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Hi all
Have been given several demijohns, but the bottoms are caked in old sediment. I have managed to get rid of most of it, but there is still a fair amount that does not want to come out.
Does anyone know of any tricks to clean these, or does it not really matter as long as they are sterilised before use?
Any ideas would be appreciated. Thanks

Hot soapy water before sterilizing is my trick. Sterilizing solution can cope with many things, but no greasy gunk or chunks of debris before you start really. If they are reasonably clear of mess then sterilizing solution at the correct concentration will kill of any nasties lurking.

kind thougts
Deb

if you pour some rice and vinegar into the bottom of the jar you can shake it around and scour off almost anything. I used this to clean the bottom of a large spaghetti jar had something (don' ask) welded to the bottom. The vinegar cuts into the grease and the rice just acts like a scourer.

Either that or good old fashioned caustic soda solution - guarenteed to kill just about anything!

Nev

There are two things you need to do to your demijohns and other wine making equipment.

1. CLEAN them
2. STERILISE them

They're different things. Sterilising solution doesn't get things clean and cleaning products don't make things sterile.

To clean your demijohns I'd start out with very hot hot water and detergent and a huge bottle brush (available from your winemaking supplier). I've also been known to shove metal pan scrubbers down the necks with a bit of water, put a bung in and give a really good shake. They're tricky to get out again, though. A wire coat hanger helps. Colhut and Wombat's suggestions are worth a try if that doesn't work.

Only sterilise them once they're clean. If you can't get them clean, bung some gravel in the bottom, then a bit of compost and some plants and sell them as terrariums.

I had a battle with this recently. I found that very hot soapy water swished around and then a scrub with an old toothbrush attatched to a piece of dowel (to make it long enough) worked.

thanks for the rice tip colhut. will give that a try next time

I've always sterilized them with bleach (scented as then you can tell when you've washed it away) this also gets rid of most remaining gunk (and due to lack of space for this sort of thing cleans the bath when I empty them).

This may sound absolutely GROSS ... but it works! Gather up a few snails (or slugs if you have an invasion of them), slip into the jar and leave lightly capped for a day or two. The critters chomp away on the deposits, providing they're of natural origin (ie nothing toxic like dried on bleach).

This tip also works with things like burned on scrambled egg or baked beans. Lay the saucepan in your flower borders for a day or two and voila.

Clean well afterwards (obviously!) and don't shoot me - I'm just the messenger!!!

Many thanks for all the advice. I tried most of the methods, with varying degrees of success (or not ) Eventually, as I was on night shift, I decided to take them to work and put them through an industrial dishwasher twice on a 70 degrees intensive wash. Result - spotless demijohns. Admittedly not a very eco friendly meyhod, but at least I can use them
Thanks again all.

Paddy's mum wrote:This may sound absolutely GROSS ... but it works! Gather up a few snails (or slugs if you have an invasion of them), slip into the jar and leave lightly capped for a day or two. The critters chomp away on the deposits, providing they're of natural origin (ie nothing toxic like dried on bleach).

This tip also works with things like burned on scrambled egg or baked beans. Lay the saucepan in your flower borders for a day or two and voila.

Clean well afterwards (obviously!) and don't shoot me - I'm just the messenger!!!

This is the coolest method I ever heard!!! First I thought "Yuk!" and then I was fascinated!

Cheers

Peter

May I ask What is a Demijohn??

Its a gallon bottle with a narrow neck used for brewing, stick it in google and there should be some piccies to make sense of the description.

kind thoughts
Deb

I always found sand with a bit of water and then loads of shaking does the trick. Then sterilize.

Had a 10 gallon carboy with that problem. Works wonders!!!

errrrrrrrrrrr bottle brush ....

Paddy's mum wrote:Snails& Slugs!

I remember reading a story about a guy who used slugs to clean his bathroom. He had a little 'house' for them in the corner of his bath, and they'd slither out at night and eat any deposits they could find, before going back 'home' at first light leaving the bath and shower spotless.

I'll see if I can dig it out and post it...

EDIT: Found it straightaway!

http://arachnophiliac.info/burrow/news/ ... eeping.htm