| Cleaners,
sanitisers and preservatives are not the
same thing. Cleaners may leave your equipment bright and clean but
not sanitary enough to use for home brewing. Some sanitizers work
as preservatives but some preservatives don't sanitize. As an aside,
there is a difference between sanitizing and sterilizing. What most
home brewers have to aim for is sanitation: keeping the population of spoilage
organisms as low as possible. Sterilization, on the other hand, is
tough to achieve. A good rule of thumb is this: if you can keep your
equipment looking, smelling, and feeling clean at all times you'll have
fewer problems keeping everything sanitized. Rinse out bottles and
carboys as soon as they are empty. Store beer equipment with a little
chlorine solution in it and wine making equipment with a little sulfite
solution. But don't mix the two solutions; dangerous gases can be
produced. If you get tired of scrubbing and sanitizing, just remember
90% of all failures in home beer and wine making can be attributed to lapses
in sanitation. |
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