Reddit mentions: The best hand sanitizers

Your recipe sounds like it'll turn out well if all goes according to plan! You may want to add some sweetness back if it ferments dry, but you've got several weeks to figure that out and read the Wiki to get all caught up on the method and terminology to things like back sweetening and nutrient addition schedules. I admire that you're being industrious with your fermentation equipment, I wasn't brave enough to start fermenting with whatever I had on hand with my first batch.

If you think you'll stick with it, here's the equipment I used for my first batch. I highly recommend looking into it if you think you'll do another batch! (I apologize if you aren't in the US, Amazon is my go-to)

• Hydrometer - $15.99 | You'll definitely want one of these first! It'll help you figure out when fermentation is done, plus it's nice to know your ABV when your friends or family ask "How strong is this?" (if you like to share)
  
• One Gallon Glass Carboy with Airlock, Drilled Stopper, Polyseal Lid - $14.81 | A glass carboy could last you forever! These have done very well for me, and the included airlock will give you a great setup for less than $15. The screw-on cap is just an added bonus, I use mine when I cold-crash.
  
• Star San 16 oz - $16 | This seems like the go-to sanitizer for the sub, and I use it as well. If you think you'll do several batches, I recommend going with the 32 oz size instead! It's much cheaper per ounce.
  
• Campden Tablets aka K-Meta (Potassium Metabisulfite) - $6.08 | This will help you preserve and stabilize your mead before you bottle. Some people don't, but it's highly recommended!
  
• Auto Siphon - $13.99 | This makes racking to secondary and bottling much easier! When it comes time to bottling, it's also really nice to have a Bottling Wand - $5.86
  
  All-in-all, this is just about my current setup excluding yeast, yeast nutrients, and extra carboys and airlocks. The list above comes out to about $127.45 USD before tax, which really isn't too bad considering one gallon should yield just shy of 5 standard wine bottles! Most commercial meads I've seen ranges from $15-$25 with some exceptions (There's a winery near me called Oliver Winery that makes a mead called Camelot Mead that sells for about $8 per bottle. Very good for such a cheap mead, you can probably find it at Total Wine & More if you have one nearby).
  
  ​
  
  Sorry for such a long comment! Best of luck in your mead-making adventure!
  
  Edit: If you have a local homebrew store, I would opt for that rather than Amazon. Prices may not be as cheap but you won't have to wait for shipping, you'll be able to support a local business, and employees at homebrew stores are usually really helpful and they can recommend recipes and give you pointers. Nothing beats face-to-face interaction!

I've made some slight modifications to this, mostly to make it easier to follow. I've also included steps that should be quite obvious to someone who's done any homebrewing before, but I wish someone had told me when I first started.

I'd link to the original, for the sake of attribution, but the user who posted this deleted their account not long after I wrote everything down.

This will produce a sweet fruit-mead (or melomel). WARNING this will be far more alcoholic than it tastes, and should not be consumed if you've recently taken antibiotics, or suffered gastric distress, as the yeast culture will still be alive, and will happily colonize your intestines if your gut microbiome is too fucked up.

Equipment: Most of this stuff will be a good deal cheaper at your local homebrew store, but I've included amazon links (also to the yeast).

At least 2 (3 is better, for reasons we'll get to) 1-gallon jugs (I don't recommend scaling this up), glass preferred. Add an extra jug for each additional batch. This one includes a drilled stopper and airlock

Drilled stoppers (or carboy bungs) and airlocks, non-drilled rubber stoppers.

An autosiphon and food-safe tubing.

Food-safe sanitizing solution (I recommend StarSan).

An electric kettle with temperature selector is useful, but not needed.

If you want to bottle it rather than just keeping a jug in your fridge:

Empty beer or wine bottles (just save your empties), capping or corking equipment, caps or corks, and a bottling wand.

Ingredients:

2.5 lbs (1130g) honey, clover recommended.

