Cleaning your stainless steel? (SS brewbuckets)

xozzx · Jan 5, 2018

I have had a couple of brewbuckets for a while now but every time it comes to cleaning them Im worried about damaging them with chlorine bleach. Im not sure which of the main cleaners are suitable for them.

Anyone know if the likes of VWP, chemiclean oxi, sodium percarbonate, etc are safe for use? It would be good if we could build a list of safe and unsafe cleaners as I think these are popular FVs.

Cheers

EDIT:

Safe:
PBW
Trisodium Phosphate (Non-chlorinated)
Bar Keepers friend (Use carefully, avoid contact with any etchings)

Not safe:
VWP

Not sure?:
Sodium percarbonate

Honk · Jan 5, 2018

I've just got one and gave it an initial clean with sodium percabonate. But am interested with what others use. I think I had the card that came with it and was going to list out what it said to use and not use but I can't find it now.

foxbat · Jan 5, 2018

Perhaps the SS Brewtech FAQ can help? Cleaning, care and first-time use.

raymondo · Jan 5, 2018

This is the reply I received when I put the question to VWP.

Have I used it yet - no!

I believe VWP is chlorine based - interested to see where this thread goes,

Raymondo

info [email protected]

Yes our products are safe with stainless steel, absolutely.

Regards,

HL Hames.

Warehouse manager

foxbat · Jan 5, 2018

Honk said:
I've just got one and gave it an initial clean with sodium percabonate. But am interested with what others use. I think I had the card that came with it and was going to list out what it said to use and not use but I can't find it now.

If I was you I'd go over it with some Bar Keeper's Friend. See post #17, 18 in this thread for someone who skipped that part.

meirion658 · Jan 5, 2018

foxbat said:
If I was you I'd go over it with some Bar Keeper's Friend. See post #17, 18 in this thread for someone who skipped that part.

The booklet states keep well away from Bar keepers friend. If you can't get hold of TSP (ebay) then use soapy water and give a good clean/wash prior to soaking in starsan solution

xozzx · Jan 6, 2018

foxbat said:
Perhaps the SS Brewtech FAQ can help? Cleaning, care and first-time use.

It only states PBW or Trisodium Phosphate (non-chlorinated). They make a big deal about avoiding chlorine but it is not always clear which cleaners are chlorinated.

treebeard · Jan 6, 2018

xozzx said:
I have had a couple of brewbuckets for a while now but every time it comes to cleaning them Im worried about damaging them with chlorine bleach. Im not sure which of the main cleaners are suitable for them.

Anyone know if the likes of VWP, chemiclean oxi, sodium percarbonate, etc are safe for use? It would be good if we could build a list of safe and unsafe cleaners as I think these are popular FVs.

Cheers

EDIT:

Safe:
PBW
Trisodium Phosphate (Non-chlorinated)
Bar Keepers friend (Use carefully, avoid contact with any etchings)

Not safe:

Not sure?:
VWP
Sodium percarbonate

I have a SSBrewtech 7 gal chronical FV. PBW is so expensive so I use a weak solution of VWP for 30 minutes in warm water, then thoroughly rinse with clean water. Following that I do another clean with sodium percarbonate followed by soaking it in Starsan overnight and then empty it out just before I brew.

VWP is definitely chlorine based and is very strong. :)

foxbat · Jan 6, 2018

meirion658 said:
The booklet states keep well away from Bar keepers friend. If you can't get hold of TSP (ebay) then use soapy water and give a good clean/wash prior to soaking in starsan solution

I just cleaned my no-name stainless pot with BKF. The cloth came up silver/grey afterwards so it definitely removed something off the surface and the pot is shinier than it's ever been. They say the oxalic acid in BKF passivates it (whatever that means), protecting it from further corrosion.

If the booklet you're referring to is from SS Brewtech then the advice is probably because BKF will erase the etched volume scale on the inside.

frankieboy · Mar 31, 2019

Hi, I just received an SS Brewbucket and as I don't have any of the recommended first time cleaning agent (Tri-Sodium Phosphate) I did it with VWP (before reading this thread :-( ). After reading this and seeing it labelled as definitely not safe I decided to email them for clarification and got this reply, which if you are here you will probably find interesting!

I said that I'd read on the internet that Chlorine was damaging to stainless steel and whether their product contains any...

There are many types of chlorine, the one you should not use is sodium hypochlorite (bleach) this corrodes all metals.

The active ingredient in VWP Cleaner Steriliser is troclosene. VWP formula is a formulated product which means that it has other agents added like buffering compounds and anti-corrosive elements that make sure the action of sterilising is at maximum but corrosivity is at minimum. Other agents promote the cleaning action so you have a product that cleans AND sterilises in one operation.

VWP has been used for nearly 40 years in the catering industry and also industrial bottling plants which use mainly stainless steel. So, rest assured that VWP Cleaner Steriliser will not harm stainless steel, if fact you will find that it protects it.

That said, I have now gone and bought some TSP off Amazon anyway!

Bigjas · Mar 31, 2019

I have been using VWP on my stainless boiler for the last year with no ill effect. It gets a soak in VWP and then a good rinse and left to dry.
(My boiler is not a SS Brewbucket, not sure if different manufacturers use different types of stainless steel?)

kelper · Mar 31, 2019

VWP smells of chlorine. They don't list the ingredients and I have been unable to find an MSDS. But chlorine attacks the chromium oxide layer that protects stainless steel. I would suggest not using it. If you scrub or scour stainless steel be careful not to use a wire brush or anything similar in case you embed iron in the surface as this will cause localised rusting.
Pure iron burns in air! You can try setting fire to wire wool - it lights very easily. My chemistry teacher would dip wire wool in something like mercuric chloride which removed a layer of iron oxide. The wire wool would spontaneously combust!

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