VWP Cheaper alternatives?

[Covey]

Hi Guys,
Is there any other alternative to VWP,
thanks

[Ciderhead]

Will swears by Lidls "W5" non perfumed one, but I think he also washes his smalls in his brew buckets

[matthewdick23]

videne is the answer. u can get ur chemist to order it. it's what surgeons use before going into theatre.  you want the stuff without the hand moisturiser though.  1.25 ml mixes with 1 L of water to give a no rinse touch sterilising solution. I've done probably about 30 batches of beer and have only recently gone into my second bottle. most expensive ive seen it is £8

[Dr Jacoby]

If you're looking for a cleaner you could try any of the oxy cleaners on the market. Lidl or Aldi do a cheap one but I can't remember which. Starstan is probably the most commonly used no rinse sanitiser.

[Eoin]

videne is the answer. u can get ur chemist to order it. it's what surgeons use before going into theatre.  you want the stuff without the hand moisturiser though.  1.25 ml mixes with 1 L of water to give a no rinse touch sterilising solution. I've done probably about 30 batches of beer and have only recently gone into my second bottle. most expensive ive seen it is £8

It's not a substitute for star san he's looking for, it's a substitute for VWP which is a bleach based cleaner and sanitiser. You'd use the Videne afterwards to do no rinse before bottling.

[Covey]

I have used VWP for both purposes clean/sanitize it is a chlorine based after all. Never had to use a specific sanitizer why would you if thing are visible clean then VWP will kill 99% of baddies. Is the lidl chlorine based i wonder.

[Dr Jacoby]

Never had to use a specific sanitizer why would you if thing are visible clean

Lots of people use Starsan because it is a no rinse sanitiser and it kills nasties on contact. In other words, it's incredibly easy and quick to use. I don't think VWP is no rinse but maybe I'm wrong?

[Padraic]

Always one to like an organised list:

Cleaning
VWP
W5 (Lidl)
Oxiclean
(are all three of these the same thing with different brand names?)

Sanatising
Starsan
Videne
iodaphor
bleach/vinegar
Paracetic acid

[Dr Jacoby]

Nice 

[Covey]

Always one to like an organised list:

Cleaning
VWP
W5 (Lidl)
Oxiclean
(are all three of these the same thing with different brand names?)

Sanatising
Starsan
Videne
iodaphor
bleach/vinegar
Paracetic acid

Very handy Padraic Thanks!

[Will_D]

Some basics:


Cleaning

VWP: Is a chlorine based cleaner not recommended for long term contact with stainless steel. Leaves rough plastic surfaces (i.e used plastic brewing equipment smelling of chlorine. If you use it and steep a vessel rinse out with StarSan or sodium meta-bisulphite (Campden Tabs))

W5 (Lidl) A per-carbonate solution that equals active oxygen ( a great bleaching agent/steriliser) and washing soda. Mildly caustic so don't get strong stuff on your hands.

Oxiclean: As W5 but 5 times the price and perfumed!!

(are all three of these the same thing with different brand names?)


Sanatising
Starsan: A mix of an acid sanitiser and a cleaning agent(surfactant) - non rinse - needs about 20seconds or so do do its job. Must be made fresh or if used in a spray bottle then you must use RO or de-ionised or diistilled water to dilute. Used this way (dilute spray) it is VERY ecconomical.

Videne: No Idea what this is

iodaphor: An Iodine based sanitiser but I have no info!

bleach/vinegar: Cheap and home made! Never mix the two concentrates together. Would leave traces of vinegar and chlorine behind!

Peracetic acid: Vinegar on steroids! Again a substance that decomposes into Acetic acid and Water and active oxygen! In concentrated form its serious nasty stuff. Some industrial/agricultural stregths will take your hand off let alone your lungs! Be careful

[Cathal O D]

Why do you need to use RO or distilled water with StarSan?

[Eoin]

Why do you need to use RO or distilled water with StarSan?

If you have hard water it turns the star san milky, and this is the point that the guy from Five Star says that star san is no longer effective and it is not a good idea to keep it and reuse it.
If you use RO or distilled water then it stays clear and you can put it away to use the next time and save lots of star san.

[Dr Jacoby]

If you have hard water it turns the star san milky, and this is the point that the guy from Five Star says that star san is no longer effective and it is not a good idea to keep it and reuse it.
If you use RO or distilled water then it stays clear and you can put it away to use the next time and save lots of star san.

This has been disputed by a few people online who have run experiments and found that the pH remains very low even when Starsan goes cloudy. I can't remember where I read about this but maybe Adam would know?

My Starsan goes cloudy almost straight away but seems to remain effective. I haven't seen the need to use distilled/RO water.

[Metattron]

For cleaning I use hot water and a microfibre cloth on plastic and a Vileda sponge on metal.  I use Chemipro Oxi on anything that has hard to reach nooks.

Everything is sanitized with Starsan before using again.  It's great because a large bottle will last ages.  It's expensive, but it can be reused several times as everything is already clean.  Just bottle it in a 5l plastic bottle and keep till next you need it.

I've been doing this for over a year now and never had a problem.

I'm wary about using supermarket oxi cleaners.  They are only about 30% oxi cleaner, so what is the other 70%?  And is it food safe?  I couldn't find any info on this, but since they are sold for laundry use I'm not willing to risk it.