# Cleaning Glass Carboys



## kuziwk (Jan 9, 2018)

Hi Guys,

how are you cleaning your glass carboys? 

If they are visually clean already from a rinse and dont smell like anything, would a quick spray of Kmeta for 10 minutes than rinse suffice before transferring?


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## mainshipfred (Jan 9, 2018)

If I have emptied a carboy and immediately refilling it I don't do anything but rinse it clean. If that is what you are referring to.


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## dralarms (Jan 9, 2018)

I clean mine with one step, the pour kmeta into them and stopper them, when I'm ready to use it dump the kmeta, drain and use.


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## jgmillr1 (Jan 9, 2018)

I like to spray the interior with a 1% sodium hydroxide solution and scrub them with brush. Rinse. Then spray inside with a citric acid / k-meta blend and let drip dry. Note that the k-meta won't sanitize effectively unless it is in an acidic solution (just like wine), so citric acid is a cheap and food grade solution.


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## mainshipfred (Jan 9, 2018)

jgmillr1 said:


> I like to spray the interior with a 1% sodium hydroxide solution and scrub them with brush. Rinse. Then spray inside with a citric acid / k-meta blend and let drip dry. Note that the k-meta won't sanitize effectively unless it is in an acidic solution (just like wine), so citric acid is a cheap and food grade solution.



I think this is one of those ask 10 people get 11 responses topics. I use only K-meta not that the addition of citric is bad.


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## kuziwk (Jan 9, 2018)

jgmillr1 said:


> I like to spray the interior with a 1% sodium hydroxide solution and scrub them with brush. Rinse. Then spray inside with a citric acid / k-meta blend and let drip dry. Note that the k-meta won't sanitize effectively unless it is in an acidic solution (just like wine), so citric acid is a cheap and food grade solution.


Interesting...never heard of that. I use K meta on all my wine theifs and spoons prior to a quick rinse before it touches the wine. Have not had any issues yet.


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## kuziwk (Jan 9, 2018)

mainshipfred said:


> If I have emptied a carboy and immediately refilling it I don't do anything but rinse it clean. If that is what you are referring to.


yeah so basically if you just used the carboy for a few minutes to rack and bottle? Thats pretty much the only way i can see that there wold not be any caked on stuff inside the carboy.


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## mainshipfred (Jan 9, 2018)

kuziwk said:


> yeah so basically if you just used the carboy for a few minutes to rack and bottle? Thats pretty much the only way i can see that there wold not be any caked on stuff inside the carboy.



In my experience a few rinses and shakes gets rid of any solids. I was referring to if you were refilling the same carboy with another wine immediately after racking. If I'm finished with the carboy I do scrub and add a little K-meta and cap.


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## vacuumpumpman (Jan 9, 2018)

meta solution with the use of the drill operated carboy cleaner - 

After purchasing this - I threw out all my brushes


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## kuziwk (Jan 10, 2018)

vacuumpumpman said:


> meta solution with the use of the drill operated carboy cleaner -
> 
> After purchasing this - I threw out all my brushes


Nice, thats a decent idea.


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## vacuumpumpman (Jan 10, 2018)

kuziwk said:


> Nice, thats a decent idea.


http://www.carboycleaner.com/


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## mainshipfred (Jan 10, 2018)

I made my own. 3/8" dowel, micro fiber and a small hose clamp. I taped the hose clamp so metal won't hit the glass.


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## bkisel (Jan 10, 2018)

Carefully! I've already broke a glass carboy, while cleaning, and managed to cut myself in the process. Fortunately a minor cut and all the glass was in the sink so pickup was easy.

For cleaning I use B-Brite and the commercial equivalent of the carboy cleaner Fred showed in the picture above. I sanitize before long term storage and again just before using. For plastic carboys B-Brite and a white face cloth sloshed around gets the cleaning job done nice and quick.


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## Donatelo (Jan 10, 2018)

I absolutely do just as bkisel said. As soon as the carboy is emptied, I clean with B-Brite , rinse, and dry upside down . Then I cap off only after it is dry.


