Cleaning & Sanitation

It is absolutely critical to have good sanitation, as dirty equipment does nothing but invite bacteria and unwanted yeast to infect your mead. Some people say you cannot sanitize too much, but, there is a point of diminishing returns. A general rule of thumb is to always clean and dry equipment that is going into long-term storage. Secondly, always clean and sanitize a piece of equipment before you use it. Here is some information that should allow you to make sanitizing decisions.

First of all, there are three important words we all use a lot when talking about getting our equipment scrubbed clean and ready to make mead. Winemakers, meadmakers and beer makers often use the terms CLEANING, SANITIZING and STERILIZING interchangeably, which is a mistake. All three of these terms mean very different things.

CLEANING refers to the physical removal of visible dirt, residue, lees, fruit remains, etc. - usually done with scrub brushes, squeegees or a clean towel. You must clean your equipment before sanitizing it. It is impossible to sanitize equipment with visible residue on it. This is because molds, wild yeasts and bacteria like living in hidden nooks and crannies, and any sanitizing solution you might use won’t penetrate effectively into these areas.

SANITIZING means that you’re treating the surface or piece of equipment to reduce, eliminate or prevent the growth of molds, wild yeasts or bacteria to an acceptable level. It is just another way of saying that you’re killing microorganisms that can ruin your mead.

STERILIZING is a completely different “ball game”, and one that goes way beyond anything, we as homebrewers, could practically do. When something is sterilized, it means that it is completely free of bacteria or other microorganisms. Let’s leave sterilization to our hospitals and labs.

Due to its low pH and high alcohol content, most mead already have some natural resistance to spoilage organisms built in. Most bacteria and even some fungi aren’t that happy at mead’s pH’s (3.0–3.75) and thrive in the higher pH environment like that of beer (4.0–6.0) or water (7.0). BUT, there are still some that do like the environment mead can provide, and for that reason, it is important to practice a reasonable cleaning and sanitizing regimen before, during and after you make mead.

Cleaning is always the first step. You will need to clean your fermenter, airlock, stoppers, hoses, siphon, spoons, funnels and anything else that will come into contact with your mead. This is the boring step in meadmaking, and it is tempting to just hose everything off and jump into making or racking or bottling your mead. It would be a shame to spoil 5-gallons of mead, after all the work and time you have invested.

There are really only two ways to properly clean your equipment:

1. Use a cleaning solution (listed at the end of this page) – and scrub. This takes less time but more elbow grease.

2. Use a cleaning solution (listed at the end of this page) – and let it soak.

If you are too lazy to scrub everything, or too impatient to wait, soak everything for at least 20 minutes in a cleaning solution, then lightly scrub to make sure you have gotten rid of all the grunge. If you use this method, be sure to fill your fermenters all the way to the top. Use a sink or bucket to immerse all of the small equipment.

You can even use dish soap to help you clean and loosen up dirt and scale, but most are too mild to really clean your equipment. Always stay away from harsh chemical cleaners (bathroom or oven cleaners), because they are unsafe for human consumption.)

For hoses, airlocks, siphons and other small items, that you can’t scrub, a good cleaning solution and patience is your best bet. These little items are fairly inexpensive and should be replaced often, when they don’t clean up easily. It would be a shame to lose a whole batch of mead because you were too stingy to replace a $2.00 item.

NOTE: Be careful to use only gentle plastic scrub pads or brushes, sponges or a cloth towel when cleaning your plastic equipment. Be careful not to scratch your soft stainless steel equipment. Glass carboys can take almost anything you could use without scratching.

While some would argue that soap and some of the cleaners, listed below, help kill microbes, to really be clean and ready to make mead, you have to follow cleaning with some kind of sanitation.

Sanitizing is the next step. After you have thoroughly cleaned your equipment, you are one step closer to actually making your mead. All the sanitizers listed at the end of this page are first dissolved in water, and then you soak your equipment for 5-30 minutes. Bleach and Sparkle Brite must be rinsed with water. The others can drip dry for 5 minutes. That’s all there is to sanitizing!

One thing that is absolutely critical: It is not recommended to use household bleach, otherwise known as sodium hypochlorite. Many older home winemaking books and articles refer to bleach as the perfect cleaner and sanitizer. The fatal flaw with this logic is that chlorine bleach, or any chlorine-containing cleaner or sanitizer for that matter, can pit stainless steel. It can also in get into the plastic pieces of equipment if there is a scratch or nick. And, it must be THOROUGHLY rinsed several times, or it may kill your yeast, contribute a chlorine taste to your mead, or even cause “corked” wines - TCA (trichloroanisole). This is a stinky, swampy off-character that can completely ruin a batch of wine or mead.

The following chart is adapted from an article, by Steve Bader, in the Summer 2001 issue of Winemaker Magazine.

