⇒ 'PBW cleaner' (and why you should use it)

PBW stands for Powdered Brewery Wash

PBW cleans beer equipment very well

PBW by Five Star originated in commercial breweries like Coors then found its way into homebrew circles for its unique blend of sodium metasilicate, sodium percarbonate and nonionic surfactants. That trio saponifies fats, chelates minerals and lifts proteins and hop oils from metal surfaces.

Don’t take our word for it. Hunt “PBW review” online or scan brewing forums and you’ll see pro brewers and hobbyists alike credit PBW with stripping rock-hard trub and beerstone without harsh fumes or steel pitting.

🧼 The benefits of using PBW are many

Key Takeaway: Deep-clean via saponification and chelation
Best For: Beerstone, trub, organic residues, label removal

• Burnt-on trub dissolves as sodium metasilicate converts fats into soap—run at 60–70 °C for faster action and shorter soak times.
• Beerstone (calcium oxalate) chelates into solution, outperforming pure acid cleaners on tenacious mineral scale.
• Gentle pH balance and nonionic surfactants prevent metal corrosion—ideal for stainless steel, glass, plastics and rubber.
• Biodegradable percarbonate makes PBW septic-safe and eco-friendly—rinse water can go straight down the drain.
• Sodium percarbonate doubles as a laundry booster—brands like Napisan and OxiClean share its formula, so DIY alternatives abound.
• Mild on skin compared to sodium hydroxide, though protective gloves and goggles still advised for concentrated soaks.
• Peels labels effortlessly: soak bottles overnight to remove adhesive and paper fibers without aggressive scraping.

🔬 PBW has plenty of uses you might not expect

Left dried krausen and spent yeast in bottles? A few hours in PBW solution flushes out sediment your brush can’t touch.

Forgot to clean that fermenter until residue hardened like Fort Knox? A full-strength overnight soak then a hose rinse restores it without a brush.

Dishwashers and washing machines benefit too—run an empty hot cycle with PBW to clear grease, soap scum and funky odors.

⚙️ It’s really easy to use PBW

Ratio: 1–2 oz per gallon for kettles; 1 oz per gallon for fermenters, kegs and carboys
Method: Hot water soak, 4–12 hours, rinse

1. Heat water to 50–70 °C, stir in PBW until dissolved.
2. Submerge equipment fully. Agitation or gentle swirling accelerates penetration.
3. After 4–12 hours, drain and rinse thoroughly—no scrubbing needed.

💬 So what do other users say?

Amazon reviewers give PBW 5 out of 5, praising its ability to cut through protein, wort sugars and hop oils in one go.

🧹 PBW is not a sanitizer

PBW removes soils, it doesn’t kill microbes. After cleaning, switch to a no-rinse acid sanitizer like Star San to avoid contamination.

🔍 Active ingredients in PBW

Sodium Metasilicate (≈30 %): Turns fats into soap, breaks protein bonds and disperses mineral scale.

Sodium Percarbonate: Releases oxygen for oxidation cleaning and chelation; also sold as laundry booster.

DIY substitute: Blend 30 % TSP/90 (Red Devil) with 70 % OxiClean for a close match to PBW’s dual-action formula.

🛁 Soaking kettles and pots

Neglected trub can bake onto your brew kettle. PBW at 1–2 oz/gal and 60 °C for 6–8 hours dissolves organic deposits, protein films and beerstone so you can rinse with a hose and be ready to brew.

🏠 Other household uses

Clean kitchen appliances—stove tops, oven trays and fridge interiors—by applying PBW solution with a cloth, then rinsing.

For a deep dishwasher clean, run an empty hot cycle with PBW to lift grease and clear spray arms.

📊 Pros and Cons

Pros	Cons
Effective Cleaning Dissolves organic residues and beerstone	Cost Pricier than generic cleaners
Safe on Materials Gentle on steel, glass, plastic and rubber	Safety Precautions Gloves and eye protection recommended
Non-Hazardous Formula Biodegradable, no harsh fumes	Environmental Disposal Requires proper rinse disposal
No Scrubbing Oxygen-powered action lifts soils	Rinsing Needed Thorough rinse necessary to prevent off-flavors
Versatility Cleans kegs, fermenters, laundry machines and more	Preparation Must monitor temperature and concentration

🛒 Where to buy PBW

Find PBW on Amazon in multiple sizes—ideal for occasional hobbyists or brewery-scale use.