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## jgmann67 (Jan 11, 2018)

Similar here - clean with oxy-green, rinse the clean carboy with Kmeta solution and let it dry upside down. I give it a second Kmeta when I'm prepping to transfer wine and I want to run Kmeta through my AIO equipment.

The solution vacuums into the carboy. One more swirl, dump and turn the carboy upside down again for about an hour.


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## Stressbaby (Jan 11, 2018)

My 2 cents here:
You can't just rinse. You have to have some way of mechanically dislodging the biofilm that develops on the glass. That method might be brush, carboy cleaner, or other. 
I've chipped the mouth of the carboy using a drill powered device. What I now use is long strips of old towels. I rip the towel up into 1-2" strips about 3' long. I drop the towel into the carboy with 1/2-1 cup of B-Bright cleaner, then I swirl it all around so the towel covers the entire inside surface of the carboy 3-4 times. Then turn the carboy over, grab the end of the towel strip and pull it out just with my fingers. Then rinse and Kmeta.


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## jgmillr1 (Jan 11, 2018)

Presqu'isle put together a good guide on cleaning and sanitizing here:
http://www.piwine.com/media/home-wine-making-basics/Cleaning-and-Sanitizing.pdf


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## bkisel (Jan 11, 2018)

Stressbaby said:


> My 2 cents here:
> You can't just rinse. You have to have some way of mechanically dislodging the biofilm that develops on the glass. That method might be brush, carboy cleaner, or other.
> I've chipped the mouth of the carboy using a drill powered device. What I now use is long strips of old towels. I rip the towel up into 1-2" strips about 3' long. I drop the towel into the carboy with 1/2-1 cup of B-Bright cleaner, then I swirl it all around so the towel covers the entire inside surface of the carboy 3-4 times. Then turn the carboy over, grab the end of the towel strip and pull it out just with my fingers. Then rinse and Kmeta.



That's basically what I was doing when I broke my glass carboy. I now place 1-2 folded bath towels on the sink counter and a portion over the sink edge. All my sloshing is now done without lifting the glass carboy. 

For those who might not know.. Hands wet with B-Brite solution become very slick. Slick hands and wet carboys together are an accident waiting to happen.


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## Ajmassa (Jan 11, 2018)

Stressbaby said:


> My 2 cents here:
> You can't just rinse. You have to have some way of mechanically dislodging the biofilm that develops on the glass. That method might be brush, carboy cleaner, or other.
> I've chipped the mouth of the carboy using a drill powered device. What I now use is long strips of old towels. I rip the towel up into 1-2" strips about 3' long. I drop the towel into the carboy with 1/2-1 cup of B-Bright cleaner, then I swirl it all around so the towel covers the entire inside surface of the carboy 3-4 times. Then turn the carboy over, grab the end of the towel strip and pull it out just with my fingers. Then rinse and Kmeta.



I’m trying to get a visual but don’t see how you get good swirling whipping action? I’m always looking for better ways. 
If it works for you than great. I made a drill mount from a broken plastic spoon and those orange and white cloth mop strips. It’s long enough where the drill isn’t near the glass to damage. But it still sucks to use. And a struggle to insert which sometimes jacks up where it’s secured. Originally I bought the actual blue replacement flaps. They are weighted on the ends. But over time got beat up and stitches came loose. 
There’s no quick easy way to get a good hard clean when needed- which isn’t all the time but often enough. Maybe when I build my wine room I’ll install a pressure washer on a retractable hose line in the wall with a spray setting. Yep. That sounds nice and realistic.


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## JohnT (Jan 11, 2018)

After use: I simply rinse 2 or 3 times and invert into a 5 gal bucket to drain. I then simply stack it for later use..

Before use: A little one-step and a bottle brush is all it takes. Rinse with k-meta solution and it's good to go.

My thinking is this.. Why clean the darn thing twice?


