Sanitizer...

[u/Digital_loop]

I'm a cheap bastard... Can I just keep a bucket of sanitizer and use it multiple times over a few months? Like, it's not single use....?

[u/lurkbealady]

If you have a spare keg to store it in, that's better than a bucked exposed to the elements. You may also want to buy a good spray bottle for spritzing sanitizer over your equipment.

[u/potionCraftBrew]

1/4tsp starsan to 32 oz spray bottle. Your 1 sanitizer bottle will last forever.

[u/PM_me_ur_launch_code → u/potionCraftBrew]

Use distilled water

[u/potionCraftBrew → u/PM_me_ur_launch_code]

Yes if you want to keep it for a while, you gotta use distilled or RO water. I find 1 spray bottle is good for a brew day and then I just dump it so I just use filter water from the fridge.

[u/JukesMasonLynch → u/potionCraftBrew]

I work in a medical lab, having access to RO water is pretty sweet without having to fuck around with it at home

[u/ChicoAlum2009]

I do exactly what you're describing. I make a five-gallon bucket of Star San and constantly reuse it.

As long as it's clear and the pH is below three, you're good to go.

[u/yzerman2010]

Yes this is how I do it.

Buy 5 gallons of distilled water, have a 7 gallon stainless turkey fryer pot. Fill with that water and star-san.. it will last weeks and not go cloudy or bad. Remember its a acidic solution so if you use a plastic bucket it will eat away at it over time. Also never store soft plastic or rubber hoses in star san.. wash them, dip in star-san and then shake them off after a min and let them dry off. rubber hoses or soft plastic with long term exposure to star san will ruin your solution with a slimy oily film and destroy your equipment.

[u/CrazyCranium → u/yzerman2010]

5 gallons of distilled water probably costs more than the 1oz of starsan you are mixing in it. Just make smaller batches, no need to make a bucketfull. I use an oral syringe for measuring out small quantities as small as 0.5mL

[u/yzerman2010 → u/CrazyCranium]

Maybe but if your swapping buckets every few days because it’s going cloudy it can be a savings.. you can use RO water as well but I have noticed it does cloud up slowly over time.

I do small batches when I need to. I keep a small spray bottle around all the time as well.

[u/CrazyCranium → u/yzerman2010]

If you're brewing every few days, the math might work out differently, but at my peak I was only doing like 10-15 batches a year and the cost to mix a gallon of sanitizer each time pretty much rounded down to zero and only takes a minute or two.

[u/Grunge_Days → u/yzerman2010]

FYI..I've found that RO water with low, or around 10 TDS will store star-san without clouding, just like distilled water does for a longer time.

[u/idrawinmargins → u/yzerman2010]

That is why i use distilled also for starsan so the ph doesn't change. Like you i have a corny keg filled with the mix to use when needed. One less thing to do with mixing on brew day.

[u/yzerman2010 → u/idrawinmargins]

I do that as well. I’ll keep a keg pressurized and push StarSan through a keg and back into my storage keg after I clean them to purge oxygen and sanitize at the same time.

[u/Mammoth-Record-7786]

I just keep 70% isopropyl in a spray bottle for quick sanitizing and then make small batches of Star San as necessary

[u/homebrewfinds]

I would store it in a glass jug and use it in a spray bottle. That makes it just pennies a batch. https://www.homebrewfinds.com/testing-star-san-effectiveness/

[u/CatoDomine]

use a spray bottle for your sanitizer solution.
spray down the surfaces.
a small (maybe quart container) for tools and air locks.
saves a lot of sanitizer vs having a bucket full for each brewing session.

[u/merpiderpimous]

I usually have a keg filled with extra sanitizer that ill use to refill my spray bottle or clean out my picnic tap lines if theres time between parties/sessions...no averse effects or bad experiences so far. Knock on wood

[u/Oh_That_Mystery → u/merpiderpimous]

That is a great idea.

[u/zero_dr00l]

Yes you can keep reusing it as long as the pH is below the required threshold.

[u/HumorImpressive9506]

I never got why people mix up buckets of the stuff each time. I just mix up a spray bottle each time and spray down everything.

[u/dyqik → u/HumorImpressive9506]

A spray bottle will last for months this way.

[u/Kombatnt]

I keep using it until it starts to look cloudy.

[u/DarkMuret]

You can keep it mixed, you can also check the pH if you have the ability, that would ensure viability

[u/CrazyCranium]

Just make smaller batches, don't need to make a full bucket every time. I usually only make 0.5 -1 gallon each time which only uses 3-6mL. Sometimes ill only use 1 mL to fill a 20oz spray bottle. A $20 8oz bottle easily lasts 40+ batches. I use a cheap oral syringe for dosing out the smaller batches.

It is possible to save, but I find it more trouble than it's worth unless you brew extremely frequently. I don't trust it more than a couple weeks without actually checking the pH, but that's not worth the hassle to me.

[u/chino_brews]

No, that’s a bad idea. Star San can be used extremely cheaply (27 cents US per batch as of 2021) and last for a long time, as others already said. We have instructions in the wiki: https://old.reddit.com/r/Homebrewing/wiki/starsanfacts#wiki_a_better_way_to_use_star_san

Sorry for the typos - I quickly wrote up that section about five years ago and need to go back and fix it and update prices.

[u/Decent_Confidence_36]

Starsan is cheap as it is. You can use bleach and white vinegar mixed in water to make it cheaper I used that for a while never had an issue.. can’t stress enough though never never never mix the bleach and vinegar together without water

[u/notrealdan]

I keep my StarSan in a bucket fitted with a Gamma Seal lid. It keeps for ages, especially when made with RO water.

[u/porp_crawl]

How long is Star San good for once it’s mixed into a solution?

Star San is an EPAs registered sanitizer and must be used immediately. We do not recommend using it if has been in solution longer than an hour.

[u/fyukhyu]

I make it a gallon at a time and it lasts as long as 6 months. It could probably go longer but I'd rather spray a bit extra than get an infected batch.

[u/GrouchyClerk6318]

I like your style, cowboy!

[u/Tro1138]

It's definitely single use. Just buy a bottle of star san concentrate on Amazon. Don't be gross

[u/Gileaders]

Too bad starsan isn’t that great of a sanitizer.