How To Clean Stainless-Steel Brewing Equipment

If you’re brewing beer, you already know that your equipment is the lifeblood of your operation. If you want the best end product, you can’t trust just any old container to brew your beer in. That’s why we here at Craftmaster make our stainless-steel brewing equipment to help people like you get the best results by using the best equipment possible. Despite the name of “stainless steel,” the metal itself is not impervious to things such as accidental damage or age. It will be up to you to ensure your stainless- steel brewing equipment’s long life and efficacy.

How do you do that, exactly? The key is to ensure that your brewing equipment stays clean and to regularly maintain it with frequent inspections. There are a few things to keep in mind when you’re considering how to clean stainless steel brewing equipment. We’ll go over some of the most important things you should know about your equipment, so you don’t accidentally damage it or clean it inefficiently.

Initial Cleaning Process

When you first receive your brewing equipment, it isn’t a good idea to try and start brewing in it right away. Like almost anything that gets manufactured in masse, there will likely be residue still on the equipment from the manufacturing process. Special coatings, dirt, grime, or oils might still linger on the surface of your stainless-steel equipment; you definitely want to deal with those things before you start to brew.

This step isn’t particularly difficult or involved. You can use something as simple as common dish soap to remove these leftover residues from your brand-new brewing equipment. Combine that dish soap with a little hot water and you’ll have a decent enough solution to clean your equipment with. To make sure that you get everything off of it, don’t be afraid to put a little muscle into your scrubbing as you clean it. However, be very careful with what you scrub it with, a topic that we’ll get into in just a moment.

Tips for Cleaning Stainless-Steel Equipment

If you’re trying to figure out how to clean stainless-steel brewing equipment, there are two major things to keep in mind: the cleaning agent and the method of cleaning. For the cleaning agent, you’ll want to stick to more mild detergents. Cleaning agents that have a base of percarbonate are usually a safe bet, but there are other chemical options as well. How you clean your equipment and with what also plays a part in protecting your investment. Here are a few things to consider as you start cleaning your equipment:

Be Wary of Abrasive Cleaners

Stainless-steel brewing equipment comes with a lot of upsides, including heat retention and its ease of cleaning. That’s not to say it’s perfect, though, because you need to be careful about using abrasive cleaning agents or tools when it comes time to clean it out. Although stainless steel is very easy to polish, that same feature means that it is also more prone to scratching. Many household cleaning agents contain abrasive elements meant to help with scrubbing tough messes, but these abrasives can damage your equipment in the long run. Certain scrubbing pads can also contain tiny abrasive minerals that you don’t want scratching your brewing equipment. Avoid anything too abrasive to keep your stainless steel looking and functioning at its best!

Patience vs. Elbow Grease

Depending on your timetable, you may need to change up the way you clean your equipment. Spending more time letting your cleaning agents sit and do their work is fine, but only if you have the time to spare. However, if you need a faster clean, and aren’t afraid of a little hard labor, scrubbing can go a long way towards speeding up the process. If you end up with a lot of buildup in your equipment, you’ll have to decide between taking the time to let your cleaning agents soak in deep or using a healthy bit of elbow grease to loosen the buildup up yourself.

Cleaning With Chemicals

Chemical cleaning is often a very effective method of keeping stainless-steel equipment clean. Your choice of chemical is a crucial aspect to consider, though. Sodium carbonate, sodium hydroxide, and other alkaline detergents won’t corrode your equipment and can be very helpful in removing solid material from your equipment. For mineral scale buildup, consider using phosphoric acid or acetic acid—otherwise known as white vinegar—to get the best clean possible.

One important warning to keep in mind is that you should never mix different chemical cleaning agents unless you know, without a doubt, that it is safe. Many of your average household cleaners can become toxic if mixed haphazardly with other products.

Leave Out the Bleach

If there’s one cleaning agent you should never consider for your brewing equipment, it’s bleach. Sodium hypochlorite bleach is not a good idea for anything made of stainless steel, as it can quickly cause pitting corrosion. While a very quick exposure to bleach won’t destroy your equipment, it’s better to not even bother with it to avoid possible corrosion or risk it affecting your beer’s quality.

When Should You Clean Your Brewing Equipment?

Perhaps the best time to clean your brewing equipment is right after brewing finishes. For equipment such as a fermenter, cleaning soon after the beer is removed is also a good idea. If you let any residue dry out by leaving it for too long, cleaning will take a lot longer than removing it while it is still wet. Cleaning early like this makes it much easier to wipe away visible sediment before it gets stuck to your brewing equipment. Remember that you should also be wary of anything in your equipment made of silicone, such as gaskets or valve lids, as you don’t want to scrub these too hard accidentally and deform them.

As far as stainless-steel brewing equipment goes, you’ve already found yourself in the right place. When you know it’s time to step up your brewing capabilities, trust in the brewing equipment here at Craftmaster Stainless Inc. If you have any questions about your brewing equipment, we’ll be glad to help answer them and help you out however we can.