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## montanaWineGuy (Jan 11, 2018)

I had a dead mouse in one this year. I just tipped it over and he fell out. Iz Dat Enuf?






kuziwk said:


> Hi Guys,
> 
> how are you cleaning your glass carboys?
> 
> If they are visually clean already from a rinse and dont smell like anything, would a quick spray of Kmeta for 10 minutes than rinse suffice before transferring?


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## kuziwk (Jan 11, 2018)

montanaWineGuy said:


> I had a dead mouse in one this year. I just tipped it over and he fell out. Iz Dat Enuf?


Gross, yeah i have a carboy soaking in 4 tablespoons of chlorinated trisodium phosphate pink cleaner. I just have to get all the cleaner off after. It says its suitable for bottles and what not but everyone is saying to run the other way when it comes to chlorine.


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## wxtrendsguy (Jan 11, 2018)

I use 5 heaping teaspoons of One Step, hot water and let it soak a day or two or more... Pretty much will dissolve and clean anything. Dump it out and a quick rinse and back into the box it goes, top down. When need it next a quick spray with some Kmeta and citric and good to go. 

I read earlier that some just use Kmeta....kmeta is much more effective when the PH is 4 or less...hence the reason to acidify your kmeta solution...it works better.


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## Scooter68 (Jan 11, 2018)

Agree that just a rinse with sanitizer is a bit risky.  At least put a rag or paper towel in there and swirl it around. You will be surprised when you find some color on it even when the glass looks clean.

For small carboys you can use part of a plastic clothes hanger. (I keep breaking them } and they do have some nice curves/hooks that can be used to snag a heavy paper towel or piece of cloth. For larger carboys I suppose a wooden dowel or even drilling a wooden dowel to stick that plastic coat hanger into. Then you could chuck that in a drill keep anything harmful to glass away from the carboy. (Just remember that those plastic hangers usually have a small hole in them so sanitizing them before and after use is a good idea.

Also i bought a box of Scott Paper "Rags" (Yellow or Blue box at Lowe's - They last a long time and most often I pitch them well before they wear out simply because they have gotten stained or dirty. They hold up to all the cleaning solutions and sanitizers I use and normally rinse and dry easily. I cut them up into 4 pieces and tie them with yarn over carboy mouth after I sanitize the carboy and it's getting stored. That lets moisture dry out and keeps any crawlers from taking up residence in a carboy. (You know how old basements are....)







Most often now I do a quick was with a couple of drops of Dawn dish washing liquid into the carboy along with part of one of the Scott towels. I also have a couple of brushes that reach all parts of the carboy once slightly modified with appropriate bends
My sanitizer is Starsan so it's not slippery and much easier to manage.


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## bkisel (Jan 11, 2018)

You'd think the least our spouses could do in support of our hobby, besides drinking the wine, would be to clean the carboys and bottles. Right?


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## cmason1957 (Jan 11, 2018)

bkisel said:


> You'd think the least our spouses could do in support of our hobby, besides drinking the wine, would be to clean the carboys and bottles. Right?


I must be very lucky. My wife, mostly, agrees to be the cellar rat and do all the cleaning. Sometimes she grumbles about it, but often she does a better job of cleaning than I would.


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## bkisel (Jan 11, 2018)

cmason1957 said:


> I must be very lucky. My wife, mostly, agrees to be the cellar rat and do all the cleaning. Sometimes she grumbles about it, but often she does a better job of cleaning than I would.



"cellar rat". I've not heard that term before but I like it. Think I'll use it on my wife... "Janet, would you be my cellar rat?"


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## sour_grapes (Jan 11, 2018)

bkisel said:


> Think I'll use it on my wife... "Janet, would you be my cellar rat?"



That was a teaser promo line from the upcoming smash movie, "Fifty Shades of Burgundy."


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## Ajmassa (Jan 11, 2018)

cmason1957 said:


> I must be very lucky. My wife, mostly, agrees to be the cellar rat and do all the cleaning. Sometimes she grumbles about it, but often she does a better job of cleaning than I would.



Well I could never get her to clean carboys. I know hat much. But I do I use that line for everything else. “Your just better at folding than I am”. “Honey do whites get cold water or hot?” 
“Just move out of the way. I’ll friggin do it”. Haha. Success.


