(Last Updated On: January 28, 2019)

There’s no doubt about it.

You might have the best recipe and brewing skills in the world, but if you don’t follow proper cleaning and sanitizing steps along the way, your homebrew WILL suffer.

In this article, I’m going to explain some key cleaning and sanitizing products and methods for all your homebrewing equipment.

You can save time, money, and (most importantly) BEER by following a few best practices, which I’m going to share with you.

Choose The Right Products

Partners In Grime: My Own PBW and Star San

Before we go further, I’m going to talk a bit about the two main products I will be referencing through all the cleaning and sanitizing steps to follow.

If I had to choose just two products for all of my cleaning and sanitizing needs, this would be them.

Both of these products are made by 5 Star Chemicals, a brand well-known and trusted by professionals and homebrewers alike.

Now let’s talk a little more about each of these great products.

PBW (Powdered Brewery Wash)

PBW is probably the most commonly used and highly appreciated cleaning product for homebrewers.

PBW is described by 5 Star as an alkaline, non-caustic, environmentally and user friendly cleaner.

It is available in multiple sizes, depending on your needs. I recommend buying the biggest size you can afford, as the price per pound goes way down as you buy larger amounts.

For example, a 4 pound tub costs about 40% less (per-pound) than a 1 pound tub!

But this stuff is great for cleaning all sorts of things, so I like to have plenty on-hand at all times.





See larger image Five Star P.B.W. Cleanser – 4 Pounds (Misc.) Features: PBW is an alkaline, non-caustic, environmentally and user friendly cleaner

Cleaner is very effective in removing thick, difficult, and caked-on organic soils

Effective substitute for caustic soda cleaners and household cleaners

Can clean items that cannot be reached with a brush or sponge by simply soaking and rinsing

Safe on skin as well as stainless steel, rubber, soft metals, and on plastics New From: $29.02 ($7.26 / Pound) In Stock

PBW Instructions

It is recommended to use one or two ounces per gallon when cleaning brew kettles and crusty fermenters. You can use a bit less on less-soiled items like bottles, kegs, etc.

If you want, you can let these items soak in your cleaning solution for a day or so. A gentle scrub with a sponge or brush, followed by a quick rinse should leave your gear clean, and debris-free.

Don’t use abrasives to scrub your gear, especially things like plastic bottles or buckets! Use soft sponges, cloth, or brushes to avoid scratching.

Scratches become perfect hidey-holes for organic matter (which can hold bacteria). It is very difficult to assure proper cleaning and sanitation with scratched vessels.

PBW is great for removing organic matter from pretty much all of your brewery equipment. It is safe for use on stainless steel, aluminum, tubing, hoses, gaskets, etc.

Just remember to hit everything with a dose of Star San before contact with beer or wort!

Here’s a link to download the PBW Instruction and Information Sheet.

Star San

Star San is a no-rinse sanitizer used by MANY homebrewers, and for good reason. It is very simple and safe to use, and you don’t even need to rinse afterwards!

5 Star describes this product as a high foaming, acid anionic, no-rinse sanitizer.

I had to look up the word “anionic”.

Apparently, it refers to negatively charged ions, and is a common property of surfactants like soap and sanitizers. This property is also what makes Star San useful for passivating your stainless steel kettles and fermenters.

It’s the acidity that does the sanitizing (killing bacteria and other bad guys), and it’s the high-foaming characteristic that makes it great for coating surfaces of bottles, fermenters, fittings, etc.

Speaking of foaming….

Don’t Fear The Foam!

The first thing you’ll notice after mixing a batch of sanitizer using Star San is that it kind of looks like soapy, foamy water. But it’s not soap!

Those bubbles are an important feature that allow the sanitizer to achieve better surface contact using less product.

I know the first few times I filled bottles or kegs with Star San bubbles still present made me nervous… but it has no negative impact on your beer.





See larger image Five star Star San Acid Sanitizer for Surface Sanitation, 32oz (Misc.) Features: Everything you love about five Star sanitizer (Star san) but in an economical 32 oz. Container

The folks at Star san even kept the handy measuring tool built into the container making dilutions quick and easy

Manufactured in United States New From: $23.00 ($0.72 / ounce) In Stock

Just like with PBW, recommend buying larger amounts of Star San when possible, because it’s so much cheaper.

For example, a 32oz bottle of Star San is about 1/2 the price (per ounce) compared to an 8oz bottle!