A cup (approximately 250ml) or so of fruit (I recommend blackberries, and I strongly recommend against cherries, other recipes have worked for me, but this yields a very medical flavor with cherries).

1 packet Lalvin EC-1118 yeast (a champagne yeast notable for its hardiness, its ability to out-compete other microorganisms, and its high alcohol tolerance).

Optional: potassium sorbate (to reduce yeast activity when our ferment is done), pectic enzyme (aka pectinase - for aesthetic purposes). Both are also available in bulk.

Process:

Day 1:

Mix sanitizing solution with clean water at specified proportions in one of your jugs, filling the jug most of the way. Stopper it, shake it. Remove stopper, set it down wet-side-up (to keep it sterile), pour the fluid to another jug. There will be foam left behind, this is fine, don't bother to rinse it or anything. At low concentrations this stuff is totally fine to drink, and won't ruin your fermentation or flavor.

Add honey to jug, all of it.

If you have a kettle, and your jug is glass, heat water to around 160F (71 Celsius), pour a volume into your jug roughly equal to the amount of honey present. Fix sterile stopper to jug. Shake until honey and water are thoroughly combined. The heat will make it FAR easier to dissolve the honey. Set aside for an hour or so while it cools. Add clean water 'til mostly full, leaving some room for fruit and headspace.

If you're missing a kettle, or using a plastic jug, this is gonna be a little harder. Fill most of the way with clean water (I recommend using a filter) leaving some room for fruit and headspace. Fix sterile stopper, shake 'til honey and water are thoroughly combined. This will take a while, and you will need to shake VERY vigorously.

At this point, you should have a jug mostly-full of combined honey and water. To this, add fruit (inspecting thoroughly for mold, don't want to add that). Then dump in a single packet of the Lalvin EC-1118 yeast, don't bother rehydrating it first or anything, it'll be fine going straight in. Add pectic enzyme if you have it (this does nothing to the flavor, it just makes the end product less cloudy). Stopper it up, shake it again. This jug now contains your "must" (pre-ferment mead).

Pour some sterilizing fluid in a bowl, put a carboy bung/drilled stopper in the bowl, with an airlock. Ensure full immersion. Let sit for a minute. Replace stopper with your bung/drilled stopper, affix airlock. Fill airlock with clean water, sanitizing fluid, or vodka. Rinse the stopper, fix it to your jug of sanitizing fluid.

Place must-jug in a dark place, I recommend a cabinet or closet.

Days 2-7:

Retrieve jug, give it a little jostle. Nothing so vigorous as to get your mead into the airlock, but enough to upset it. This is to release CO2 buildup, and to keep any part of the fruit from drying out. The foaming from the CO2 release may be very vigorous. Do this over a towel for your first batch. If the foam gets into your airlock, clean your airlock and reaffix it. Perform this jostling procedure at least once per day, more is better.

Day 8:

Final jostling, I recommend doing this in the morning.

Day 9:

let it sit, we want the sediment to settle.

Day 10: Time to get it off the sediment

Shake sterilizing fluid jug. Affix tubing to siphon. Put the siphon in the sterilizing fluid, shake the jug a little just to get the whole siphon wet. Siphon fluid into either a third container or a large bowl. This is all to sterilize both the inside and outside of your siphoning system.

Remove siphon from jug. Give it a couple pumps to empty it of any remaining fluid. Place siphon in your mead jug, leaving the end of the tubing in sterilizing fluid while you do this.

Take the jug that you just siphoned the sterilizing fluid from. Dump what fluid remains in it. Place the end of the tubing in this jug, then siphon the mead into it. Make no attempt to get the last bit of mead into your fresh container, it's mostly dead yeast and decomposing fruit.

Add potassium sorbate if you have it, stopper the jug, place it in your fridge.

Clean the jug you started in. Clean your siphon and tubing.

Day 11:

Let it sit

Day 12 or later: time to transfer again, or bottle it.

If you no longer have a jug full of sterilizing fluid, make one.