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## cmason1957 (Jan 11, 2018)

She gave herself that title. She likes the making of wine as much as I do. I am better with the theory and math part. She is better at the manual part. I get distracted.... Wait squirrel....


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## wxtrendsguy (Jan 12, 2018)

Cellar Rat is a common term in a commercial winery. They are the people who usually do the thankless jobs of climbing in tanks to shovel them out or clean them or other miserable jobs that require a strong back. Aka interns....


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## Scooter68 (Jan 12, 2018)

wxtrendsguy said:


> Cellar Rat is a common term in a commercial winery. They are the people who usually do the thankless jobs of climbing in tanks to shovel them out or clean them or other miserable jobs that require a strong back. Aka interns....



Wow! Sounds like a tough job. Hopefully any residual alcohol fumes are gone. ?? Otherwise i could see them succumbing. Gone, but with a smile on their face. And when they go home they pray they don't get stopped by the police. I can hear the officer - Man I know I got me a DUI I can smell it but the blood alcohol come up below limits. What the ....


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## mainshipfred (Jan 12, 2018)

wxtrendsguy said:


> Cellar Rat is a common term in a commercial winery. They are the people who usually do the thankless jobs of climbing in tanks to shovel them out or clean them or other miserable jobs that require a strong back. Aka interns....



I've climbed inside commercial bladder presses a few times. It's not that bad.


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## Ajmassa (Jan 12, 2018)

Sounds like @Scooter68 is interested too. To play his “get drunk w/ low abv” game! [emoji40]
way back in my day we would call what Scooter wants to do: “Huffing” !


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## Scooter68 (Jan 12, 2018)

No thanks - But I'm sure some remember the old story about the boy's uncle who died at the whiskey distillery. Yeah, fell in the vat and drowned. But he valiantly fought off all efforts to rescue him. The nephew reported that his funeral was a remarkable event - The cremation took 7 days.

(yup that's an oldy moldy)


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## Rodnboro (Jan 17, 2018)

mainshipfred said:


> I made my own. 3/8" dowel, micro fiber and a small hose clamp. I taped the hose clamp so metal won't hit the glass.



I made a similar cleaning device with a polybutylene sink supply line and cloth, but the cloth keeps winding around the supply tubing. I now just use dawn dishwasher liquid and swirl it around the Carboy.


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## vacuumpumpman (Jan 17, 2018)

Rodnboro said:


> I made a similar cleaning device with a polybutylene sink supply line and cloth, but the cloth keeps winding around the supply tubing. I now just use dawn dishwasher liquid and swirl it around the Carboy



I personally stay away from any soap products - 

I will use oxi- clean (bleach free ) that is about it and the carboy cleaner


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## Scooter68 (Jan 17, 2018)

For a 1 gallon carboy I normally use less than a 1/8 teaspoon of soap - then rinse obsessively until there are no signs of any bubbles or anything that could be mistaken for bubbles. Then use my Starsan solution. Unless i am going to use that carboy again ASAP I then tie a paper rag cover over the top after draining. The paper cover keeps out bugs but allows a little evaporation. When in doubt the next time I use a carboy, I do a little more water rinse then a Starsan Shake and Drain. If the carboy isn't coated from top to bottom with bubbles from the Starsan, it isn't done.


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## dralarms (Jan 17, 2018)

I use this

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KOVIAO...t=&hvlocphy=9013214&hvtargid=pla-319252289200

With one step or easy clean, then I dump some kmeta in the carboy and cap with a solid stopped. When it's time to use it I dump the kmeta, let it drain for a few minutes and I'm ready to go.


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## benchmstr (Jan 22, 2018)

kuziwk said:


> Hi Guys,
> 
> how are you cleaning your glass carboys?
> 
> If they are visually clean already from a rinse and dont smell like anything, would a quick spray of Kmeta for 10 minutes than rinse suffice before transferring?