Star-San Instructions

“Prepare a use solution of 1 oz. of Star San

per 5 gallons of tap water. Apply on surfaces with a cloth mop, sponge, spray or by a 5 minute

immersion. For spray applications, use a course mist, with pump or trigger spray. Spray 6 to 8 inches

from surface; rub with a brush, cloth or sponge. With spray, cover or remove all food products. For all

applications, allow to air dry, however surfaces must remain wet for at least one minute.” 5 Star Website: https://www.fivestarchemicals.com/wp-content/uploads/StarSanTech-HB2.pdf

When I mix up a batch of sanitizer, I always keep some in a bucket, and some in a spray bottle.

The bucket is great for soaking fittings, airlocks, and other parts, while the spray bottle is great for sanitizing hand-held utensils and other random items.

Here’s a link to 5 Star’s Star San Data Sheet for more information.

Measuring Star San before mixing with water

Measuring out your Star San for dilution is super easy thanks to the built-in measuring thingy on the bottle.

Just open the cap and squeeze until the right amount of Star San is in the little square section, then add to the correct amount of water.

8 Rules Of Cleaning and Sanitizing

5 Star has a neat list of 8 rules on their website. I’m going to “borrow” this list (it’s really good) and add a little more explanation around each one of the items.

1. You can only sanitize clean equipment

Your gear, bottles, etc will never be properly sanitized if they weren’t cleaned properly first.

Cleaning is the act of removing all debris, gunk, chunks, grit, and so forth from your equipment.

2. Dirty equipment will always contain bacteria

ANY gunk, debris, or residue on your equipment is a potential home for bacteria. This is only natural. Bacteria is everywhere.

Bacteria play an important role in Earth’s ecosystem, but unless you are intentionally brewing a sour beer style, you want to keep it away from your beer.

Anything that touches your beer on the cold-side (after the boil) must be absolutely clean and sanitized to prevent unwanted bacteria from infecting your batch!

3. Cleaners are NOT sanitizers

This is a very important distinction to make. It’s quite common (especially for beginners) to confuse these two practices (and products).

A clean surface is definitely better than a dirty one. But there is no substitute for the use of a sanitizing solution to kill bacteria and other microorganisms that would love to run amok in your brew.

4. Sanitizers are NOT cleaners

Sanitizers like Star San are at their best when applied to smooth, non-porous materials.

Organic material like dried trub, hop matter, etc are not able to be effectively sanitized, and must be thoroughly removed by your cleaning solution.

Once all the foreign material has been cleaned away, you can proceed with sanitizing your gear.

5. Time, Temperature, Agitation (Decrease One, Increase The Other)

The theory here is that these three variables all have an impact on the effectiveness of your cleaning and sanitizing efforts.

It makes sense. The longer you soak a soiled fermenter with PBW, the easier it is to scrub off the gunk.

And swirling your cleaning solution around (agitation) helps break up said gunk.

Finally, if your gear and cleaning solution are in a cold garage, soaking will take longer to achieve the same results you would see at room temperature.

Science!

6. Do not overuse chemicals (More is not better)

It’s really important to follow the manufacturer’s instructions when dealing with ANY kind of chemical.

That’s just basic safety.

As an example, it’s important to mix your Star San at the recommended dosage. Undiluted (or very strong concentrations of) Star San can damage countertops, flooring, etc.

Ask me how I know….

7. Cleaners and sanitizers must touch all surfaces

If you think about it, this just makes sense. For example, if you are sanitizing bottles, you want every surface of that bottle that the beer makes contact with to be sanitized. That includes the caps!

I like to keep a little tub with some prepared Star San and all the bottle caps I expect to use sitting next to me as I bottle.

8. Don’t add water to chemicals, add chemicals to water

This is a rule I am guilty of breaking now and again. I used to always just add the amount of Star-San I needed to my bucket, then add the correct amount of water; it just seemed like an easy way to mix them!

I was intrigued by this rule, so I did a little digging.

If you add water into concentrated acid, the heat will go into the still very concentrated acid. This can cause it to fume, spatter or even boil – giving off corrosive fumes and droplets.

If you add acid into water, the heat is absorbed by the water which just warms slightly but remains un-reactive.

This is due to the hydrogen bonding in water, which means a lot of energy is needed to make it boil – the heat from a dilution is usually not enough to do this. camlab.info

When Sanitization Really Matters

There are two main stages of brewing that require special attention to cleaning and sanitizing. Brew Day, and Packaging Day. But we can’t forget about taking gravity readings, transferring to a secondary fermenter, etc!

Brew Day

Obviously, we need to be careful about cleanliness and sanitation when we are actually making the beer.

Before The Boil

If you are an all grain brewer, you will be dealing with crushed grains, which are definitely NOT sanitized. But that’s okay, because the boil will kill off any harmful bacteria.

But this is NOT to say that cleaning is not important at this stage! Your mash tun, tubing, any pumps, and kettle should all be nice and clean before starting a new batch.

