slippery that s#^!.

Then spray then clean and store upright. I know I can hear the Ooooohsss and Awwwwws now. Packed in boxes and stacked on a pallet are several dozen cases patiently waiting.

When it becomes wine time I'll hot soapy bleach them again, rinse, K-Meta soak, bottle tree drip and bottle. Excessive I know. I basically work 1 day a week so I have the time.

I do need to start indicating clear, green different styles of bottles. I'm favoring all Bordeaux green and smoke. Odd shapes don't stack well.

I just rearranged my wine last week and I need to build another set of shelves.


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## arcticsid (Apr 11, 2010)

LOL Julie only just one!


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## rawlus (Apr 11, 2010)

upside down in cases. the local wine store has plenty of empty cardboard cases for free if i need any extra.


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## arcticsid (Apr 11, 2010)

The road to wine hell is paved with the cases. Only the glass will bring us to oblivion!! LOL


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## winemaker_3352 (Apr 11, 2010)

Once i have cleaned them and they have dried on the bottle tree - right or wrong - i will put a cork about a quarter the way in and stand them up right. Then when it comes time to bottle - i will scrub with one step cleaner - dry on bottle tree and and splash with k-meta before bottling.


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## TheTooth (Apr 13, 2010)

I clean them as I get them and store them upside down in cases. Lots of stores will give you the cases if you ask for them.

Then I use one of the spring loaded jet sprayer things to shoot sanitizer into them on bottling day.


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## wyntheef (Apr 13, 2010)

Upside down in cases. Kept separate from un-cleaned bottles which are NOT upside down.


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## Daisy317 (Apr 14, 2010)

I ended up getting a few clear plastic bins. They're long and can fit 2 rows of 750 bottles long ways and 2 1.5 bottles short ways. I have them separated clear and green. I have the oddballs in with the clear because I have more green.

This seems like it will keep the bugs, dust, and cats out of my bottles. Thanks for the suggestions everyone!


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## Johann (May 4, 2010)

*Saran Wrap & rubber bands*

After cleaning and sterilizing I store mine with a small bit of saran wrap over the top and a rubber band around the neck, it works for me, I only have a couple cases to deal with at a time though... I just pop it off and give a quick rinse with sterilizer right before bottling.


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## JLS (Apr 29, 2011)

Jon, when you splash with k-meta before bottling, you do not rinse them with water any more, correct? you just put them on the bottle tree for a while and star bottling, right?
Thanks


winemaker_3352 said:


> Once i have cleaned them and they have dried on the bottle tree - right or wrong - i will put a cork about a quarter the way in and stand them up right. Then when it comes time to bottle - i will scrub with one step cleaner - dry on bottle tree and and splash with k-meta before bottling.


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## Runningwolf (Apr 29, 2011)

JLS said:


> Jon, when you splash with k-meta before bottling, you do not rinse them with water any more, correct? you just put them on the bottle tree for a while and star bottling, right?
> Thanks



I'm not Jon but you are correct.


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## SarahRides (May 3, 2011)

It gets pricey, but I usually just buy bottles. I don't have the patience to scrub or scrape! I justify it with the fact that most of the wines I try aren't very expensive to make!


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## robie (May 4, 2011)

SarahRides said:


> It gets pricey, but I usually just buy bottles. I don't have the patience to scrub or scrape! I justify it with the fact that most of the wines I try aren't very expensive to make!



Not a bad idea. Sometimes I get very tired of scraping labels. Just make sure you still wash them and sanitize the insides.


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## Mikael (May 4, 2011)

didn't finished reading the rest of the posts here, lol, but what i usually do is clean the heck out of them get a cup fill with water, toss a little bleach into it, stir it up, pour a smidgeon into each bottle, shake it up, let sit for about an hour, give them another final good shake, dump, rinse out with hot water until no more smell inside, then dry off the outside shake any excess water inside and then stuff a hefty size piece of paper towel into the top of it and keep the bottles all together on my bottle shelf. When im ready to use them, i just, pull them out as needed, pull out the paper towel, give them a final double rinse in hot water and its good to go


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## robie (May 4, 2011)

Mikael said:


> didn't finished reading the rest of the posts here, lol, but what i usually do is clean the heck out of them get a cup fill with water, toss a little bleach into it, stir it up, pour a smidgeon into each bottle, shake it up, let sit for about an hour, give them another final good shake, dump, rinse out with hot water until no more smell inside, then dry off the outside shake any excess water inside and then stuff a hefty size piece of paper towel into the top of it and keep the bottles all together on my bottle shelf. When im ready to use them, i just, pull them out as needed, pull out the paper towel, give them a final double rinse in hot water and its good to go



That'll work.

Just make sure no trace whatsoever of the bleach gets into the finished, corked bottle of wine. Chlorine in even very tiny amounts can bring on cork taint and ruin your wine. To be safe, it's best to avoid chlorine-anything all together.


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## Mikael (May 4, 2011)

robie said:


> That'll work.
> 
> Just make sure no trace whatsoever of the bleach gets into the finished, corked bottle of wine. Chlorine in even very tiny amounts can bring on cork taint and ruin your wine. To be safe, it's best to avoid chlorine-anything all together.



Aye, lol, always done it like that, hasn't failed yet : D just have to make sure its rinsed enough with hot water


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## ibglowin (May 4, 2011)

One of these days you might just get burned using chlorine bleach. There is absolutely no reason to use chlorine bleach when there are better cleaners on the market that don't contain chlorine like "Oxyclean" or the generic equivalents.

Here is a little article about Chlorine Use in the Winery from Purdue University.


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## sly22guy (May 5, 2011)

Yeah id def stay away from bleach, i personally use oxy clean and then store upside down in my cases. when im ready to use them i usually will give the a quick rinse and hit the inside with the bottle blaster and then a spray of kmeta then bottle. It actually goes really quick.


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