Repeat the earlier steps to sterilize the siphoning system, with a bottling wand attached to the end of the tubing if you want to bottle.

Sterilize your bottles or a clean jug, either with fluid or heat.

Siphon mead either into your bottles or jug. Stopper/cap/cork when done.

Put your jug/bottles in the fridge.

The yeast culture is still alive, and will continue to ferment. The fridge, and optional potassium sorbate, will merely slow this down. I recommend drinking any bottles within two months, to avoid a risk of bursting bottles. The mead should already be tasty at this point, but usually tastes much better after a couple more weeks.

EDIT: Fixed the formatting up a bit.

Here goes! It looks like I got all but 1 item from my current wishlist. Yah!

1.) Something that is grey.

2.) Something reminiscent of rain. Why not a raincoat?

3.) Something food related that is unusual. These are from Japan and Matcha flavor is hard to find in the US!

4.) Something on your list that is for someone other than yourself. Tell me who it's for and why. (Yes, pets count!) For my son! He's a nugget.

5.) A book I should read! I am an avid reader, so take your best shot and tell me why I need to read it! Guy Gavriel Kay is an amazing writer and I think everyone should read his books. They evoke so many emotions!

6.) An item that is less than a dollar, including shipping... that is not jewelry, nail polish, and or hair related! How about free? Read the classics!

7.) Something related to cats. I love cats! (keep this SFW, you know who you are...) NO.

8.) Something that is not useful, but so beautiful you must have it. I think by definition art is not useful, but very beautiful!

9.) A movie everyone should watch at least once in their life. Why? Because Neil Patrick Harris and Nathan Fillion are amazing.

10.) Something that would be useful when the zombies attack. Explain. For stabbing. It's a silent weapon, which is best. You don't want to attract more of the undead.

11.) Something that would have a profound impact on your life and help you to achieve your current goals. My current goal is to be more active as I try to lose weight, but foot pain is a big barrier to walking/exercising more. I have heard awesome things about this foot wrap and it would be a huge help and keep me from being in pain as I exercise!

12.) One of those pesky Add-On items. It's hard to find in stores now, weirdly. And it's all I wear daily!

13.) The most expensive thing on your list. Your dream item. Why? PS4!

14.) Something bigger than a bread box. EDIT A bread box is typically similar in size to a microwave. Home. Made. Cappucino. It can go right next to the breadbox.

15.) Something smaller than a golf ball. This is pocket sized!

16.) Something that smells wonderful. Apples!!

17.) A (SFW) toy. She-Ra is pretty safe for work

18.) Something that would be helpful for going back to school. If you're in college, you're gonna need one of these.

19.) Something related to your current obsession, whatever that may be. Adventure Time! Come on, grab your friends!


20.) Something that is just so amazing and awe-inspiring that I simply must see it. Explain why it is so grand. What's mrore amazing than being INSANELY comfortable? Just look at it! Get inspired to sleep. It looks so comfy, I can't handle it.

fear cuts deeper than swords

Congrats on the gift & thanks for sharing! How generous! =)

First, on every hike: nature calls, and there's not always a potty. Usually just a rock or a tree. With these tissues, you can avoid "eco guilt".
Earthsmart Zero Trees Portapack Compostable Bathroom Tissue

Wash up:
Mother's Therapy Organics Hand Sanitizer with Clip

& always have a hankie or kleenex. Cos you need them. No need to link that. You have them.

If you have pets & you bring them with you, a portable water bowl is an absolute.

Merrel Hiking Shoe/Boot. Your shoe or boot is your preference & depends on the trail, but you will ALWAYS need to replace them every year, at least, if you hike often. The group I hike with favors Merrels. I linked the Amazon Merrel store cos I'm not sure of your trail conditions, climate, shoe/boot preference etc. A good hiking shoe is always at the top of my list when it comes to gear.



