Removing wine stains from carboy

[Raptor99]

I have acquired some used 3-gallon carboys, and one of them has some red residue/stains from grape wine. I have read here that many use oxiclean to remove organic residue. Is this the one that you use? OxiClean White Revive Powder 5 lbs. Fabric Stain Remover-51652 - The Home Depot If so, how much would you use?

 

[sour_grapes]

I do not know the ingredients on the one you listed. However, most of us strongly recommend the UNSCENTED version of oxiclean with the green lid:

OxiClean Powder Versatile Stain Remover Free - 3.5lbs

 

[Raptor99]

Thanks, I'll look for Oxiclean Free. I would certainly want unscented.

 

[mainshipfred]

When ever I leave a dark red in for a long time mine always get stained. Leave the Oxyclean in there for a day or so, it should take care of it.

 

[Raptor99]

@mainshipfred How much do you use?

 

[mainshipfred]

@mainshipfred How much do you use?

I don't measure, just add what I think is enough. Maybe a few tablespoons

 

[Chuck E]

I use Oxy-Clean Free too. For really tough stains, I add a couple ounces of stainless BB's.

 

[winemaker81]

I purchased used 25 and 54 liter demijohns, both of which had ugly red wine stains in and below the neck. OneStep removed a lot of it, but not all. I soaked overnight in Oxiclean (3 scoops in the 54 liter demijohn) and that removed more, but still not all.

My final solution was to add a gallon of OneStep, swirl it, and use a drill-mounted carboy cleaning brush. Use the brush for 20 seconds, swirl the OneStep, let set a minute. Repeated 4 or 5 times until it was clean.



The moral of the story? Clean your equipment as soon as possible! [Which doesn't help when buying used equipment.]

 

[WinoDon]

I have acquired some used 3-gallon carboys, and one of them has some red residue/stains from grape wine. I have read here that many use oxiclean to remove organic residue. Is this the one that you use? OxiClean White Revive Powder 5 lbs. Fabric Stain Remover-51652 - The Home Depot If so, how much would you use?

For years I have used denture cleaner tablets with success to remove wine stains from bottles. One tablet per bottle but you likely would need more for the carboys.

 

[MirrorBall7]

OxiClean is one of the most effective methods to remove wine stains on the refrigerator and any technique. I would also advise you to use WD-40, but it is very toxic, and you need to use this thing with care. By the way, has anyone here had any problems with removing greasy stains on clothes? It is very important for me now to find some stain remover that is the least toxic because I want to remove stains on my baby's clothes. So far, I can't find anything better than an amazon stain remover. I would be glad to hear your options, folks!

 

[joeswine]

Question: after using the oxy do you rerinse the carboy to be safe ??
Dumb question I know!

 

[cmason1957]

Question: after using the oxy do you rerinse the carboy to be safe ??
Dumb question I know!

For me, that's a yes and several times. Getting all the Oxyclean out seems to be a difficult thing.

 

[winemaker81]

Question: after using the oxy do you rerinse the carboy to be safe ??
Dumb question I know!

Not asking the question would be dumb! The answer is important.

I agree with Craig, I rinse several times with hot tap water.

Generally, I rinse after everything except the things that are specifically no-rinse such as K-meta, One Step, and Star San.

 

[wineview]

Not asking the question would be dumb! The answer is important.

I agree with Craig, I rinse several times with hot tap water.

Generally, I rinse after everything except the things that are specifically no-rinse such as K-meta, One Step, and Star San.

I use StarSan almost exclusively for sanitation and mix with distilled water. Can k-meta be mixed with tap water?

 

[winemaker81]

I use StarSan almost exclusively for sanitation and mix with distilled water. Can k-meta be mixed with tap water?

Anything can be mixed with tap water. It really depends on your tap water.

We have a well, so while the water is hard and acidic, there's no chlorine. I've gone back-n-forth, but I tend to use my tap water.

 

[Venatorscribe]

Can k-meta be mixed with tap water?

That’s what I use to clean up a carboy. I would add 20 to 30 mls per 10 lts Depending upon the stain. Then just leave it in the shed for a week or more. It works a treat and of course no issues with having to re sanitize etc

 

[wineview]

I purchased used 25 and 54 liter demijohns, both of which had ugly red wine stains in and below the neck. OneStep removed a lot of it, but not all. I soaked overnight in Oxiclean (3 scoops in the 54 liter demijohn) and that removed more, but still not all.

My final solution was to add a gallon of OneStep, swirl it, and use a drill-mounted carboy cleaning brush. Use the brush for 20 seconds, swirl the OneStep, let set a minute. Repeated 4 or 5 times until it was clean.

View attachment 78741

The moral of the story? Clean your equipment as soon as possible! [Which doesn't help when buying used equipment.]

How would you compare oxiclean to PBW? Will PBW remove stains?

 

[winemaker81]

How would you compare oxiclean to PBW? Will PBW remove stains?

I have never used PBW, so I can't compare.

 

[VinesnBines]

PBW will remove anything except scratches. Expensive but effective. I’ve yet to find anything it won’t clean; save a flower vase that is etched and cloudy.

 

[Darrell Hawley]

How would you compare oxiclean to PBW? Will PBW remove stains?

I still use a steel mug to drink coffee as it keeps it hot for a long time. PBW did a great job of getting it completely clean of the coffee stains. PBW not used for just wine ANYMORE.