Dried Soap in Bottle

If you are using a dishwasher detergent that is lye based you can try using an light acid to break it up like lemon juice.

Not sure if this would work, but what about just running them through the dishwasher without adding any detergent. I'd think that an hour of getting pelted with hot water might do the trick.

Jenn, Next time you may want to try a 10% bleach solution; it's very effective and you don't have all of the extra work. You need to sanitize, not sterilize used wine bottles as a heads up.

As to this issue, I would soak them overnight and see what happens; are you sure the bottles aren't pitted inside? I've never seen that happen but it is odd that you can't get the crystals off with hot water and a brush. I use dishwasher crystals once in a while but mix it in a quart spray bottle and just give the bottles a spritz.

Joe

I have had this problem with one of the soaps specifically sold for washing bottles. I soaked the bottles with the recommended amount. Then I rinsed them 6 times using a bottle brush, let them dry and they were covered in dusty crystals. I rinsed them three more times and the crystals were not as apparent. I no longer use that soap. In fact, I no longer want to use any soap.

Ray

One of those jet spray bottle washers works for me. I always rinse the bottles out with hot water right after they are empty. then when I need them I soak them in sanitizer ( one step) and rinse them out with the jet bottle washer. Then I do the swish with metabisulfate before I put wine in them. they come out pretty clean.

One word of caution. Strong powdered detergents can actually etch glass if left in contact to long. I use bleach to clean all my glass.

whoa! I;m gonna try bleach! How much bleach to a gallon of water? ( btw...I measure ounces with an old Nyquil cup..that's about an ounce right?)

You don't have to soak them but if mixing a gallon I would use a cup or

2. I use 3 ounces in a quart bottle of water. Pour enough into the bottle that needs cleaned to coat and let it sit 5 minutes. Then drain and rinse and wash. It gets mold out amazingly well. I rarely soak bottles in this.

I usually soak them in hot water to get labels off and resort to this if there is something in the bottle afterward. I clean all of my bottles when I get them. When I get some that were not rinsed out I rinse, soak to get the label off, wash it and check the bottom through a lamp; that's where mold grows usually. I use a jet washer and a spray bottle with soap in it, then a bottle brush. If necessary I resort to bleach if I really need that bottle.

Joe

If you are going to use bleach, remember that chlorine is very, very, very bad for wine. Even in parts per billion levels. Rinse very well and then let the bottle completely dry before using.

Ray

I've just finished cleaning some old 1/2 and 1 gallon jugs using a cupful of coarse gravel (about 1/8" to 1/4") in the bottle with a couple of cups of water and a squirt of soap.

Soaked them first overnight (full of water with a bit of detergent), emptied, put in the gravel etc. and sloshed vigorously with a circular motion for a few minutes - did a marvelous job. One had to have a second application to get all the scum out.

I'm just now headed off to try it on some wine bottles with old lees or somesuch in them, using probably 1/2 cup or less of the gravel.

The next job will be a newly-acquired 6 gal carboy with some dried residue from the orig> If you are going to use bleach, remember that chlorine is very, very, very

I always use this method, it works great. However, a word of caution - I broke a demijohn the first time I did it - gravel too course, actually I used little stones, and I shook rather than sloshed !

I also use this method with wine bottles, because I always re-use old bottles but can never be bothered cleaning them out immediately after I've used them. It removes all stains, mould, lees, scum and anything else that's in there.

good luck!