Cleaning old bottles

[Corners4219]

Hi
I am about to start brewing and have gained an abundance of knowledge from this site. I have aquired a number of Grolsch bottles, they are in good condition but not been used for a number of years. Some still have liquid in them. What is the best way to clean and sanitise them? I was thinking hot soapy water followed by starsan?
I have also got some old home brew bottles with screw tops, they have a rubber seal in the cap, some are a bit frayed. Are these still okay to use or are they a bit outdated now?
Any advice gratefully received.
Thanks
Corners

 

[chub1]

Hi
I am about to start brewing and have gained an abundance of knowledge from this site. I have aquired a number of Grolsch bottles, they are in good condition but not been used for a number of years. Some still have liquid in them. What is the best way to clean and sanitise them? I was thinking hot soapy water followed by starsan?
I have also got some old home brew bottles with screw tops, they have a rubber seal in the cap, some are a bit frayed. Are these still okay to use or are they a bit outdated now?
Any advice gratefully received.
Thanks
Corners

Not so sure i would trust the screw caps!.Get yourself some PET's,cheap enough and good for telling when carbed up,can re use them time after time as well

 

[Bigcol49]

Hi!
Your swing top bottles - soak them in sodium percarbonate (an ingredient of Wizz Oxy, PBW or buy it neat on ebay). Don't use washing-up liquid. Buy new rubber seals.

 

[Wilfy]

Thin bleach.

 

[Ale]

Personally I would leave them to soak, probably overnight, in something like VWP cleaner and steraliser. Its quite good at shifting dirt but can leave a taste if not completely rinsed off properly. For the grolsch bottles I would probably go for new washers.Not sure about the old screw cap things though. As Chub said, you can get cheap bottles.

 

[Robin54]

NO no bleach. Smack in a strong solution of OXI Clean (half a TSP per bottle) with hand hot water and leave over night.. This will remove all the caked on ****e. Visually inspect by holding up to the light and repeat if necessary.

 

[johnnyboy1965]

Must admit...Ive never seen screw caps with seals before.
To clean old bottles...Half fill with boiling water, oxyclean/etc...( i use something from the £ shop) top up with boiling water and leave.
I have also heard baking soda, a little vinegar and warm water

 

[Robin54]

Must admit...Ive never seen screw caps with seals before.
To clean old bottles...Half fill with boiling water, oxyclean/etc...( i use something from the �£ shop) top up with boiling water and leave.
I have also heard baking soda, a little vinegar and warm water

Your too young mate...did all my beer in these way back when. You only see them on the antiques road show now!! LOL...but still usable and why not

 

[zippy40]

I never use a cleaner in my bottles. I just make sure that I rinse them out as soon as I have used them. I sanitise witg either star san or use the hot setting on the dishwasher to sanitise. I got an infected brew last summer and the star san didnt sort it but using heat did!

 

[Corners4219]

Thank you for all the replies. I will use oxyclean to sanitize the Grolsch bottles and buy new washers. The old bottles I am not so sure about.
Cheers

 

[JapanBrew]

After all that, you really should bake them in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes
I have this kind of industrial dishwasher that boils the water. It kills everything.

 

[BlackIsland]

I'll chime in with my two cents: hot water soak overnight with sodium percarbonate will dissolve anything dried on the inside as well as any glues on the outside. First time around do a visual inspection, brush with a bottle brush if you need to, rinse the hell out of it, then put neck down in the box to keep out the dust. When you're ready to use, just sanitize and fill!

 

[ElvisIsBeer]

I rinse asap after use, then wash in quite warm soapy water, and rinse. I repeat that, possibly because I'm being cautious, then store them. I then soak in a sanitising solution before use. So far so good.

My Dad keeps providing me with his Old Peculiar empties too. Bonus is 99% of the time the labels peel off with zero effort while in the soapy water. Not the case with many other bottles. :sulk:

 

[BlackIsland]

I rinse asap after use, then wash in quite warm soapy water, and rinse. I repeat that, possibly because I'm being cautious, then store them. I then soak in a sanitising solution before use. So far so good.

My Dad keeps providing me with his Old Peculiar empties too. Bonus is 99% of the time the labels peel off with zero effort while in the soapy water. Not the case with many other bottles. :sulk:

I don't know how much beer you bottle at a time, but if you're sanitizing more than a few bottles, a vinator is a really fast way to sanitize the bottles just before filling. I sanitize 48 or more with one, then put them on a bottle tree to drain, then use from the tree as I bottle.

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