Sterilizing Your Caps - PLEASE READ!!
Please read the following suggestions about sterilizing caps you have purchased from Crafty Caps.
PLEASE NOTE: Crafty Caps specializes in custom made caps, since we do not directly print, sterilizing CAN be difficult. Please make sure to read all options before sterilizing your caps. OR contact us with questions before placing your order! We can not be held responsible for caps destroyed by sterilization, so read carefully! Thank you.
- **DO NOT** boil your caps. These caps are sealed with a
type of finish that will degrade if boiled. Boiling metal caps can
harm the seal, resulting in a faulty cap. Crafty Caps is not responsible for caps that have been destroyed due to boiling.
- **RECOMMENDED** If you are uncomfortable
not sanitizing your caps, another option would be to lay the caps out
upside down and spray them with a sanitizing solution. Shake the excess
off before capping your bottle.
- Another RECOMMENDED option: Germ Eliminator
Lamp: A unique tool to help sanitize wort, hydrometers, spoons, and
other items used in brewing.
- If you wish to use a sterilizing liquid (we strongly suggest not to soak the caps as the design is water resistant, but not waterproof especially with chemicals), you should first try
Iodophor, Iodine or I-O-Safe. Caps should be sterilized in a preferred solution for 1
minute, too much longer and you run the risk of destroying the
design. If your solution calls for more than 1 minutes, please test a
cap for the desired time to make sure your sealant is holding up
against the solution. (If you can't find these products at your local
distributor, feel free to contact us and ask for more information on purchasing from us.)
- The oxygen-absorbing caps absorb the oxygen left in the headspace of
the bottle, reducing the chance of oxidation. Oxy-caps are activated
when wetted, this will render the caps useless in terms of absorbing
oxygen for any batch after the current batch being bottled. The
industry standard on these appears to be 'do not sterilize'
- It is suggested not to use Hydrogen Peroxide based sterilizers, such as
One-Step or B-Bright. These types of solutions can leave a white
residue on the caps, but worse yet, they might degrade the sealant and
ruin your design. If this is what you use for other sterilizing, feel
free to TEST a cap, however too long in any solution may start to wear
off the sealant
- For more information on sterilizing solutions, please visit:
A Complete Guide to Cleaning and Sanitation.
- Research about the sterilizing process has shown that many
microbreweries do NOT sterilize their caps before capping their
bottles.
*Quote from micro employee 'We do
not sanitize our caps. We dump the caps straight into the hopper from
the box. Just rinsing the caps in clean water would be more than most
microbreweries. No bother boiling your caps either, the chance of
infection from a new cap is ridiculously low. Infections tend to come
from sediment due to poor cleaning of previous batches.'