I recently switched to fermonsters of all sizes and stopped using glass...I can put my whole arm in those things and hand clean it.

the bench


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## Scooter68 (Jan 22, 2018)

ANY plastic container is going to get scratches over time. They may be small but regardless they will catch stains at the least. The problem with a wide mouth container is that for aging it's a lot harder to minimize air exposure - you have to really top it off very close to the top to reduce the volume of air. 

I can manage getting a brush inside my carboys and if you do a good cleaning as soon as it's emptied, it's far less likely to collect anything. If you let what was in there dry....then it's scrubbing time for sure.


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## hitchiker (Jan 18, 2020)

any body tried alka seltzer to clean carboys


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## Bill Pet (Jan 19, 2020)

I rinse the carboy immediately after use and then swish with an unscented oxyclean solution. I sometimes need to use a brush for the very upper part of the carboy which gets dried foam on it. End result: an absolutely spotless carboy. Been doing it for four years and haven't had a problem.


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## aabshire (Jan 20, 2020)

Bill Pet said:


> I rinse the carboy immediately after use and then swish with an unscented oxyclean solution. I sometimes need to use a brush for the very upper part of the carboy which gets dried foam on it. End result: an absolutely spotless carboy. Been doing it for four years and haven't had a problem.


Same here, turn them upside down in a carboy holder until dry then store upright with paper towel in opening. When ready to use again swish with sanitizer


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## Ignoble Grape (Jan 20, 2020)

aabshire said:


> Same here, turn them upside down in a carboy holder until dry then store upright with paper towel in opening. When ready to use again swish with sanitizer


Same. Get all my carboys second hand. Mostly from home brewers who never bother to rinse - caked with gunk. A nice overnight soak with oxyclean and they sparkle. Minimum elbow grease. I'm always a skeptic when it comes to the newest chemical cleaner, but even my mom who used the oxyclean on her clothes when she came over is a convert.


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## crushday (Jan 20, 2020)

I use PBW, let it soak overnight and then rinse. I then store them upside down in a milk crate with a 2/4 jammed in the corner to keep it upright. I don't add Kmeta any longer. When I did I would spritz, as to conserve, the inside of the carboy. I would then install a stopper and put it away. What happened to me was the kmeta dried and left clear deposits on the inside of the carboy, only noticeable when they were re-filled with wine. Soaking them and using a carboy brush was not help. PBW cleared it right up.


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## Scooter68 (Jan 20, 2020)

*1) This is essentially a dead conversation.* Read for info but if you want to ask a question or have a comment about cleaning - Start a new thread. You can paste a reference to this thread but start a new one. Wading back through the old comments is not something anyone wants to do unless they need to glean some info from it.

*Show some initiative and start a new thread - You are far more likely to get responses that way.*


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## Johnd (Jan 20, 2020)

Scooter68 said:


> *1) This is essentially a dead conversation.* Read for info but if you want to ask a question or have a comment about cleaning - Start a new thread. You can paste a reference to this thread but start a new one. Wading back through the old comments is not something anyone wants to do unless they need to glean some info from it.
> 
> *Show some initiative and start a new thread - You are far more likely to get responses that way.*



Dang. Scooter is grumpy today...........................LOL!!


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## Ajmassa (Jan 20, 2020)

Scooter68 said:


> *1) This is essentially a dead conversation.* Wading back through the old comments is not something anyone wants to do unless they need to glean some info from it.




@Scooter68 - who are you speaking to? I honestly couldn’t tell because there’s been a handful of replies here since being bumped. 

Compared to most others, this was a pretty interesting thread IMO. And was thoroughly entertained wading back through the old comments. And i was perfectly ok with it. 
Plus I think it’s kinda cool to have an ongoing thread where everyone’s chiming in with their personal carboy cleaning techniques. 
I can’t be sure but I’m thinking you may have misinterpreted something along the way here.


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## Scooter68 (Jan 20, 2020)

nah.... Not me.