❓ Acid sanitizers vs Covid-19?

Star San’s low-pH, phosphoric acid formula can inactivate enveloped viruses in lab settings, but it isn’t certified for medical disinfection. Always follow CDC guidelines and use approved hospital-grade disinfectants for virus control.

For brewing, stick to PBW for cleaning and Star San for sanitizing—neither replaces a dedicated virucidal agent in healthcare scenarios.

2 comments beerstone, cleaning your equipment, five star, PBW, powdered brewing wash, sodium metasilicate, star san

↣ What is beerstone (and how to remove it)?

Beerstone is a silent but deadly beer gear killer

It creeps in slowly, like a silent assassin and you might not discover their presence until its too late...

Beerstone

The scourge of brewing kettles and kegs everywhere, beerstone can be a key element in causing off beer.

What is it?

Beerstone is a kind of scale known as 'calcium oxalate' (C2CaO4) in the brewing industry. 

This precipitate is largely due to a reaction between alkaline cleaners (e.g. caustic soda), hard water minerals (think calcium and magnesium) and protein in the form of amino acids.

It affects both the home brewer and commercial operations. 

Perhaps unsurprisingly once you've learned about the science, the milk industry has similar problems with buildup on milking machinery and milk vans.

That industry calls it, yes you guessed it, milkstone!

How does beerstone ruin beer?

The development of beerstone leaves an unsanitary surface on the keg or kettle or other brewing equipment that offers an environment that can harbour microorganisms. 

At it's most minor interference with the beer, beerstone can cause those classic "off flavors" or even shorten the shelf life of your batch.

In the worst case scenario, unwanted micro-organisms can wreck an entire batch of beer which is a waste of good beer, a waste of money and a loss of your precious brewing time.

How does beerstone form?

The organic compounds found in the wort and beer will combine with metals in the water - usually calcium and magnesium for the oxalate. It is a white, crystalline precipitate - which makes its initial appearance hard to detect with the naked eye. 

Beer bugs will then find a home in the calcium oxalate - and here's the kicker - this environment allows the microorganisms to avoid contact with your cleaning regime and, believe it or not, sodium hydroxide (NaOH) can then help form a cover by creating additional precipitate because the caustic agents react with the CO2 (given off by the fermentation process).

It's almost like you can't win!

So how do you remove beerstone?

The pros at Birkocorp have offered a pretty handy 5 step method for removing beerstone build up:

1. Rinse out beer and yeast with ambient temperature water.
2. Use a 1-2 ounce per gallon phosphoric/nitric acid mixture (140°F maximum temperature) for 15-30 minutes.
3. Do not rinse the solution out.
4. Use a noncaustic alkaline cleaner at 1-2 ounces per gallon of warm (120-140°F) to start. CIP for 15-30 minutes depending on conditions.
5. Rinse with ambient temperature water until the pH of the rinse water is neutral (same pH as the tap water coming in).

If it's not clear, you'll need to fire up up your gas burner to get the solutions to the correct temperature.

Any residual 'soil' adhered to the metal can be removed with a high-pressure hot water rinse or simply wiped off as it should now be quite soft. If you need to do a scrub, use a sponge or scrubber that will not scour the metal. 

The entire method should be followed. This is because the acid mixture does not remove the stone, it softens up the scaling so that the alkaline cleaner has the chance to do its magic. 

Beerstone Prevention is beer than cure

If it's so easy for brewers to not notice that beerstone is 'scaling up' how can it be prevented from occurring?

The key is to mix up your cleaning method by using strong acid solutions are the quickest and most effective way to remove beerstone from stainless steel surfaces. Hydrochloric acid is a popular choice but you should not use it every time as it could cause pitting.

When using strong acids, be wary of their corrosiveness on metal.

Brewclean is a product that can help prevent the buildup of brewstone. Specifically designed for cleaning homebrew kegs and brewing equipment, it is non-corrosive so it will not cause rust on kegs or other homebrew equipment.

The wetting agent (surfactant) helps remove beerstone and other 'soils'. It's a good alternative to using sodium hydroxide.

You should be quite careful when using these kinds of acids and alkaline solutions as they are pretty potent and can do some real damage if you come into contact with them.

 A splash of chemical cleaner in the eye is pretty damaging and painful, trust me I learned this lesson some years ago and it cost me a trip to the hospital!

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