Cleaning & Sanitation Equipment

The Homebrewing Cleaning Gear You Actually Need

Cleaning and sanitation are two of the least exciting parts of homebrewing.

They’re also two of the most important.

You can buy great ingredients, control fermentation perfectly and own a brewing system that costs more than your first car.

If your equipment is dirty or poorly sanitized, you can still screw up the beer.

The good news?

You don’t need fifteen different chemicals and a commercial brewery cleaning system.

For most homebrewers, the basic setup is pretty simple:

That’s it.

Clean first. Sanitize second.

Don’t confuse the two.

— Big Robb

Affiliate Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you.

Big Robb’s Quick Picks

Brand new? Start with PBW, Star San and a spray bottle. Add brushes and racks based on the equipment you actually use.

All Recommended Cleaning & Sanitation Gear

You do not need every product on this page.

Buy what solves a problem in your brewery.

Cleaning vs Sanitizing

This distinction matters.

Cleaning

Cleaning removes things you can see — and plenty you can’t.

That includes:

  • dried krausen
  • yeast residue
  • hop material
  • trub
  • sugar and beer residue
  • organic buildup
  • grime inside bottles, fermenters and brewing equipment

Cleaner gets the equipment physically clean.

Sanitizing

Sanitizer is used after the equipment is already clean.

Its job is to reduce microorganisms on the clean surface before that equipment contacts cooled wort or finished beer.

Star San does not magically make a dirty fermenter clean.

If there’s dried krausen stuck to the side of the fermenter, clean it first.

Then sanitize it.

Cleaner → rinse → sanitizer.

That’s the process.

1. PBW Brewery Cleaner

If you’ve got dried krausen, beer residue or stubborn organic buildup, this is where PBW comes in.

PBW stands for Powdered Brewery Wash.

It was designed for brewery equipment and works particularly well as a soak when something isn’t coming clean with a normal rinse.

My Pick: Five Star PBW — 1 lb

This is the cleaner I recommend for homebrewers who want something made specifically for brewing equipment.

Use it according to the directions on the package.

PBW needs to be rinsed from the equipment after cleaning.

👉 Check Five Star PBW on Amazon

2. Star San Sanitizer

Star San is the sanitizer I use and recommend.

It’s an acid-based, no-rinse sanitizer designed for clean brewing equipment.

When it’s mixed and used according to the manufacturer’s directions, you sanitize the equipment, allow the required contact time, drain it and move on.

You don’t need to rinse properly mixed Star San off afterward.

And yes:

Don’t fear the foam.

My Pick: Five Star Star San — 32 oz

A concentrated bottle goes a long way because you’re diluting it before use.

Follow the dilution and contact-time instructions on the product.

👉 Check Five Star Star San on Amazon

Want the full cleaning and sanitation process?

👉 How to Sanitize Beer Making Equipment

3. Spray Bottle

This might be one of the cheapest useful tools in the brewery.

Instead of filling a huge container with sanitizer every time you need to sanitize a spoon, scissors, fermenter lid or some other small item, a spray bottle lets you cover the clean surface quickly.

My Pick: Uineko Heavy-Duty Spray Bottles

These are basic adjustable spray bottles.

Nothing fancy.

Use one for your Star San solution during brew day or packaging day and label the bottle clearly so nobody thinks it’s water.

Mix sanitizer according to the manufacturer’s current directions and make fresh solution for the brewing session rather than treating a spray bottle like permanent storage.

👉 Check Uineko Spray Bottles on Amazon

4. Beer Bottle Brush

Here’s my first bottle-cleaning recommendation:

Rinse the bottle immediately after you pour the beer.

Do that and you’ll save yourself a ton of cleaning later.

But eventually you’re going to find a bottle with dried sediment or something stuck inside.

That’s when a proper beer bottle brush becomes useful.

My Pick: Home Brew Stuff Beer Bottle Brush

This is a simple long bottle brush with nylon bristles for getting inside narrow beer bottles.

That’s really all you need.

👉 Check the Beer Bottle Brush on Amazon

If you’re doing a lot of bottling, also see:

👉 Bottling & Packaging Equipment

5. Carboy Brush

If you’re using a narrow-neck glass carboy, a normal cloth isn’t getting anywhere near the dried krausen around the shoulder.

That’s what a long carboy brush is for.

My Pick: DOMUEN 28-Inch Carboy Brush — 2 Pack

The long handle is designed to reach into larger carboys and fermenting vessels.

Important

Do not aggressively scrub plastic fermenters with a wire-handled carboy brush.

