One thing to be aware of in cleaning better bottles, if you use PBW (or other caustic cleanser), make sure to add your PBW after you fill the better bottle with water. Otherwise, the better bottle may crack. Better Bottle recommends using enzyme-enhanced laundry detergent (such as Free & Clear Natural 2X Seventh Generation laundry detergent) as a safe washing agent.
Randy posted this link in July.
http://www.better-bottle.com/pdf/Washin ... gStudy.pdf
From this study:
Preparing Washing/Sanitizing Agents For Use
Select washing/sanitizing agents that are compatible with your equipment and follow these general rules:
1. Use hot water that is not more than 52°C (125°F).
2. Do not use higher concentrations than recommended by the manufacturers of the agents or your equipment.
3. In the case of aggressive agents that can cause damage to your equipment, make up working solutions in a container that is made of a material known to be especially resistant to attack by the agents. Always fill the container with water before adding the agent and when adding
the concentrated agent, stir the water vigorously to insure that the agent is quickly diluted and uniformly mixed. Adding a concentrated liquid or powdered agent to a container before adding water is a worst case situation in terms of damaging the container. The concentration of a
powdered agent will be extraordinarily high adjacent to a mound of dissolving powder and considerable heat is likely to be released as the powder dissolves.
Washing Basics
How you wash will depend very much on what you are washing; however, certain generalizations can be made:
1. Do not soak your equipment for long periods in solutions of chemicals that are known to attack the materials from which the equipment is made. Short exposure may be acceptable, even recommended, but prolonged soaking is just asking for trouble. BetterBottle has tested Free & Clear Natural 2X Seventh Generation enzyme-enhanced, environmentally friendly laundry detergent as a safe washing agent for home winemaking and brewing equipment. This detergent does not appear to damage any of the materials listed in Table 1, excluding glass, even after weeks of exposure. And the enzymes are effective at breaking down and solubilizing the organic deposits produced by fermentation.
2. Agitation and cautious rubbing will greatly facilitate the washing process. However, whatever you use for rubbing should be sufficiently non-abrasive so that it will not scratch the surface of your equipment. Scratches will just make the equipment more difficult to wash the next time and can harbor contamination, including microorganisms.
3. It is better to use your working solution of washing agent in modest, repeated doses, rather than all in one time. The washing power of fresh working solution will be stronger and more effective than it will be for a solution that is significantly contaminated with the dissolved and
suspended materials you want to wash away.
Washing BetterBottle Carboys
The nature of BetterBottle carboys makes them much easier to wash than other types of fermentation carboys. And the BetterBottle technical team has developed an approach that uses the safe and environmentally friendly Free & Clear Natural 2X Seventh Generation enzyme-enhanced detergent; however, the general approach can also be used with other washing agents. The following instructions apply to 6 gallon (22.7L) carboys, but can be scaled down for smaller sizes.
1. Pour about 6 liters (1.6 gallons) of hot water (50°C/122°F) and 25 ml (2+ tablespoons) of the detergent into a six gallon (22.7 L) carboy
2. Inserting a 12” (30 cm) square piece of old bath towel, or similar rag, into the carboy will speed washing.
3. Close the carboy with a stopper that has an easily removable vent plug and roll/slosh vigorously on a soft surface, such as a piece of rug, for a few minutes. Remove the closure plug frequently to release the
suction that develops as the result of the cooling water vapor.
4. Let the carboy sit for 10-15 minutes and roll/slosh again for a few more minutes.
5. After a few such cycles, this approach will usually remove all the organic deposits, with the possible exception of the ring of deposit that forms at the top of the fermenting wine or beer.
6. If a ring of deposit persists, dump out the dirty detergent water, leaving the piece of towel in the carboy, and add another 16
liters (1.6 gallons) of hot tap water (50°C/122°F) and 25 ml (2+ tablespoons) the detergent. Then, close the carboy and invert it on a small plastic bucket to soak the ring of deposit. If the ring of deposit is
not submerged, add a little more hot water. Again, remove the closure plug frequently to release the suction that develops as the
result of the cooling water vapor.
7. Swirl the carboy, neck down, so the piece of towel rubs away the ring of deposit. If parts of the deposit do not wash loose, it is safe to leave the carboy to soak overnight, once the water has cooled enough so as not to cause a vacuum within the carboy.
8. If parts of a ring deposit are really stubborn, dump out almost all of the water, add another 25 ml (2+ tablespoons) of the detergent to the wet piece of towel and swirl the rag vigorously around on the
deposits.
9. Let the carboy sit for a while and repeat the swirling as needed. It should not take long to remove all of the deposits.
10. Finally, rinse the carboy, neck down, with a jet of warm water.