Rope. Cos once when we were hiking my dogs missed the trail and jumped down a steep cliff. We had to rescue them. A rope sure would have come in handy!
Braided Polypropylene General Purpose Rope


To make your cache more sneaky:
Fake Rock

Honestly, I prefer to carry a back pack with my things and really don't like the camelpaks. They're a pain in the ass to keep clean. I love my reusable wide-mouthed BPA-free water bottle. There's 2 sizes. They're perfect. I use the small one all the time, but the bigger one might be handy for longer hikes.

NIKE T1 Flow Water Bottle 16oz

Nike T1 Flow Water Bottle, 32 oz

Most trails have clean water sources, but if not you may want a water bottle with built-in filtration such as Seychelle.

Happy caching & hiking! I love hiking! It's one of my favorite things!
Here's some pics of my favorite hike earlier this year.

Peace & Love

My big toenail got totally ruined by fungus because I left it untreated for 2+ years. Tbh I didn't know what it was and thought it'd go away on its own. 

A year ago, during my trip to Bali, I was in the water so much that half of my toenail actually fell off! This is when I finally started doing research and treating it. I went through a 9 month phase where I slacked off because I was traveling a lot, which is why you see it get much worse. But about 3 months ago I decided I've had enough and took this to the next level. I've been extremely proactive in my routine and am finally seeing results!!! It's a lot of work but it's really encouraging to see improvements.

Here's how I'm doing it:

• Keep it filed down using this electric nail drill (be really careful not to get carried away & use the slowest setting. stop if you feel ANY pain)
  
• Keep it clean & trimmed I make sure the sides of my nail/cuticle are free of debri and keep my nails short using these tools
  
• Make sure to disinfect all tools & surfaces using alcohol or hand sanitizer & soap
  
• Brush your toe 2-3 times a day with a soft tip toothbrush and tea tree oil body wash (especially in morning and before going to bed)
  
• Apply Tea tree oil & Coconut oil after brushing
  
  • Why: Several studies have shown that tea tree oil has antifungal properties. (source) Coconut oil also has antifungal properties and also smoothes out your skin & nail, which is key cuz tea tree oil makes it really dry and rough
    
  • How: You can do it by hand, but to make it easier I bought this mini refillable perfume spray bottle, filled it up with tea tree oil & coconut oil 50/50. So all I gotta do is spray it on my toe after I brush and dry
    
• Apply Vicks vaporub I apply this along with the tea tree oil & coconut oil once a day or so
  
• Apply Urea Cream at night in addition to the tea tree oil & coconut oil
  
  • Numerous studies have shown combination therapy of urea and an antifungal agent to be an effective treatment for onychomycosis. Urea functions to soften the nail plate, which can enhance the passage of antifungal medications to the underlying nail bed.
    
• Footsoaks I've done footsoaks 2-3 times a week for 30 min each. Recently I've been combining 2 part warm water, 1 part vinegar (distilled white or ACV), and like 5 tbsp baking soda. Sometimes I only do baking soda. Sometimes I add a few drops of tea tree oil. Sometimes I soak just with bleach & water. But if you do the bleach & water, make sure you use regular bleach (not the splashless kind). Anyways as you can tell, I kinda mix it up when it comes to footsoaks
  
  • In the lab, plain old sodium bicarbonate limited growth of the most common types of fungi that cause skin and nail infections. (source)
    
  • Vinegar can protect against bacteria, fungi, and other harmful microbes, so putting it into a foot soak could have potential benefits for the feet. source
    
• Antifungal foot powder I use this foot powder anytime I wear shoes to keep it as dry as possible
  
• Try to stay bare feet as much as possible
  
• Put toe in sunlight as much as you can fungus hates the sun
  
• Clean socks I change into fresh clean socks constantly
  
• Handwash & sanitize socks I handwash all of my socks by soaking them in this collapsible dish tub with super hot water, laundry detergent, and a few drops of dettol, which is this super concentrated antiseptic liquid that kills the fungus
  
• Spray on sanitizer If I'm ever lazy, I carry this hand sanitizer spray to spray my toenail before going to bed. I also spray this in my shoes & flip flops at night. I also use this to spray down my nail filer, sink, hands, etc. to not spread fungus.

