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Ok, i've see so much people here advising the use of PBW - Powdered Brewery Washer. I've seen some videos, and it seems to be a very good thing for cleaning everything in homebrew stuff.

But I live in Brasil, and it can be difficult or expensive to export some of this magic powder. The same situation is there for StarSan sanitizer. Here I use a solution of peracetic acid (peroxyacetic acid), but since i've lost my dealer i'm having troubles to find it in the market.

Can anyone tell me precisely if the chemical compounds are known and how to make a Do It Yourself solution for both products buying the chemicals separately? The Homemade PBW in this recipe is safe? Thanks in advice.

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  • Jared tells me what PBW is and share good alternatives for sanitizer. If someone could share a recipe for substitute of PBW I would like too. Thanks!
    – jards
    Commented Jul 5, 2013 at 15:57
  • Could you report your experience using bleach+vinegar or others, please ? tnx (I'm also from Brazil - SP).
    – Luciano
    Commented Mar 7, 2014 at 17:14
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    Hi, Luciano, today I'm using iodofor, just like you can read in this link in portuguese. Actually, iodopolvidona is a type of iodofor, and is easy to find here in Brasil. Look to the acquose solution, don't the 'degermant' solution. cervejarte.org/blog/2009/07/20/… Any questions please ask!
    – jards
    Commented Mar 8, 2014 at 18:31
  • John Seymour swears by sanitizing via sunlight. I think one can get that in Brasil? amazon.com/The-Self-Sufficient-Life-How-Live/dp/0756654505
    – Tony Adams
    Commented Dec 22, 2015 at 19:32

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Well the active ingredient in PBW is 30% Sodium Metasilicate and the rest composed primarily of percarbonate (Oxyclean) and sodium bicarbonate. So the recipe you link to directly is not the same (which isn't to say it isn't a good cleaner).

No access to iodophor?

As to sanitizer. My suggestion and goto when I don't have starsan is to use a 2 tbsp Bleach, 2tbsp Vinegar in 5 gal water to create a no-rinse solution.

http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/bleach-no-rinse-sanitizer-pinch-195477/

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    Thanks! No heard of iodophof before that, I found some good material about this in portuguese here, and some information in english here. Just to confirm, tbsp=tablespoon? Liked so much the link about bleach an vinegar, very simple and cheap. I just don't know if 'bleach' is always the same thing in every country. Here in Brasil it is a 2,0 to 2,5% of Sodium hipochlorite, do you know if its the same thing for you? Well, thanks for help! (:
    – jards
    Commented Jul 5, 2013 at 15:50
  • Yes Tbsp = Tablespoon. If you can get your hands on Iodophor I would go that route before I went bleach. American bleach is also Sodium hypochlorite based.
    – Jared Meyering
    Commented Jul 5, 2013 at 16:00
  • Ok, dude, thank so much for your help! Bye!
    – jards
    Commented Jul 5, 2013 at 16:14
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    Oh, you'll be back. They always come back....
    – Bad Neighbor
    Commented Jul 5, 2013 at 16:56
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    Incidentally, it mentions in the link, but not in the answer, so: Don't mix the bleach and vinegar directly. It gives off dangerous, potentially lethal gases.
    – Sneftel
    Commented Nov 10, 2014 at 17:58

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