Buying guide
Cleaning and Sanitizing Kit
Updated How we research
Keep every batch infection-free. The page is split into four sections (Deep Clean Your Gear; Sanitize Before Filling; Scrub Tight Spots; Rinse Your Bottles), followed by every pick ranked by our score so you can compare them in one place.
The short version
We compared 16 picks. Our scores range from 6.9 to 9.1 out of 10.
- Best overall:Five Star Star San Brew Sanitizer, 16 oz. Highest overall score in this guide at 9.1/10.
- Also great value:Five Star P.B.W. Brewery Wash, 4 lb. Value score of 9/10, overall 8.8/10.
- Solid build:Fermtech Double Blast Bottle Rinser. Build and materials score of 8/10, overall 8.4/10.
- Feature-rich:Carboy Cleaning Brush, 28 in, 2 Pack. Features score of 8/10, overall 8.4/10.
Scores are our editorial assessment, not customer ratings. How we score
Deep Clean Your Gear
- Five Star P.B.W. Brewery Wash, 4 lbOur score8.8/10
- Active Element Brewery Detergent, 8 lbOur score8.0/10
- PBW Cleaner (1 lb.) Powdered Brewery WashOur score7.5/10
- Craft Meister Oxygen Brewery WashOur score7.3/10
Sanitize Before Filling
- Five Star Star San Brew Sanitizer, 16 ozOur score9.1/10
- National Chemical BTF Iodophor Sanitizer, 32 ozOur score8.2/10
- Iodophor Sanitizer for Brewing or Wine MakingOur score7.1/10
- Cooler Keg Star San No Rinse Sanitizer, 32 ozOur score7.0/10
Scrub Tight Spots
- Carboy Cleaning Brush, 28 in, 2 PackOur score8.4/10
- VINUM Carboy Cleaner Bottle Brush, 27 inOur score8.0/10
- Bottle Express Carboy Cleaning BrushOur score7.1/10
- Clean Bottle Express Carboy ScrubberOur score6.9/10
Rinse Your Bottles
- Fermtech Double Blast Bottle RinserOur score8.4/10
- Fermtech Double Blast Bottle WasherOur score8.1/10
- Single Blast Bottle Washer with Faucet AdapterOur score7.4/10
- Homebrew High Pressure Bottle WasherOur score7.1/10
All 16 picks, ranked by our score
Every product from the sections above, listed once. Sort by the criterion you care about most, or tick up to three to compare.
Five Star Star San 16 Ounce high foaming acid anionic sanitizer, the most popular no-rinse homebrew sanitizer.
Fit for the job 10/10 · Features and specs 8/10 · Build and materials 9/10 · Value 9/10
- + 16 Ounce bottle makes hundreds of gallons of sanitizer solution
- + No-rinse formula works in about a minute of contact time
- + Foam gets into crevices and does not harm yeast
- - Foam can be alarming to new brewers, though it is harmless
- - Solution loses effectiveness with hard or cloudy water
Five Star P.B.W. Cleanser 4 Pounds, the classic powdered brewery wash for removing krausen and beerstone.
Fit for the job 9/10 · Features and specs 8/10 · Build and materials 9/10 · Value 9/10
- + PBW is the homebrew standard for stubborn organic deposits
- + 4 Pounds is economical for brewers cleaning kegs and fermenters often
- + Non-caustic formula is gentler on skin than lye cleaners
- - Works best in warm water, which means heating a lot of liquid
- - Needs thorough rinsing to avoid residue before sanitizing
A 2 Pack of 28inch nylon carboy cleaning brushes for 3-6.5 Gallon carboys and kegs.
Fit for the job 9/10 · Features and specs 8/10 · Build and materials 7/10 · Value 9/10
- + 28inch length reaches the bottom and shoulders of tall carboys
- + Bent shape helps scrub krausen rings inside curved glass
- + 2 Pack keeps a spare brush for kegs or bottling buckets
- - Nylon bristles can scratch soft PET plastic carboys
- - Long handle is awkward to store in small cupboards
Fermtech Double Blast bottle rinser that attaches to a faucet and jets water into beer and wine bottles.
Fit for the job 9/10 · Features and specs 8/10 · Build and materials 8/10 · Value 8/10
- + Double Blast design can rinse two bottles at a time
- + Faucet connection speeds up bottle cleaning before bottling day
- + Spring valve only sprays when a bottle is pressed down
- - Faucet adapter may not fit every kitchen tap
- - Rinses water only, so it does not replace sanitizer
National Chemical BTF Iodophor sanitizer in a 32 oz bottle, a concentrated no-rinse iodine sanitizer.
Fit for the job 8/10 · Features and specs 8/10 · Build and materials 8/10 · Value 9/10
- + 32 oz concentrate makes a huge volume of sanitizer
- + BTF Iodophor is a long-standing brewing sanitizer brand
- + Works well for soaking tubing and small parts
- - Iodine can leave an orange tint on plastic over time
- - Overdosing can leave an iodine taste in beer
Fermtech Double Blast bottle washer, a faucet-mounted jet for rinsing sediment from bottles.