That way you won’t unintentionally sour your mash, pull in gunk from a hose, valve, or fitting, or boil your wort along with caked on residue from a previous batch.

Best practice is to give this equipment a thorough cleaning after every use, so it is in good shape before you begin the mash or boil on your next batch.

It’s much easier to clean right away than after letting residue and debris harden up.

After The Boil

Once your wort is chilling, it’s time to be concerned about contamination. From this point on, anything that touches your wort must be sanitized!

This includes transfer tubing, fermenters, lids, airlocks, etc.

I usually do an extra cleaning of my fermenter before sanitizing it, even though I already clean them after use. It may be overkill, but so far no infected batches with this method…

Packaging Day

When it comes time to bottle or keg your homebrew, sanitation is super-duper important.

At this stage, the amount of yeast left in suspension will be far less, and they will be stressed from fermentation activity.

Introduction of bacteria at the packaging stage (when your beer is at its most vulnerable) can be catastrophic.

This is especially true in the case of bottle conditioning. You will be adding priming sugar (food) and storing the beer in a semi-warm environment for a period of weeks or months.

Any bacteria that finds its way into your bottles is going to find prime conditions for infection.

There are a number of products on the market that make cleaning and sanitizing your bottles prior to packaging much easier.

Care must also be taken when kegging your beer. All of your transfer tubing, interconnects, keg parts, etc should be clean and sanitized prior to transfer.

Granted, it’s likely that your kegged beer will immediately go into cold storage, which will slow down infection, but negative effects are still possible!





See larger image Home Brew Ohio Keg Cleaner (Misc.) Features: Original keg cleaner

Super absorbent

Lint free

Will not scratch any surface

Cleaning rod made of high quality stainless steel New From: $15.03 In Stock

And don’t forget your draft lines and faucets! These are prime targets for crud buildup, which leads to bacterial growth. You should properly clean and sanitize your keg lines regularly.





See larger image Kegconnection 31002 BLC Beverage System Cleaner-32 oz (Kitchen) Features: Designed to Clean your Kegerator & Kegerator Kits Beer Lines

Specifically designed to clean food grade beer lines

Used to replace the cleaners that come with standard cleaning kits

Good for up to 64 cleanings New From: $20.80 In Stock





See larger image Kegerator Beer Line Cleaning Kit – All Necessary Cleaning Accessories and Powder Cleaning Compound Features: Includes 1 quart bottle, hose assembly and o-ring, faucet wrench and brush, ball lifter, and powder cleaning compound.

Includes step-by-step cleaning instructions for your draft beer lines with pictures showing proper use of the kit.

Kit is gravity feed so there is no need for pumps or additional supplies, hose assembly fits all standard draft towers.

Quality seal materials and design prevent leaking problems that occur with some other beer line cleaning kits.

100% money back guarantee. If you are not completely satisfied we will refund or replace your kit, no questions asked! New From: $39.95 In Stock

Homebrew Cleaning Regimen

Here’s a sample cleaning regimen, which you can adapt to your own process and equipment. I’ve been using these methods for years without infection issues.

Homebrew Cleaning And Sanitization Regimen

Equipment When To Clean When To Sanitize Notes Mash Tun After Use I generally don’t sanitize my mash tun, since it will never touch the wort after boiling. A thorough cleaning after use is sufficient Boil Kettle After Use Again, I don’t generally sanitize my boil kettle, as the heat of the boil will kill off any bacteria. Fermenter, Lid, Airlock Before and After Use Before Use Tubing, Fittings, Etc After Use Before Use Bottles & bottling Accessories After Use Before Use Kegs, Fittings, Lines, Etc After Use Before Use Many folks don’t do a full disassembly and cleaning of their kegs after every batch, but you should keep track of how long it’s been!

In general, most equipment should be properly cleaned after each use, so that they are ready to be used when the time comes.

I like to clean my gear AFTER using it, then give a quick rinse (to remove dust, etc) followed by sanitizer BEFORE using it.

Of course, if your equipment has been sitting for awhile between batches, it never hurts to dull a full clean/sanitization procedure before using.

There are some exceptions, such as my mash tun and kettle, which I generally don’t sanitize.

The mash tun is never in contact with wort after the boil, and the kettle is generally going to “self sanitize” during the heat of the boil.

That said, once chilling has begun, it’s important than everything that touches your wort/beer is clean and has been properly sanitized!

Conclusion

In this article, we talked about:

The importance of following best practice

The difference between cleaning and sanitizing

Recommended products for keeping your gear and process clean and sanitary

Best practices for cleaning and sanitizing all your gear

Alternative methods and products

I hope you found this information helpful. If you did, please feel free to use the share buttons to pass this content along to your homebrewing friends!

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