How Long Is Something Sterile?

[Newt Dundee]

There are a million and one different ways to brew a beer, but one this remains constant, cleanliness. I've cleaned all of my bottles out thoroughly in preparation for bottling (and that took some doing), but how long do they remain 'good to use' before I need to do them again prior to bottling?

Cheers

Newt

Edit: Sorry guys, forgot to state that I've also Sterilised them all as well, which was the purpose of the question, Sorry Gary (but I am looking in to no rinse sanitiser).

[GARYSMIFF]

as long as you got all crud out rinsed ,dryed and stored covered( cling film,,caps or upside down no reason a spray bottle with a no rinse sanitiser a shake and a drip should be good enough.

[Wolfy]

If something is sterile it will remain so until a contaminant (usually dust or bugs) gets in. I have 'pressure cooked' yeast vials/slopes that are stored sealed inside a sealed container and they store without problems for years.

However, bottles are bigger, harder to keep perfectly sealed and a chemical sanitizer does not sterilize. So it's always a good idea to rinse the bottles with a no-rinse sanitizer just before using them, even if you sanitized them before storage, because it's quite likely that some dust, bugs or other stuff got in while they were being stored.

[gnutz2]

I clean all my bottles after use, give them 6 squirts of starsan, put a plastic cap on and store for months before use in boxes of 12.

I know a few others on the forum do this and it saves hours.

[Newt Dundee]

I really didn't think about this question prior to posting, sorry guys.

I have a brew in the FV, and due to space restrictions I've cleaned and sterilised my bottles over a couple of days. The first batch have been sat on the kitchen table (upright) for about 48 hours and I'm hoping to bottle in the very near (tonight fingers crossed).

Do these need treating again, or should they be good to use?

(Roll on next month when I get my bottle tree!)

[dedken]

They'll probably be alright. I used to sanitise my bottles and then leave them on top of the kitchen cupboard until needed. These days I put some foil over the aperture as an extra precaution.

[Graham]

Clean them, sterilise them, and then store them upside down. Most infecting bacteria settle onto an object by hitching a lift on particles of dust that float down from above. If the bottles are upside-down this can not happen. Alternatively, store your bottles in a sterilised container, like a big plastic box type of crate with a lid. The sort of bacteria that infect beer, will die within a couple of days within a clean environment (no carbon source), and a dry environment. So, make sure everything is perfectly clean, dry, and shielded from settlement of atmospheric dust, and you will maintain adequate sterility for weeks. Pay attention to cleanliness though, dirt is food, and if if a bacterium cannot find food, it dies - just like we do.