Cleaning glass carboy

I don’t use glass carboys for making beer but I do use them for my wines. They are kind of nesasary for wine. When I do wine I do the initial fermentation in buckets and subsequent racking to glass. I use a jet bottle/carboy washer and it seams to work fine never need to brush. Of course there isn’t as much crud as in beer making. I know some of you primary in them what is the simplest way to clean them

I fill my carboys about one-third full with warm water and add two tablespoons of PBW after an initial jet rinse. Swirl the carboy to mix the PBW and then invert in the sink. The solution covers the krausen ring. There usually isn’t anything stuck to the glass below the krausen ring.

A day or two later I tip the carboy up and give it a quick brushing. Dump and then jet rinse with warm water. Inspect under a bright light.

I go light on the PBW so minerals don’t precipitate out and stick to the glass. To prevent stressing the glass I never hit it with cold water or hot water. The carboy is also always cushioned to prevent cracking, immediately or later when it is full of beer.

The small opening carboys I will fill with 2 gallons of water and 2 tablespoons of PBW, then I lay them on their side to soak, spinning them after a brief brushing… Since I brew where the washer and dryer are, they will lay on the dryer… I also do this with star san on brew day too, omitting the brush… just keep rolling so there is contact on all surfaces… Sneezles61

I normally use about 1oz PBW by weight per gallon size of carboy (Maybe less depending on gunk level). Fill it with hot water mix in the PBW before it’s completely full. Normally I go from warm to tap hot water slowly so I don’t cause any extra stress on the carboy. Then let it sit for an hour. Always does the trick for me. Don’t normally use a brush as it doesn’t fit the neck well no matter how much you bent it to shape. Don’t like the metal tip clinking on the glass.

When I used carboys I used a mark’s keg and carboy washer. It was dual purpose for both kegs and carboys (obviously). Now I use it solely on kegs and can clean 4/hour.

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I put a different bend in my carboy brush so the bristles are pointing out rather than the bare metal. Also use a cut out rubber stopper for the handle of the carboy brush to go through. Sort of like using a bore protector to prevent marring the crown of a rifle barrel during cleaning.

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I use Dawn and a carboy brush. Yes it clinks against the side. Then either PBW or One Step if they start looking a little hazy and fill them over night. Rinse first and last with a jet washer.

My two 6.5 gallon are dated 1995 on the bottom and still work just fine.

  1. Get the krausen scum wet
  2. Scrub like mad with the carboy brush
  3. Rinse
  4. Repeat steps 2 & 3 if necessary
  5. Add 1/2 gallon water and a couple drops of Starsan
  6. Shake well
  7. Drain
  8. Rinse off the Starsan a little bit if desired (I do)
  9. Drain and dry or fill with something to ferment.