sanitize rights and wrongs

[La brewski]

so far i have made 5 brews with no prob to sanitize my bottles i was soaking with washing up liquid scrubbing with bottle brush and rinsing with very hot water, then a run in the dish washer.Took a fair bit of time and its getting boring so i ordered some starsan but i cant really find a step by step guide on how to use it i have an ipa to bottle this weekend so really dont want to mess it up .Can someone take a min to give me a quick run down thanks in advance have a few ideas but dont want to risk my precious brew 

[phildo79]

Easiest method I found was using a second FV. Fill it with 6L of water, then add required amount of Star San or similar (mine is 1.5ml per 1L), then submerge as many bottles as you can, remove one at a time, drain, fill with beer, cap, repeat.

Depends on your set-up though, I suppose.

[LordEoin]

if using a full FV of sanitizer add 30ml distilled vinegar and 30ml thick bleach to 20l water.
Never mix them undiluted or your lungs will melt and you'll die in a puddle of your own insides.
sanitized in 12 seconds as opposed to 30 for starsan. iirc

Personally I just rinse the crud out of bottles as i use them and let them dry upside down.
When it's time to use them i sanitize using a bottling tree with what i can only describe as a 'pump fountain'
https://www.homebrewwest.ie/craft-range-48-bottle-tree--drainer-plus-yellow-rinser--sanitizer-3738-p.asp
That way I end up using about 2ml of starsan instead of 30ml, and most of the excess goes in a spray bottle for other things.

[La brewski]

I got one of those yellow rinsers when I got my first bit of gear so a quick blast of that with starsan and u reckon it's ok no need to wait for it to dry

[La brewski]

No one waits for bottles to  dry I take it just the excess drops out

[TheSumOfAllBeers]

Easiest way to make up star san solution is to buy some tesco ashbeck water, 5L of it, and add 5ml of star san into it. Low minerality means that it wont compromise the pH capability of star san (which is a concern among some people with very hard water).

It will keep for a long time in the 5L container, and you can top up bottle plunger/ washer or spray bottle as needed.

The dishwasher is an excellent way of sanitising btw - it will kill yeasts that star san wont kill. So loading up the dishwasher before the bottling session (no detergent) and then touching up with starsan before actually filling the bottles is a very complete solution. If you follow that 1-2 strategy you will never have issues with bottles even when reusing bottles that are not scrupulously clean.

And the dishwasher is a great way of getting bottles properly sanitised before long term storage (like boxing them up).

Also, these drip trays: http://www.thehomebrewcompany.ie/fast-rack-24-drip-rack-p-3632.html work a lot better than bottles trees and are more space saving. Combined with a plunger/rinser http://www.thehomebrewcompany.ie/bottle-rinser-steriliser-small-yellow-p-3657.html a bottle brush and a spray bottle you have everything you need to keep bottled clean and sanitary.

A dishwasher is also a great nuke-from-orbit option.

[CH]

I have to disagree with you there and we've had this discussion before in lots of other threads, dishwashers are not an effective way of cleaning and sanitising bottles the jets of water cannot get the the base of an upturned bottle and the water is not hot enough.
The general concensus is
1. Rinse after drinking
2. Cruddy bottles need a soak in vwp, oxi, or any other cleaner, bleach/vinegar etc, you choose, best with with warm water.
3. Rinse well to avoid any residue going into your beer
4. Use one of these with appropriate level of starsan, syringe from local chemist will help you measure accurately http://www.thehomebrewcompany.ie/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=580
You can use dishwasher tray to let drip dry just don't put the prong in the bottle.
5. For long term storage an uncrimped cap or clingfilm on the top of the dry bottle works but repeat from step three again before final use.

[TheSumOfAllBeers]

I wasn't advocating the dishwasher as the exclusive sanitation method, and I wasn't advocating it as a bottle cleaner, but I was not super clear about it.

But it does heat the bottles hot enough and long enough to pasteurise them of yeasts and other bugs that starsan won't kill.

If someone cam point me to some research conflicting this, I will stand corrected.

If you are relying on it exclusively for sanitation, you are in trouble. You need a contact sanitiser that you apply prior to use.

[molc]

One other issue with a dishwasher is that is had food particles in it which can get pushed into the bottles. Also it can't remove dried in matter easily. While you will pasturise, the matter will still be there and give places for bugs to hide and over time build up and catch you out.