Brewing is 80% cleaning. That joke gets repeated because it is true — the time you spend washing, scrubbing, and sanitizing will dwarf the time you spend pouring honey into water. In this third part of the Intro to Making Mead series I will explain why that work matters, how cleaning and sanitizing are different, and the routine I follow on brew day.

Why Sanitization Matters for Mead

Mead is essentially honey water with yeast, which makes it an inviting environment for microbes. Wild yeast and bacteria live on fruit, in the air, and on anything that touches your brew. If they get a foothold before your chosen yeast takes over, they can produce off-flavors, sour the batch, or turn it into vinegar. Sanitization is the step that tilts the odds in your yeast’s favor by reducing competing organisms to a level your yeast can outpace.

It is worth being honest here: you can sometimes get away with sloppy sanitation and still end up with drinkable mead. Honey must is not as bacteria-friendly as wort, and many wild yeasts are less aggressive than brewing strains. But “sometimes” is not a great brewing strategy. Consistent sanitation is what turns a lucky batch into a reliable process.

Cleaner vs. Sanitizer

Cleaning and sanitizing are related, but they are not the same job, and mixing them up is one of the most common beginner mistakes.

Cleaning is the removal of visible dirt, organic residue, and biofilm. A cleaner lifts honey residue, fruit pulp, oils, and dried yeast off the surface of your gear so water can rinse it away. If you skip cleaning, the sanitizer you apply next will not reach every surface; it will sit on top of the grime instead.

Sanitizing happens after cleaning. A sanitizer reduces the number of microorganisms on a clean surface to a level that will not harm your fermentation. It does not sterilize your equipment, and it does not remove physical debris. That is why you cannot sanitize your way out of poor cleaning.

Think of it this way: cleaning is washing the dishes, sanitizing is making sure the plate is safe to eat from after it is dry. You need both, in that order.

What I Use

For cleaning equipment, a lot of brewers recommend PBW (Powdered Brewery Wash). It’s an alkali cleaner made specifically for breaking down organic residue like honey, fruit pulp, and yeast film. I started with PBW but burned through it quickly—brewing involves a surprising amount of cleaning, and the cost adds up fast.

I’ve since switched to unscented OxiClean Free & Clear as my cleaner. It does the same basic job for a fraction of the price, though it requires extensive rinsing to make sure no residue is left behind. If you’re willing to put in the rinse time, it’s far more cost effective than PBW.

Sanitizing is a separate step, and for that I use StarSan. It’s an acid-based no-rinse sanitizer that kills off wild yeast and bacteria without you having to rinse it out afterward. If you buy the 32 oz version, it lasts for years of brewing because you dilute it to a tiny concentration. And yes—don’t fear the foam. The foam left behind by StarSan is harmless and actually protects your clean surface right up until you add the mead.

My Brew Day Cleaning Routine

I clean in batches, and the kitchen sink is my workstation. I start by filling one side with hot water and OxiClean, then drop in whatever gear I am not actively using—fermenters, airlocks, rubber stoppers, measuring cups, spoons, and the hydrometer test jar. I let them soak for about five minutes while I weigh ingredients or mix the must.

After the soak I pull each item out and scrub it. Sponges handle the wide surfaces, and bottle brushes get into airlock chambers, tubing, and the necks of jugs. Anything with dried-on residue gets an extra minute of attention. Once I am done scrubbing, I rinse everything thoroughly under running water. OxiClean works well, but it needs to be completely rinsed away or it can leave a residue behind.

When the last piece is clean, I drain the sink and rinse it out well. I do not want leftover cleaner weakening my sanitizer. Then I refill the sink with water and StarSan. I do not sanitize everything at once; instead, I drop gear into the sanitizer as I need it. If I know the next step involves the hydrometer, the test jar goes in a few minutes early. When it is time to rack, the auto-siphon and tubing get a soak right before I use them.

Once an item comes out of the StarSan, I do not rinse it with water. The foam and thin film left behind are harmless, and rinsing would just reintroduce whatever is in the tap water. I shake off the excess, use the gear, and move on.

Common Mistakes

The biggest mistake I see is treating sanitizer like a cleaner. Spraying StarSan on a fermenter that still has dried honey or yeast residue does almost nothing; the sanitizer cannot reach the surface underneath the grime. Clean first, then sanitize.

Another common slip is skipping contact time. Sanitizers need a minute or two on the surface to do their job. Dunking an airlock in StarSan and immediately pulling it out is better than nothing, but it is not as reliable as letting it sit for a couple of minutes.

Using scented cleaners is a subtler error. Scented dish soap and laundry detergent can leave fragrances and residues behind that affect aroma and flavor. Stick to unscented products for anything that touches your mead.

A fourth mistake is making StarSan with tap water that has high mineral content. Hard water can make the solution cloudy, and while cloudiness does not always mean it is ineffective, it can reduce the useful life of the batch. If your tap water is very hard, using distilled or reverse-osmosis water helps the sanitizer stay stable longer.

Finally, do not fear the foam. Beginners sometimes rinse StarSan foam out of fear that it will ruin the batch. That foam is harmless, and the no-rinse label means exactly what it says. Rinsing after sanitizing just reintroduces whatever organisms are in your rinse water.