What do other members think of using bleach for sterilising bottles before bottling the latest batch of home brew?
What proportion of bleach to water is used?
Does it leave a taste or smell? and finally,
Is it regular household bleach that is used, or is it something along the lines of Milton baby bottle sterilising liquid?
I wash mine with hot water & a bottle brush. Then rinse, check against a lamp to see all is clear & stack them in the oven to sterilize. 110[ch730]c for 15 mins. I can stack 45 sierra nevada stubbies in the oven at a time.
Bleach/vinegar works just fine when mixed at the correct ratio, its also no rinse.
Into 19l of water add 30ml of thin bleach and 30ml of vinegar. (please note that neat bleach and neat vinegar must NEVER be mixed)
I use it. I soak about 50ml in a fermenter with c.25L water for a while. Then I give them a shake with my thumb over the top before emptying and rinsing twice.
I'd do the bleach and vinegar thing too but I can never find thin bleach in tesco/lidl
I use Jeyes Parozone thin bleach with Vinegar.
20l water, 30ml bleach, 30ml vinegar
I picked up a gallon of Selden Amphoclen...
http://www.selden.co.uk/products/product_assistant_information.asp?section=4&pil_id=114
At pH13.5, this should be interesting to work with...