Cheaper alternatives to Star San

Shop deals on ebay
shop deals on amazon
Advertise with us
The Homebrew Forum

Help Support The Homebrew Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
I use 3ml of Star San per brew. I suck it up with a syringe, then squirt it into a 2l bottle of still water.

I've only done 3 brews in total, but it cleans all my equipment (FV, Krausen Coller, Lid, Tap and socket; Spoon; 40 bottles and caps; bottling wand; funnel and measuring spoons) and after that it starts to get cloudy.

I reckon it's fine cloudy, but not wanting to take the chance, hence why I replace it each time.
 
Indeed using sparingly or in a spray bottle then you can use hardly any. My last bottle was half full after two years, stood on it and it popped! so had to buy a new one. Per use protafloc is more expensive per brew (including bottling).
D
 
Just to add to whats already been said StarSan is by far the cheapest method of sterilization.

I bought a bottle a couple of years back for 7 or 8 quid and have barely used any of it. I just keep reusing the made up solution which is kept in 5 litre Tesco Ashbeck water bottles (which is the water I use with StarSan).

I have lost count of the amount of brews this has been used for, just remember, if its cloudy chuck it away, I also check the pH using cheap testing strips before I use it for another brew.

So I reckon sterilization for the last 2 years has cost me £3 for the water and around 40p worth of StarSan, I would be surprised if it could be done cheaper than that :D
 
perryni said:
Just to add to whats already been said StarSan is by far the cheapest method of sterilization.


just remember, if its cloudy chuck it away, I also check the pH using cheap testing strips before I use it for another brew.
Click to expand...

Couple of points, first a pedantic one, Starsan is a sanitiser not a steriliser, it can only help to keep bacteria at a level that enables yeast to get a jump on it, it is not designed to kill everything. Second point is that fresh starsan can be cloudy but still effective, as long as the pH is 3 or below. If you mean that stage it can get to where it becomes "slimey" you may have a point, I tend to store it in the document box I mentioned earlier in the thread and there does come a point where it becomes a little unpleasant to touch, leaving a film on surfaces. I don't know whether it is still effective even at this point but I change it nevertheless.
 

Similar threads

Chippy_Tea
Cleaners or Sanitisers.
2
Replies
22
Views
4K
PerthRod
PerthRod
keat64
Using Star San for the first time
Replies
6
Views
1K
JonD_87
JonD_87
Chippy_Tea
Cleaners and Sanitisers (Dilution Rates and Uses Guide)
2 3
Replies
40
Views
26K
Wynne
Wynne
A
IO Star Vs Star San
Replies
3
Views
4K
andyakameatloaf
A
Chippy_Tea
Cleaners / Sterilisers Dilution Rates and Uses Guide
Replies
1
Views
5K
Chippy_Tea
Chippy_Tea

Latest posts

Back
Top