Scratched plastic can become harder to clean properly.

For plastic fermenters and buckets, I prefer soaking with an appropriate brewery cleaner and wiping with something soft and non-abrasive.

Use a carboy brush primarily where the material and manufacturer allow it.

👉 Check the DOMUEN Carboy Brushes on Amazon

6. Bottle Drying Rack

Necessary?

No.

Useful?

Absolutely, if you’re bottling regularly.

Instead of having sanitized bottles scattered upside down across the kitchen, a rack keeps them organized and draining.

My Pick: FastFerment FastRack24

The FastRack24 holds 24 standard beer bottles and has a tray underneath.

That makes it particularly useful for somebody packaging full batches.

👉 Check the FastFerment FastRack24 on Amazon

If you’re brewing one gallon and only filling a handful of bottles?

You probably don’t need this.

The Spray-Bottle Method

I like having sanitizer in a spray bottle while I’m brewing.

It makes sanitizing small clean items easy.

Things like:

  • scissors
  • spoons
  • fermenter lids
  • airlocks
  • transfer equipment
  • bottle fillers
  • sanitized work surfaces
  • anything else contacting cooled wort or beer

The important thing is remembering that the spray bottle contains sanitizer, not cleaner.

If something is dirty, spraying sanitizer on top of the dirt doesn’t solve the problem.

Clean it first.

Then sanitize it.

Also follow the current manufacturer’s instructions for mixing and use rather than keeping old sanitizer solution sitting around indefinitely.

What Actually Needs to Be Sanitized?

You don’t need to lose your mind sanitizing the entire brewery.

The biggest distinction is hot side vs cold side.

Before and During the Boil

Equipment that contacts wort before or during the boil needs to be clean.

The boil itself handles sanitation of the wort and the surfaces in contact with it during that stage.

That means you don’t need to spray your brew kettle with sanitizer five seconds before filling it for the mash.

Clean is what matters there.

After the Boil

Once the wort has cooled, sanitation becomes much more important.

Anything touching cooled wort or finished beer should be properly cleaned and sanitized.

That includes things such as:

  • fermenters
  • fermenter lids
  • airlocks
  • transfer tubing
  • siphons
  • bottling wands
  • bottling buckets
  • bottles
  • keg components
  • spoons or tools entering cooled wort or beer

This is the part of the process where you don’t want to get lazy.

Cleaning Fermenters

As soon as the beer leaves the fermenter, rinse it.

Don’t let krausen and yeast dry onto the walls for three days and then complain that cleaning sucks.

For a Basic Brewing Bucket or Plastic Fermenter

Rinse immediately.

If residue remains, soak it using PBW or another suitable brewery cleaner.

Use a soft cloth or other non-abrasive tool where necessary.

Avoid scratching the plastic.

Once clean:

Rinse away the cleaner.

Then sanitize before the next batch.

For Glass Carboys

PBW soaking works well for stuck-on material.

A proper carboy brush can help reach the shoulders and sides where necessary.

For Stainless Fermenters

Follow the equipment manufacturer’s cleaning recommendations.

Stainless is durable.

That doesn’t mean you should attack it with random steel wool or anything else in the garage.

Use appropriate brewery cleaners and non-damaging tools.

👉 See My Fermentation & Temperature Control Equipment

Cleaning Beer Bottles

Bottle cleaning gets dramatically easier if you follow one rule:

Rinse the bottle as soon as you’re finished drinking the beer.

If the bottle is already clean and residue-free when bottling day arrives, you’re mainly dealing with sanitizing.

If dried yeast or sediment is stuck inside:

Soak it.

Use brewery cleaner if needed.

Use a bottle brush.

Rinse thoroughly.

Then sanitize before filling.

And if a bottle has something growing inside it that looks like it deserves its own postal code?

Throw the damn bottle away.

They’re not that expensive.

👉 See My Bottling & Packaging Equipment

Cleaning Brew-Day Equipment

Kettles, spoons, brew bags, pumps, hoses and other hot-side gear should be cleaned after brewing.

The easiest time to clean equipment is before everything dries onto it.

Rinse the equipment.

Remove grain, hops and trub.

Use brewery cleaner when necessary.

Rinse it properly.

Let it dry.

You don’t normally need to sanitize the brew kettle before your next boil.

You do need it clean.

We’ll cover the actual brew-day gear here:

👉 Beer Brewing Equipment Hub

Keg & Beer-Line Cleaning

Kegging creates another cleaning job.

Kegs, dip tubes, disconnects, beer lines and faucets all need maintenance.

