Basics and units
Dosage of cleaning and sanitising products
Too little and it does not sanitise. Too much and it is expensive and foamy. Enter the product and the volume of solution, and the tool gives the range.
Result
Fill in the values and run the calculation, or try the example.
This is the calculation Krausi uses. Create an account to save it in a recipe or a brew.
Create my accountWhy dose cleaner and sanitiser precisely?
Most failed beers fail because of an infection, and nearly all infections come from equipment that was badly cleaned or badly sanitised. Instructions give doses per litre that have to be recalculated for every bucket, keg and fermenter.
Underdosing a sanitiser makes it ineffective. Overdosing wastes product and, for no-rinse acid sanitisers, produces a lot of foam and can leave a taste. The tool does the calculation for six families of products.
A useful reminder: you clean first (remove deposits), then sanitise. A sanitiser does not work through dirt.
How is the dose calculated?
The tool multiplies the volume of solution by the dosage range of the product family:
| Code | Family | Dose |
|---|---|---|
| SAN | No-rinse acid sanitiser (Star San type) | 1.5 to 2.5 mL/L |
| CIP | Liquid cleaner for cleaning in place | 2.5 to 4 mL/L |
| ACIDE | Acid descaler | 10 mL/L |
| PBW | Alkaline powder cleaner (PBW type) | 5 to 15 g/L |
| OXY | Percarbonate (Chemipro Oxi type) | 4 g/L |
| WASH | Powder cleaner (Chemipro Wash type) | 7 to 21 g/L |
The bottom of the range is enough for clean equipment and regular upkeep, the top for heavily soiled equipment.
Worked example
Values entered
- Product: SAN
- Volume of solution in litres: 10
Result from the tool
- Produit
- SAN
- Minimum dose (unit: see “unite”)
- 15 min
- Maximum dose (unit: see “unite”)
- 25
- Unite
- mL
- Minimum rate per litre
- 1.5 min
- Maximum rate per litre
- 2.5
- Unite taux
- mL/L
What the tool does not do
- The doses are generic: the manufacturer's instructions always take precedence.
- The tool does not cover contact time or solution temperature.
- It does not replace the usual precautions: gloves and goggles for concentrated products.
Frequently asked questions
Can I reuse a sanitiser solution?
A no-rinse acid sanitiser solution keeps for several days in a closed container as long as it stays clear and its pH stays below 3. A percarbonate solution, on the other hand, loses its effectiveness within hours: prepare it just before use.
Do I need to rinse after sanitising?
It depends on the product. No-rinse acid sanitisers, correctly dosed, are not rinsed: just drain. Alkaline cleaners and percarbonate are rinsed with clean water.
What is the difference between cleaning and sanitising?
Cleaning removes visible deposits (yeast, hops, scale). Sanitising reduces micro-organisms on an already clean surface. Both steps are needed, in that order.
And with the assistant?
Ask Krausi the same question in plain language: he picks this tool, does the calculation and files the result in your project.
I'm preparing 15 L of solution to sanitise my fermenter, how much no-rinse product do I need?
For 15 L, allow 22.5 to 37.5 mL of no-rinse acid sanitiser (1.5 to 2.5 mL per litre). Check the dose in your product's instructions.