Can a carboy be too stained/old to clean

[olusteebus]

I have two carboys that were in my mothers basement probably for 30-40 years. Can they be so old and cruddy that I can't clean them? They look like they have a permanent hazy stain.

 

[pjd]

Dont ever give up on an old carboy. I have managed to clean every old one I have found. One had a white deposit on the sides that just would not come out. I filled the carboy with Star San solution and set it under my sink and forgot about it for at least 2 years. When I decided to throw it away, I emtied it and it was sparkling clean!

 

[TonyP]

There are numerous products available for cleaning old stuff, like carboys. One option is PBW, a product made by the makers of Star San. Just make certain the carboys don't have extensive scratches.

 

[Bartman]

2 years??!! If you didn't need the carboy during that time and were ready to throw it away, di you really need to keep it?

 

[Runningwolf]

I vote for pbw also

 

[olusteebus]

PBR it will be. I love PBR. Oh, wait, . . . .you said PBW. I will try that too.

 

[dangerdave]

I got a couple of old carboys from an old man who had left them open in his old garage for years. They were absolutely cruddy, inside and out. After several failed attempts to get the insides clean, I filled them with a solution of OxyClean and let them sit for a few days. They came out sparkling clean. I use them all the time.

 

[vacuumpumpman]

I got a couple of old carboys from an old man who had left them open in his old garage for years. They were absolutely cruddy, inside and out. After several failed attempts to get the insides clean, I filled them with a solution of OxyClean and let them sit for a few days. They came out sparkling clean. I use them all the time.

I do exactly what Dave does also ^
I also use the Carboy cleaner - which really works very well !!
http://brewandwinesupply.com/index.php?route=product/product&filter_name=carboy cleaner&product_id=217

 

[olusteebus]

Got me some PBS. Gonna give em a dose later this week. Thanks to all

 

[clight385]

Let them soak….and more soak. I sometimes will use gravel to scrub the insides. Put a few handfuls in there and swirl around.

 

[Bruwaywine]

I was glad to see the gravel usage. We have an opportunity to buy two carboys 9glass) for $12 each but he used gravel to clean the stains out from making wine. I was concerned that it would have put scratches and harbor bacteria in them. After putting so much time into wine making to have it not turn out because of a bad carboy from cleaning with gravel I would be very distressed. Any feedback on the gravel cleaning? I seen on previous posts that someone had gotten a cleaning kit with what looked like bb's to scrub off stains. I guess they would all be uniformly round and not so apt to scratch the surface. More like rubbing off the stains....

 

[GreginND]

First - Oxyclean - it should take care of all the organic material. But many of the stains may be mineral deposits. I would first treat with acid - muriatic acid (HCl. Be careful, it's a strong acid. If that doesn't get out all the stains, try base treatment with lye and let it soak for a while.

Make sure to rinse really good after treating with these. They will all rinse out, but best to rinse like hell.

And, again, be careful with strong acids and bases! You don't want to burn your skin and avoid breathing the vapors.

 

[vacuumpumpman]

I agree with al the above posts - Iwould also use the carboy cleaner as it appears to do a much better job than any brush can do

.

 

[Arne]

Instead of gravel we have used rock salt. Doesn't appear to scratch at all and cleans really well. Arne.