If you’re kegging regularly, cleaning the beer path between beers matters.

For a beginner just learning to bottle?

You don’t need to buy keg-cleaning equipment yet.

When you’re ready for kegging:

👉 See My Kegging & Kegerator Equipment

And for the step-by-step kegging process:

👉 Introduction to Kegging Beer

Big Robb’s Beginner Cleaning & Sanitation Setup

If you’re making your first batches, here’s what I’d actually buy.

Buy These

PBW

For cleaning equipment when rinsing alone isn’t enough.

Star San

For sanitizing clean cold-side equipment.

Spray bottle

For using sanitizer conveniently during brew day and packaging.

Add These When You Need Them

Bottle brush

If you’re bottling.

Carboy brush

If you’re using glass carboys or equipment where the brush is appropriate.

Bottle drying rack

If you’re regularly cleaning and sanitizing lots of bottles.

That’s it.

You don’t need a $500 clean-in-place brewery system for batch number two.

What I Would NOT Buy Yet

If you’re a beginner, I wouldn’t rush out and buy:

  • expensive CIP pumps
  • commercial spray balls
  • multiple specialty acid cleaners
  • caustic brewery chemicals
  • industrial keg washers
  • automated bottle washers
  • commercial draft-system cleaning equipment
  • a different cleaner for every single piece of gear

There are situations where those things make sense.

A five-gallon homebrew batch usually isn’t one of them.

PBW.

Star San.

A few simple cleaning tools.

Start there.

Frequently Asked Questions

What’s the difference between cleaning and sanitizing?

Cleaning removes dirt and organic residue.

Sanitizing is done after cleaning to reduce microorganisms on clean brewing surfaces.

You need both.

Can I sanitize equipment without cleaning it first?

You shouldn’t.

Sanitizer works on clean surfaces.

If something has visible residue or buildup, clean it first.

Do I have to sanitize my brew kettle?

Not before the boil.

The hot-side equipment needs to be clean.

Equipment contacting wort or beer after cooling needs to be sanitized.

Does Star San need to be rinsed?

When mixed and used according to the manufacturer’s instructions, Star San is a no-rinse sanitizer.

Drain it.

Don’t rinse it off with unsanitized water afterward.

Can I keep mixed Star San in a spray bottle forever?

I wouldn’t.

Follow Five Star’s current instructions and mix fresh sanitizer for the brewing or packaging session.

Can I use PBW as sanitizer?

No.

PBW is a cleaner.

After cleaning and rinsing, sanitize the appropriate cold-side equipment separately.

Can I use Star San as a cleaner?

No.

If your fermenter has dried krausen stuck to the wall, clean the fermenter first.

Can I use bleach?

There are brewing situations where diluted bleach has historically been used, but I don’t recommend it as my normal homebrew sanitizer.

Star San is easier for the way I brew and avoids some of the problems chlorine products can cause with brewing equipment, particularly stainless steel.

Can I scrub plastic fermenters?

Be careful.

Scratches can make plastic harder to clean properly.

Use appropriate cleaners, soaking and soft non-abrasive cleaning tools.

Do I need to sanitize bottles before filling them?

Yes.

The bottles should first be clean and then properly sanitized before beer goes into them.

Want the Full Cleaning Process?

👉 How to Sanitize Beer Making Equipment

Need Bottling Equipment?

👉 See My Bottling & Packaging Equipment

Need Kegging Equipment?

👉 See My Kegging & Kegerator Equipment

Brand New to Homebrewing?

👉 See My Beginner Homebrewing Equipment Guide

Need the Rest of Your Brewing Equipment?

👉 Visit the Make Beer Easy Beer Brewing Equipment Hub

FREE Beginner Brewing Bootcamp

If you’re just getting started, my FREE Beginner Brewing Bootcamp walks you through the fundamentals without making homebrewing more complicated than it needs to be.

👉 Join the FREE Beginner Brewing Bootcamp

Get My Top Five Brew Pub Recipes

Want proven recipes once you’re ready to brew?

I’ll send you five of the best-selling recipes from my own brewpub.

👉 Get Big Robb’s Top Five Brew Pub Recipes Free

Clean First. Sanitize Second.

You don’t need to turn cleaning into a science project.

Rinse equipment before the crud dries.

Use a proper cleaner when you need one.

Rinse the cleaner away.

Sanitize the clean equipment that will touch cooled wort or finished beer.

Then make beer.

That’s the whole game.

Simple Brewing. Better Beer. Made Easy.

Cheers,

Big Robb