Getting your jars REALLY clean

[exquisite]

This is an issue for me. I had some mold on some buch and now want to start again but am nervous about my jars. How do i get them clean and mold free without a dishwasher?

[GreenLady]

Probably, washing them out first with soda would be a good idea.
After that, you can sterilize them by either boiling them in a large pan or baking them in the oven. Presuming you're talking about glass jars, that is.

[Fubar]

There are great cleaners on the market intended for brewery or restaurant applications. I use B-brite which is an oxygen cleaner (Oxy-clean works, also, if you use the unscented kind). There are also great sanitizers such as Iodophor and Star-San. All of these items can be found at your local brewshop, or online. Let me know if you need any good sources for these products.

Keep in mind, that you CANNOT sanitize something unless it's clean. And the sanitizers I mentioned will not work unless you have thoroughly cleaned your equipment. A good cleaning with an oxygen based cleaner and a sanitizing with a mixture of an acid based sanitizer and some potassium metabisulfate (campden tabs) will get the job done. Also, if the cleaner or sanitizer says "no rinse", then DO NOT RINSE. Let air dry. Otherwise, the unsanitary water would cancel out your sanitation, if that makes any sense.

Also, you can use a dishwasher as long as you use no soap. I believe there are scentless Oxy-clean products that are dishwasher safe. Most dishwashers even have a "sanitize" setting. Hope this helps!

[Denise]

Is all of that cleaning really necessary?

My mother was born in 1916; I recall one of her childhood stories of seeing her grandfather's crock of sauerkraut, MAKING AN OPENING IN THE SURFACE MOLD LAYER ON TOP, then dipping her hand to the bottom to get some delicious sauerkraut. Possibly this is normal????

Even with that story in my mind, I needed to be sure about this mold issue. Please read Tim Hall's answer to my post in Vegetable Ferments, "Surface Mold on Sauerkraut". This makes so much more sense to me.

Denise

[ningly]

It really is hard to make sure that your jars are already clean as you would not want any left dirt in it that might prove to be too much to handle for your next fermentation procedure.

I have heard that when in the worst scenario, your best bet is to use soda to clean it off. You can just leave it on there and let it work its magic with cleaning it. Then you just have to wash it the regular way.

[Denise]

Thank you for your post. This is good information to have, and so natural!