Most convenient way to sterilize just a stirring spoon

[dirty squid]

I have no issues sterilizing one of these at the start as it goes into the bin when that gets cleaned but its a real pain due to its size to just sterilize on its own, does anyone have any quick and easy way of sterilizing just the spoon by itself.

 

[RobWalker]

i keep all of my plastic kit in a FV containing sodium metabisulphate solution up to about 10L - including airlocks, bungs, etc. seal it up, and it's all ready to go on brewday. best thing I ever did.

providing the spoon is wet, it'll be sanitizing, so just dunk it in and swish it about as needed. if you need a fast solution, boiling kettle water is an instant bacteria killer.

 

[bobsbeer]

I use thin bleach and put a bit in the sink and dunk it in. Cheap and easy.

 

[memit]

I just pour over boiling water

 

[dirty squid]

In regards to the kettle technique do you hold the spoon over the steam or just pour the hot water over it? It makes you wonder if a cheap steam cleaner would be useful in this game :

 

[Will12283]

I have thought about getting a cheap steam cleaner and it might be worth it. Normally I just pour boiling water over the spoon to sterilise it.

 

[oldstout]

I just pour over boiling water

+1 boil the kettle and pour over spoon :thumb:

Simple as that

:

 

[Cononthebarber]

This looks pretty good for the price...would save using sanitiser fluid and spilling it on SWMBO's purple place mat and staining it (for example)...

 

[oldstout]

This looks pretty good for the price...would save using sanitiser fluid and spilling it on SWMBO's purple place mat and staining it (for example)...

To clean ONE spoon???

Are you serious???

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

 

[richc]

StarSan in a garden pressure sprayer

 

[oldstout]

StarSan in a garden pressure sprayer

For ONE SPOON?????????????

Methinks some folks have been on the homebrew tonight????????


:lol:

 

[mak]

I keep a large flower vase in the bathroom full of steriliser fluid at all times, just dunk it in there and stir, leave a few mins, turn it upside down, leave a few more and there you go....

I also store airlocks etc in it... no need to boil a kettle then

 

[PD]

when I moved to all grain brewing I purchased a 5 litre measuring jug, and its very handy for all sorts of things. But when brewing I fill it with ster.solution and drop all the bits in it. Its around 12 inches tall so a stirring spoon or ladle is well covered for 3/4 of its length.

 

[Stihler]

Is there really a need to sanitize a stirring spoon?

I mean, you are stirring wort which is being boiled so anything introduced during stirring should be killed.

I suspect that anything intially residing on the spoon would be quickly rinsed off and killed.

Certainly once the boil is completed and you start cooling it one should discontinue stirring.

If anything was actually introduced to the wort from the spoon near the end of the boil by the time you stop stirring and start cooling, whatever was introduced will likely have been in contact with wort of at least 140° F (60° C) for at least 15-20 minutes in which case it should no longer be viable.

Of course, having said that I do sometimes throw the spoon in the five gallon bucket of Iodophor solution I use to santize brewing equipment when I've finished brewing to get the sticky wort residue off.

Oh well...just by two cents worth.

- Scott

 

[Moley]

Fair comment Scott, for AG brewers, but we don't know what squid is mixing or why the spoon is needed again later.

If brewing kit beers then the spoon and everything else is sterilised along with the FV at the start, but why would you need to stir anything again after first mixing?

For wine making I might be stirring a bucketful of fruit 2-3 times a day for up to a week and my spoon or paddle just gets a squirt of Videne from a trigger spray. The bottle is an old opaque dark blue Domestos bottle so the solution isn't exposed to light, and the slightly acidified solution costs a few pennies and stays usable for the week.

 

[PD]

Yes fair point made above. However I always have the jug filled with steriliser handy and the spoon gets dumped in each time its used, more for cleaning it than anything else. Its also better than laying it down on work surfaces ( at least I know where it is ! ) The jug also holds jar and hydrometer, the thermometer's probe gets dipped in it at various times to clean it. Even my hands have been rinsed in it ( that wort is darned sticky )
But yes the boiling process will usually kill the nasties.

 

[zgoda]

There are disinfectants made for cosmetolotists, in bottle with spray. It's usually 70% alcohol, propyl and butyl. Completely food safe, no rinse sanitizer. Spray on spoon, wait few seconds and you are ready.

 

[Dave1970]

StarSan in a garden pressure sprayer

For ONE SPOON?????????????

Methinks some folks have been on the homebrew tonight????????


:lol:

I do this, not a daft idea at all, I have a 500ml dettol spray bottle full of ready mixed starsan, 2 squeezes of the trigger, wait 30 secs, job done. A lot quicker (&more energy efficient) than boiling a kettle

 

[graysalchemy]

As above but with videne. :thumb:

I use it also for hydrometers turkey basters etc. I also spray my hands as well.

 

[richc]

StarSan in a garden pressure sprayer

For ONE SPOON?????????????

Methinks some folks have been on the homebrew tonight????????


:lol:

I do this, not a daft idea at all, I have a 500ml dettol spray bottle full of ready mixed starsan, 2 squeezes of the trigger, wait 30 secs, job done. A lot quicker (&more energy efficient) than boiling a kettle

Exactly, I keep a sprayer full of starsan all the time, I just check the clarity and ph every week or so.