Cleaners	Comments	Recommended Dosage	Contact Time	Advantages	Disadvantages
PBW (Powder Brewery Wash)	Sodium percarbonate. This product uses active oxygen and mild alkali to clean deposits on equipment. It effectively cleans wine and beer-making equipment.	Dosage varies depending on the degree of dirtiness of the equipment. Approximately 1 tablespoon per gallon is normal strength. Stronger cleaner than Straight-A, One Step and B-Brite. Rinse twice with warm water. Works well to remove bottle labels.	30 minutes to overnight for stubborn stains.	Environmentally and septic-system friendly, effective equipment cleaner. Can be used to clean multiple pieces of equipment before disposing of cleaner. Safe for plastics and metals. Works well in hot, warm or cold water.	More expensive. Avoid contact with eyes.
One-Step and B-Brite	Sodium percarbonate. This product uses active oxygen and mild alkali to clean deposits on equipment. It effectively cleans wine and beer-making equipment. Instructions suggest that these products sanitize, but I recommend them only as cleaners.	1 tablespoon per gallon of warm water, rinse after cleaning. Works well to remove bottle labels.	30 minutes to overnight for stubborn stains.	Environmentally and septic-system friendly, effective equipment cleaner. Can be used to clean multiple pieces of equipment before disposing of cleaner. Safe for plastics and metals. About one-third the cost of PBW.	Avoid contact with eyes.
Straight-A	Sodium percarbonate. This product uses active oxygen and mild alkali to clean deposits on equipment. It effectively cleans wine and beer-making equipment. Heavier duty product compared to One-Step and B-Brite.	1 tablespoon per gallon of warm water, rinse after cleaning. Works well to remove bottle labels.	30 minutes to overnight for stubborn stains.	Environmentally and septic-system friendly, effective equipment cleaner. Can be used to clean multiple pieces of equipment before disposing of cleaner. Safe for plastics and metals. About one-third the cost of PBW.	Avoid contact with eyes.
Sparkle Brite (Diversol in Canada)	Sanitizing detergent. Primarily used in beer making. Contains chlorinated tri-sodium phosphate and potassium bromide.	1 tablespoon per gallon of cold water or 1 teaspoon (3.5 grams) per liter of cold water for cleaning, rinse after cleaning.	Soak or scrub surface, soak overnight for stubborn stains.	Effective cleaner for stubborn stains if left to soak for up to 48 hours.	Corrosive. Avoid breathing and skin contact. Avoid contact with acids. Somewhat dangerous to use.
Pro-Zyme (Canada)	Enzyme-enhanced detergent. Helps to remove wine stain build-up.	1 oz. per gallon or 7 grams/liter of hot water, rinse after cleaning.	Soak or scrub surface, soak overnight for stubborn stains.	Effective for removing protein buildup in equipment	Mild irritant. Cleaner only, requires elbow grease or long soak.
Sanitizers	Comments	Recommended Dosage	Contact Time	Advantages	Disadvantages
Potassium bisulfite	Works well to sanitize both equipment and wine must.	To sanitize equipment: 8 teaspoons dry measure (50g) dissolved in 1 gallon (4 liters) water. Let drip dry (5 minutes).	5 minutes for equipment.	Inexpensive, excellent for sterilizing equipment and sterilizing wine. Good for sanitizing bottles and corks - These items have long-term contact with the wine and a bit of potassium bisulfite is necessary in wine for long-term preservation.	Potassium bisulfite is highly concentrated in dry form. Should be dissolved in water to more easily measure correctly.
Sodium bisulfite	Works well to sanitize equipment. DO NOT use to sanitize wine must.	To sanitize equipment: 8 teaspoons dry measure (50g) dissolved in 1 gallon (4 liters) water. Rinse with water.	5 minutes for equipment.	Inexpensive	Possible flavor change in wine. Not recommended other than to sanitize equipment.
Campden tablets	Most (if not all) are made with sodium bisulfite, so should only be used for equipment sanitation	1 to 2 tablets per gallon of water for sanitizing solution. Rinse with water.	5 minutes for equipment.	Pre-measured	Difficult to properly dissolve, thus difficult to achieve proper dosage.
Iodophor (Amberdine)	Excellent equipment sanitizer. Iodine based detergent, germicide and sanitizer.	1 tablespoon per 5 gallons of liquid, spray or soak equipment. Let drip dry (5-10 minutes), do not rinse.	10 minutes for equipment.	Easy to use, effective sanitizer, no-rinse sanitizer.	Concentrated solution will stain skin and fabric. Not a good cleaner.
Sparkle Brite (Diversol in Canada)	Sanitizing detergent. Primarily used in beer making. Contains chlorinated tri-sodium phosphate and potassium bromide.	1 tablespoon per gallon of cold water or 1 teaspoon (3.5 grams) per liter of cold water for cleaning	MUST have a minimum 20 minute contact time to sanitize	Works as both a cleaner and a sanitizer, but avoid using the same solution for cleaning and sanitizing.	Corrosive. Avoid breathing and skin contact. Avoid contact with acids. Somewhat dangerous to use.
Chlorine (bleach)	Not recommended for use in wine and beer making. Extremely effective in killing virtually any living thing. Don't use on plastic or stainless steel!!!	2½ tablespoons per 5 gallons of liquid. Rinse with water - at least three or four times!	5 minutes for equipment.	Inexpensive, easily obtained.	Kills everything in sight, but must be heavily rinsed, possibly re-contaminating equipment.

Also check into “E-San 205”. It is a quaternary germicide that cleans and sanitizes and, on previously cleaned surfaces, carries a D-2 USDA rating (which means that it doesn’t need to be rinsed with water to be considered food safe).