Best way to clean and sterilise demijohns

[Boggis Co.]

I am interested how people clean and sterilise there demijohns and what sterilising products they use , I saw on the net a lady puts her demijohns in the dishwasher but loads of people say you can't

[Icefever]

I use a bottle brush, hot water for a good scrub, and follow up with Starsan....never had a problem.

[chill]

I use one of: hot water, household bleach, Diversol (oxygenated TSP), or some no-rinse sanitizer that coverts to hydrogen peroxide in warm water. Diversol works the best when you need to clean something stuck on the glass.

Chuck

[Boggis Co.]

Has any one used Oxy-San and know where to get it ?

[Mash]

?? Why let them get dirty in the first place !
I use tap water to rinse (after use) and they are all stored with a splash of spirit in them and then resealed.

Open, sniff, drain* - use!

When was the last time you saw a bottle of gin go off

*Drain into ullage and then when you get a galllon on so.............

[Boggis Co.]

?? Why let them get dirty in the first place !
I use tap water to rinse (after use) and they are all stored with a splash of spirit in them and then resealed.

Open, sniff, drain* - use!

When was the last time you saw a bottle of gin go off

*Drain into ullage and then when you get a galllon on so.............

Good point but my dad has just bought me 5 more ,second hand ones and there quite dirty ..bless him

[Anavrin]

I use one teaspoon of VWP and warm water, let them soak for a while then use a bottle brush if needed, once clean, some spirit like others have said, if they're second hand they'll probably be a dirty on the outside as inside, they might not be as bad as they look once the outsides clean

[Capt-Cudellez]

A dirty DJ is a different problem, but for normal spirit storage mashtun is bang on the money. A bit of fairy and a rinse out if you continually store proof spirits in it is all that is needed

[Magnu420]

?? Why let them get dirty in the first place !
I use tap water to rinse (after use) and they are all stored with a splash of spirit in them and then resealed.

Open, sniff, drain* - use!

When was the last time you saw a bottle of gin go off

*Drain into ullage and then when you get a galllon on so.............

Good point but my dad has just bought me 5 more ,second hand ones and there quite dirty ..bless him

this is what i did when i got some demis that been left out in the garden for yonks
soaked them with a warm soapy water
got some stone chippings about a cupfull (stone chipping came from my house rendering)
emptied half of the soapy water
put stone chippings in
put bung on demi
and just swirled the chippings around inside the demi untill all the gunk and moss
was gone,used a brillo pad on the outside of demi,then swilled out a few times
untill there was no soapy water

a bit of advice dont use hot water and then cold water as you end up cracking the demis,use luke warm water

[Mash]

Italians use sand in a similar way. For Heavy cleaning i use truck wash (caustic)and a bottle brush ..... brilliant

[Boggis Co.]

Italians use sand in a similar way. For Heavy cleaning i use truck wash (caustic)and a bottle brush ..... brilliant

Ah when you say caustic I take it you mean caustic soda ? I use that stuff to remove paint from vintage item I restore it's great ...what would you rinse it with after tho ?

[Mash]

I triple rinse with water. truck wash has a certain amount of fairy liquid in it. So you know when you have completely rinsed it because it is forming no bubbles.

you can then put a slosh of spirit in the vessel and it is good to go.

I really really really really like caustic cleaners, I find them hard to beat and massively time saving.

The obvious public safety warning follows :-)
Wear gloves (no really)
Wear Sunnies ( or better HSE approved eye protection)
Do not use on aluminium - it will eat it.
Do not soak stainless steel in it spray and wash off. I have heard rumours that it can affect the surface of stainless steel if left onto long. I do not know if it is true, however my stainless steel collection is too expensive to risk.

The alternative, of course, is to use a steamer which is the commercial preferred option in vineyards.