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## Mario Dinis (Jul 22, 2020)

I know I'm a few months too late, but here's something interesting and cheap that i came across awhile back in this forum,









BrüBlaster Keg & Carboy Washer | Do It Yourself


Author: Ray Found A while back, I put together a collection of DIY brewing utilities that included a pump-based keg washer and sanitizer. After using it many times, I came to the conclusion it fell…




brulosophy.com


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## SpoiledRotten (Jul 23, 2020)

I rinse mine immediately, put some k-meta in it (about a cup full), and put an airlock on it. Rinse again just before use.


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## cmason1957 (Jul 23, 2020)

SpoiledRotten said:


> I rinse mine immediately, put some k-meta in it (about a cup full), and put an airlock on it. Rinse again just before use.



You only rinse?? Never apply some elbow grease to remove the biofilm that builds up on the inside of carboys? (The Home Vintner - The Home Vintner Monthly Newsletter - May 2014 - search for biofilm on that page.) 

I give mine a good dose of oxyclean Free, then hit them with this Boun Vino Turbo Brush Carboy cleaner (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01N6YR235). rinse several times to remove all the oxyclean, add some K-meta solution and a bung without a hole in it. Then rinse, squirt some more K-meta inside, dump and use.


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## pete1325 (Jul 23, 2020)

On the ones with that purple film I fill and soak with some Straight A, cleaner. after soaking overnight the film disappears. When racking from one carboy to another I just fill half way, swish and refill. Not much more and never had any issues. Of course it all depends on how far I am from the sink. I never dropped one....yet.


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## SpoiledRotten (Jul 24, 2020)

Good info, cmason. I’ve got some work to do!


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## winemanden (Jul 24, 2020)

K-meta or Sodium-meta + acid releases SO2 gas, which is one of the reasons it is effective in wine.


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## Boatboy24 (Jul 24, 2020)

I'm in the rinse camp. Anything that might be stuck on there is hit with the carboy brush. If I have stains, I'll fill with water and oxyclean and let it sit a while. Some are stored empty, many are stored with half a cup to a cup of KMeta solution and a solid stopper.


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## Rocky (Jul 24, 2020)

I have not had a problem over many, many years and my MO is to rinse carboys with hot water immediately after emptying, inspect for any residual stains or debris, brush off if necessary, rinse again, invert on my rack to dry and to insert a wadded up paper towel in the opening. When I am ready to use, I rinse with hot water, pour in about a 1/2 cup of K-meta solution, insert a paper towel plug, let it sit for a while, slosh the solution around in the carboy, then rinse with hot water and use.


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## jgmillr1 (Jul 24, 2020)

I would summarize this thread as that while there are many methods people use to effectively clean and sanitize carboys, it really speaks to the robustness of wine+sulfites to spoilage.

On the other hand, some methods here explain the subsequent threads of "what is this floating on my wine?"


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## hounddawg (Jul 24, 2020)

hum, very many ways, i've always just used potassium metabisulfite 
(k-meta) for several years, but when i empty a carboy i rinse and then rinse with k-meta, put a exame glove on the top, then reuse come time, 
Dawg


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## wood1954 (Jul 25, 2020)

I use washing soda and brushes, rinse well with Starsan solution, so far so good.


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## Fingaluna (Jul 25, 2020)

Hi Forumites, 

Many reasonable suggestions here. 

Remember that cleaning and sterilising are two different tasks.

*CLEANING *
In my experience, the best way to clean glass / metal tanks / carboys is with an Alkali cleaner @ 1 - 2% (by weight), preceded by a rinse to get the loose junk out. 
Some folks like "built" alkali cleaners such as PBW, but I just use plain old Lye / NaOH / Caustic Soda. Wear gloves & Glasses. 

Important to make sure to get the CO2 out of the container, as any CO2 will bind to the OH and produce Carbonate. This still cleans, but much less effectively. Leaving the carboy upside down in a milk crate for an hour does a good job of this. 

Basic cleaning theory is that these four items are the contributing factor to cleaning:

Detergent Concentration 
Time
Temperature
Impingement / Mechanical Action
An increase on one of the points above, means less of a need to rely on the others. 

