How do you guys clean these things when they are coated with stubborn smegma? The 1st 2 times I used them they cleaned up fairly easy with a soak in PBW, a bit of swishing and swirling, then a soak in StarSan and a rinse.
This time I have stubborn smegma that I cannot seem to get off. I’ve done 2 three hour PBW soaks followed by swirling and swishing then an overnight StarSan soak – and still can’t get it clean.
I soak for about an hour with hot oxiclean. After that I drain out all but a quart or two and stuff in a cotton wash cloth. Give it a bunch of swirls and shakes to get the gunk off and rinse well.
I’ve never had thus exact problem but have had to deal with cook pots with burned on gunk.
Let it soak for a week with plain water, give it a good wipe; repeat as necessary. A long enough soak in water will loosen most anything.
I don’t have oxiclean but I think PBW is essentially the same? I do the same thing but haven’t tried the additional step of using the wash cloth. I’ll give that a try too.
Right now I’m trying a soak with an ounce of C-Brite since I have some old packs hanging around with my cleaning supplies.
Craftmeister alkaline cleaner. It cleans better in cold water than PBW does in hot water.
Oxiclean and pbw have the same active ingredient. PBW had some additional stuff that makes it rinse easier, but oxiclean is 80% cheaper.
Smegma?!
“noun: smegma: a sebaceous secretion in the folds of the skin, especially under a man’s foreskin.”
Using full bio-hazard gear, deposit it in the trash. The out-of-doors trash.
Awesome. I was thinking similar. ;D
Gross.
I always though smegma was just generic for gunk or grime.
Stop sticking your @#$% in them!
Nope. I always do a 24 hour soak with Oxiclean Free in the garage. After that, I’ve never seen anything a swish and swirl with a microfiber wash cloth wouldn’t get out. Maybe you’re not soaking long enough.
I do that with glass.
But I’m pretty sure the better bottle website says not to soak them for long periods of time in caustic cleaners. I think they specifically mention PBW.
I often swish and swirl a washcloth inside before I soak it with a cleanser. It seems to remove more gunk than just rinsing and sloshing. I figure it means less gunk for the cleanser to remove.
To the same effect, I’ve been using these lately in my 1-gallon jugs that I use for starters and test batches. I don’t know if they’re too small for a full-sized better bottle, but they certainly work as advertised in smaller bottles.
http://www.containerstore.com/s/need-it/kitchen/bean-bottle-cleaning-sponges/12d?productId=10035726
Hot oxy and a bottle brush for me, regardless of how clean they seem prior. Then thorough rinse and starsan dip.
Or you could use them for sour beers. Some folks think that added goop gives the beer complexity. Frankly I prefer not having that kind of complexity, so warn me in advance please.
I’m fairly sure the only penis I’ve had in beer is raccoon penis.
Awkward silence
I use one step which is similar to oxyclean. I often have carboys and bottles that are completely opaque from containing dark melomels for years and it removes it like nothing, often without a soak.
You can use the standard brewing cleaning products, but be sure to use the stated dilutions and rinse thoroughly. Lastly don’t leave a Better Bottle in contact with dried sanitizer - supposedly that can lead to microcracks over time.