How to Clean Beer Bottles

In order to clean beer bottles thoroughly, you will need to soak them in a cleaning solution and then sanitize them. You may use bleach or a commercial cleaner to pre-clean the bottles. Let them soak in the solution for at least 10 minutes. Then sanitize your bottles in the dishwasher, or use a bleach solution. If you opt for the bleach solution, use boiled water to rinse the bottles and let them drip dry.

Method 1
Method 1 of 3:

Pre-Cleaning and Removing the Labels

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    Place your bottles in a gallon tub. If your bottles will not fit in a gallon tub, then use a bigger tub like a two or three gallon tub.
    • Alternatively, you can use your sink. Place a stopper in your drain and then place your bottles in the sink.
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    Fill the tub with cold water. Fill the tub until all of the bottles are fully submerged. Then mix in one to four tablespoons (15 to 60 ml) of bleach per gallon of water. Use a mixing spoon or stick to stir and disperse the cleaning solution into the bottles.[1]
    • Alternatively, you can use commercial cleaners like OxyClean or PBW (powder brewery wash). If you use these, fill your tub with hot water as opposed to cold water, and follow the dosing guidelines per the instructions on the product.
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    Let the bottles soak for 10 to 15 minutes. If you are using a commercial cleaner, then you may need to let the bottles soak for a longer amount of time like 30 minutes.
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    Remove the labels. After the bottles have soaked, you will see the labels beginning to peel off. Put on a pair of protective gloves like nylon gloves. Then begin to slowly peel the labels off.
    • Traces of glue may remain on the bottles after the labels have been peeled off. Use a sponge with an abrasive surface (or a scrub pad) to remove any remaining glue.
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    Scrub the inside of the bottles. Use a nylon bottle brush to do this. Fill the bottle with a small amount of the solution. Scrub the inside of the bottle to remove any dirt and grime. Scrub each bottle until all dirt and grime are removed.
    • Hold the bottles up to the light to make sure all of the dirt and grime have been removed.
    • Place the bottles upside down on a drying rack to be sanitized.
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Method 2
Method 2 of 3:

Using the Dishwasher to Sanitize

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    Place the bottles in your washer. Place your bottles upside down in your dishwasher. Also place the bottle caps in the dishwasher. Then close the dishwasher door.[2]
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    Set your washer on the "sanitize" setting. Make sure the heat cycle is on in order to sanitize the bottles and caps. Let the washer complete the full cycle, including the heat cycle, to ensure that they are sanitized.
    • Do not use any detergent or drying agent like Jet Dry when sanitizing your bottles in the dishwasher. If you do, these will taint the taste of any liquid you fill your beer bottles with.
    • Do not place dirty dishes in the washer while you are sanitizing the beer bottles.
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    Let the bottles cool. The bottles will be very hot after the cycle is finished. Let them cool down for 10 minutes before storing or using them.
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Method 3
Method 3 of 3:

Using Bleach to Sanitize

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    Fill a gallon tub with cold water. Then mix in one tablespoon (15 ml) of bleach for each gallon of water. Make sure the bleach you use contains 5.25 percent of sodium hypochlorite. Then mix the ingredients together until they are well-combined.[3]
    • For example, if you are using two gallons of water, then mix in two tablespoons of bleach.
    • Alternatively, you can use a commercial sanitizer to sanitize the beer bottles. Just make sure to follow the dosing guidelines per the instructions on the product.
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    Add your bottles to the tub. Use a mixing spoon to stir the bottles and disperse the solution. Make sure the bottles are fully submerged in the solution. Then let them soak for 20 to 30 minutes.[4]
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    Place them on a rack to drip dry. Do this after they have finished soaking. Place the bottles upside down on a drying rack. You can use the rack in your dishwasher to do this.[5]
    • Do not use a cloth or rag to dry the bottles. Cloths and rags may contain bacteria that can contaminate your sanitized bottles.
    • You do not need to rinse out the bottles after sanitizing them with bleach if you use the correct dosage of bleach. However, it is recommended that you rinse the bottles just to be safe.
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    Rinse them with boiled water. Fill a pot with water and place it on the stove. Set the heat to high. Bring the water to a rolling boil, about 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and let the water cool for five minutes. Rinse each bottle with the water. Then place them upside down a rack to drip dry.[6]
    • Do not use regular, un-boiled tap water to rinse your bottles. The tap water can contaminate your bottles.
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References

  1. ↑ http://howtobrew.com/book/section-1/priming-and-bottling/bottle-cleaning
  2. ↑ http://realbeer.com/jjpalmer/cleaning.html
  3. ↑ http://realbeer.com/jjpalmer/cleaning.html
  4. ↑ http://howtobrew.com/book/section-1/brewing-preperations/sanitation/sanitizing-your-equipment
  5. ↑ http://howtobrew.com/book/section-1/priming-and-bottling/bottle-cleaning
  6. ↑ http://realbeer.com/jjpalmer/cleaning.html

About This Article

wikiHow Staff
Co-authored by:
wikiHow Staff
wikiHow Staff Writer
This article was co-authored by wikiHow Staff. Our trained team of editors and researchers validate articles for accuracy and comprehensiveness. wikiHow's Content Management Team carefully monitors the work from our editorial staff to ensure that each article is backed by trusted research and meets our high quality standards. This article has been viewed 31,298 times.
18 votes - 94%
Co-authors: 4
Updated: March 11, 2020
Views: 31,298
Categories: Cleaning Drink Containers
Article SummaryX

To clean beer bottles, start by filling a tub with cold water and 4 tablespoons of bleach per 1 gallon of water and submerging the bottles in the solution for 15 minutes. To get the labels off, soak the bottles in a solution of 1 tablespoon of bleach per 1 gallon of water for 30 minutes, then air dry upside down. Alternatively, scrub the inside of the bottles with a bottle brush, and disinfect them by using the “sanitize” setting on your dishwasher. For more advice, including how to use commercial cleaners in place of bleach, keep reading.

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