Mouldy fruit press

[DavieC]

Hi folks, I went into the shed the other day sorting gardening equipment out and discovered tgat my 12ltr fruit press that was put away clean after making cider last year is quite mouldy.Its a typical wooden cage/barrel type sold on ebay etc.Any advice on the best way to clean it?,ta

 

[Drunkula]

After you've cleaned it if you want to kill any bacteria/spores/yeast then make up an acidified bleach solution. Find out your bleach strength and google for instructions. 1.3ml of vinegar per litre of water and about 8ml of super cheapy thin bleach or if you've got around 5% bleach then one for one - make sure you put them into the water, not add to each other.

 

[DavieC]

Ta for that, I'll give it a go, not sure why the spores have developed, maybe it was still damp when I put it away last year.thanks again.

 

[Richie_asg1]

This must have happened to many a wine press through the centuries? I would think the above solution would be the best available today, but from what I read about old household brewing the oak barrels "would be scolded with boiling water "before being used. Would't hurt to do that anyway, but try and keep it somewhere with more air movement but under cover.

 

[DavieC]

Nearly time to make some cider so Ive got the fruit press out the shed, put into a clean garden trug, poured boiling water over all the parts, squirted some washing up liquid in, poured a little thin bleach and gave it all a good scrub, rinsed it thouroughly, mixed a distilled vinegar/ water/ thin bleach(20 ltr water, 40ml bleach,40ml vinegar) left it to soak for 3 hrs then removed from trug and moved undercover to dry.Still has one or two marks here and there but must be sanitised after that.No bleach or vinegar smell, cider making here we go!!