Fit for the job 9/10 · Features and specs 7/10 · Build and materials 8/10 · Value 8/10
- + Two jets double your bottle rinsing speed
- + Strong water jet clears yeast sediment from bottle bottoms
- + Fermtech makes common homebrew tools with replacement parts
- - Appears to be the same product as another Fermtech listing
- - Pull-out and pull-down faucets may need extra adapters
Active Element brewery detergent, an 8 Pound high alkaline brewery wash for heavy cleaning jobs.
Fit for the job 8/10 · Features and specs 7/10 · Build and materials 8/10 · Value 9/10
- + 8 Pound supply lasts a very long time for home brewers
- + High alkaline formula tackles tough baked-on kettle deposits
- + Good alternative when PBW is out of stock
- - High alkaline cleaners need gloves and eye protection
- - Can be too harsh for soft metals like aluminum or brass
VINUM Carboy Cleaner is a 27 inch drill-driven cleaning wand with a silicone brush head and non-scratch scrub pads, sized for vessels from 1 gallon jugs up to 6 gallon carboys.
Fit for the job 9/10 · Features and specs 8/10 · Build and materials 7/10 · Value 7/10
- + Attaches to a drill to spin the scrub pads, which the listing aims at stuck-on grime in large vessels
- + Silicone brush head and non-scratch pads, described as suitable for glass carboys and plastic jugs
- + Modular pads in several sizes fit any mouth of 1 inch or wider, and the wand disassembles for storage
- - The drill is not included, so it only makes sense if you already own one
- - Needs a mouth opening of at least 1 inch, so it will not go into narrow-neck beer bottles
PBW cleaner in a 1 lb. container, a smaller amount of powdered brewery wash for occasional brewers.
Fit for the job 8/10 · Features and specs 6/10 · Build and materials 8/10 · Value 8/10
- + 1 lb. size is a good trial amount for new brewers
- + Breaks down dried krausen and hop residue with soaking
- + Safe on stainless steel, plastic and glass
- - Check for the genuine Five Star PBW label before ordering
- - Frequent brewers will run through a pound quickly
A single blast bottle washer with faucet adapter for rinsing homebrew beer and wine bottles.
Fit for the job 8/10 · Features and specs 7/10 · Build and materials 6/10 · Value 8/10
- + Faucet adapter included for connecting to a standard sink tap
- + Single blast jet is simple to operate by pushing a bottle down
- + Good budget option for occasional bottlers
- - Single jet is slower than double blast washers
- - Generic listing lacks material details for the jet and valve
National Chemical Craft Meister Oxygen Brewery Wash, 1 Tub of oxygen-based cleaner for fermenters and kegs.
Fit for the job 8/10 · Features and specs 6/10 · Build and materials 7/10 · Value 8/10
- + Oxygen-based cleaner lifts organic residue without harsh scrubbing
- + Safe for plastic, glass and stainless brewing equipment
- + Tub format is easy to scoop from and reseal between uses
- - Check the tub size before ordering to compare cost per use
- - Cleaner must be rinsed off before sanitizing
Iodophor sanitizer for brewing or wine making, an iodine-based no-rinse sanitizer for equipment.
Fit for the job 8/10 · Features and specs 5/10 · Build and materials 7/10 · Value 8/10
- + Low dilution makes a small bottle go a long way
- + No-rinse at proper dilution keeps sanitizing quick
- + Iodine color shows when the solution is still active
- - Can stain plastic and tubing an amber color
- - Check the bottle size before ordering so you know how many ounces you get
Bottle Express carboy cleaning brush, a dedicated brush for scrubbing the inside of glass carboys.
Fit for the job 8/10 · Features and specs 5/10 · Build and materials 7/10 · Value 8/10
- + Shaped specifically for carboy necks and shoulders
- + Removes stuck-on krausen that soaking alone leaves behind
- + Simple manual tool with nothing to break
- - Check the brush length and bristle material before ordering
- - Hand scrubbing large carboys is slower than a drill brush
A high pressure automatic rinse homebrew bottle washer for quickly jetting out bottles and carboys.
Fit for the job 8/10 · Features and specs 6/10 · Build and materials 6/10 · Value 8/10
- + High pressure spray removes sediment faster than soaking
- + Automatic valve sprays only when a bottle is pressed on
- + Useful for carboys and growlers as well as bottles
- - Check the connection type fits your faucet before ordering
- - Pressure output depends heavily on household water pressure
Cooler Keg Star San style cleaner, a 32oz no rinse food grade brewing sanitizer.
Fit for the job 7/10 · Features and specs 7/10 · Build and materials 6/10 · Value 8/10
- + 32oz bottle supplies sanitizer for a long run of brew days
- + No rinse formula speeds up bottling and kegging prep
- + Food grade product for beer and wine equipment
- - Listing name mixes cleaner and sanitizer, so check the actual formula
- - Not the original Five Star product despite the Star San name
Clean Bottle Express carboy scrubber, a tool for cleaning carboy interiors without heavy scrubbing.
Fit for the job 8/10 · Features and specs 5/10 · Build and materials 7/10 · Value 7/10
- + Designed to clean carboys where a straight brush cannot reach
- + Helps remove sediment rings from narrow neck vessels
- + Reusable tool that saves time on cleanup day
- - Title gives little detail on how the scrubber works
- - May still need soaking with cleaner for tough deposits
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Home Brew Craft curates picks for US shoppers. Scores are our editorial assessment. We may earn a commission from links on this page.