In a home setting, it's unlikely / unsafe to achieve high temperatures. Mechanical Action (scrubbing) is not the way I like to spend my time, so I rely on Time + Detergent Concentration. An easy, easy way to do this is to make up 2 litres of warm water, with 1% NaOH (lye): 20g and add it to the rinsed carboy. Stick a #7 solid bung in it and slosh around for 20 seconds. Then leave the carboy to sit for 10min with the liquid in contact with the soil. Move to a new spot of soil after a bit, etc.

You can reduce to 0.5% Caustic if you add Chlorine (bleach) to make 500ppm. If cleaning steel, make sure to be above pH of 13 to avoid corrosion. 

Rinse a couple of times and you are good to go. 

Caustic solution CAN be stored for reuse. It does deteriorate over time from atmospheric CO2 and from inactivation from soil.

*STERILISING*
Remember that in order to sterilise a surface, it must first be clean. Sterilising solutions cannot generally penetrate soils and so do not effective sterilise dirty surfaces. 
For Sterilising, Star-San and others are great. Some of them foam-up, and that drives me nuts. I just go cheap and easy with a no-rinse Chlorine solution. You need between 50ppm and 200ppm for no-rinse. Normal bleach is between 5 and 6.5% Chlorine, so a 1:1000 dilution will give you a 50ppm to 65ppm solution. This is 1mL per Litre of water. You can double the Chlorine dose safely, if you're nervous. Remember that contact time is important: 2 full minutes submerged.

If your water is hard / has a high pH, you can increase the effectiveness of the Chlorine by adding 1/2mL of household vinegar (5% acetic acid) per Litre TO THE WATER to reduce the pH slightly. If you do this, make sure not to drop the pH below 6.0 as Chlorine gas can start to form below that level. Note never to add the Acetic Acid directly to the Chlorine as you WILL produce a dangerous cloud of Chlorine gas. 

Also note that a slightly warm (chlorine) solution is significantly more effective than a cold solution, but the chlorine will dissapate somewhat more quickly. 

In regards to scratches; steel tanks have a very specific polish grade that is required, in order to prevent soil adhesion, as well as ensuring that the surface can be properly "wetted". If there are scratches, or the wrong polish grade is used, the surface tension of water causes microscopic bridging of the scratches / peaks & valleys, preventing the sanitiser (or detergent) from contact with the surface. If plastic equipment gets scratched, throw it away. HDPE pails are cheap and available at any hardware store. If it says HDPE and it's white, it's Food Safe.


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## stickman (Jul 26, 2020)

For wine making purposes, solutions of chlorine generally wouldn't be recommended. Contamination of the work area, even floors and drains etc., with chlorine containing agents increases the risk of TCA taint. It is better to stay with non-chlorinated sanitizers and cleaning agents, full steriliziation is not necessary for wine.


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## Fingaluna (Jul 26, 2020)

Stickman, Great point about TCA. Definitely an issue when using very strong Chlorine solutions, and potentially not rinsing or draining properly. Not an issue however with <200ppm and drained. Also related is the Cholrophenol issue, but again, not a problem at <200ppm. Agree that Chlorine for general housekeeping is also not great. 

I would disagree with you on sterilisation not being needed, but I go very light on Sulphite use. As well, tap water as a final rinse for vessels can be tricky, as some municipal water supplies are not sterile. But I imagine you have success with your methods, so to each their own!


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## SpoiledRotten (Jul 27, 2020)

Scooter68 said:


> *1) This is essentially a dead conversation.* Read for info but if you want to ask a question or have a comment about cleaning - Start a new thread. You can paste a reference to this thread but start a new one. Wading back through the old comments is not something anyone wants to do unless they need to glean some info from it.
> 
> *Show some initiative and start a new thread - You are far more likely to get responses that way.*




That goes against so many things I’ve read on forum for years. Example:

NEW THREAD—-
What’s you’re favorite type bung?

Replies: That same question has been answered a million times. Search for it in the search engine. Don’t start a new thread!


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## winemaker81 (Aug 4, 2020)

Thread necromancy is a time honored concept!


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