Lets start at FG and OG which stands for final and original gravity. Original gravity is the density of the apple juice before you add anything to it(so basically open the apple juice and take the OG). The final gravity is the density after fermentation has completed. To measure OG and FG you will need a hydrometer or spectrometer. Hydrometers are really cheap and everyone starts out with this.

To take the OG siphon(you will probably want to get an auto siphon also not very expensive) of enough water juice into a plastic cylinder(like a graduated cylinder but with no precision marks and drop the hydrometer into the fluid. Then you simply read the marks on the hydrometer and that will be the OG. To get FG you just do this after fermentation. To determine when fermentation has stopped you getting taking hydrometer readings 1-2 days apart when the reading from one to the next are the same, fermentation is no longer active. Make sure you sanatize everything that will come in contact with the apple juice....hydrometer, cylinder, siphon, air locks, keeping the apple juice free of any living thing that is not yeast is a key to success here. If you do not have the OG and FG you will have a much harder time figuring out the ABV(alcohol by volume)

 

Link to an auto siphion (which you can purchase at a local home brew store)

 

Link to a hydrometer (which you can purchase at a local home brew store)

 

Link to sanitizer (which you can purchase at a local home brew store)

 

What is a cold crash. Exactly, you just bring down the temp to a serving temp. Simply put for the cold crash you need to keep the airlock on the glass jar and stick it in a regular fridge for 3 days time.

One other thing to mention. Cider yeast will want to ferment in the 60-75F degree range. Its best to get it between 62-68F however that's not always possible but it absolutely will produce some off flavors if you allow it to get above 75F degrees. The temp of the juice fermenting will be about 5 degree warmer than the ambient room temp because fermentation is an exothermic reaction(it gives off heat). Don't be scared at all, if you really want just ferment the apple juice at whatever room temp with just sugar yeast and juice. It will produce a drinkable alcoholic beverage. If you want to get further in an refine the hobby and make some honest to god delicious cider follow my steps. However I want you to know my first time brewing anything was a cider. I simply used wine yeast and apple juice. I used a condom as a fermentation lock and by god college kids drank every ounce of this brew that taste like a bready cideryish wierd thing. However it was awesome and I had a blast doing it.

Mead is VERY forgiving, far more so than beer or wine. As has been suggested, JAOM is a great "toss it in and walk away" recipe, but almost any recipe will work for a beginner, even if it's done a bit off.

Things to remember:

Don't use bleach to sanitize, it's fucking hard to get completely out, and can render a batch unusable. I prefer IO Star to Star San as it doesn't foam up when you scrub the shit out of stuff with it, and it's easier to completely rinse.

Mead needs separate nutrient, it is quite cheap on Amazon you should also add Energizer perodically (once every other day for the first week and once a week for the next month) to prevent things from getting stuck along the way. A good guide on how/when to add fruit and how to perform step feeding, which produces the tastiest results, can be found HERE.

Wine Tannin can help to make your flavors "pop" and come out more brightly, add around 3 grams to a 5 gallon batch in primary.

Also, don't let things ferment in too warm a space, the place I ferment in is a steady 69 degrees, if you let it go too warm, you might end up with weird alcohols getting created, and your brew providing a headache along with a buzz.


Lastly, if you've decide you're going to get into brewing, don't go the carboy/bucket route. For a little bit more money (like $40 more than everything else combined), you can get a MUCH better/easier and compact solution. A conical eliminates the need to rack from one container into another (has a bottom drain to suck out yeast cake) it has a side drain to bottle from (I plug this into my filter pump and bottle right from there) is MUCH more compact then separate bucket/carboy & racking canes, and is a lot easier to clean because the hole in the top is like 6 inches across, plenty big enough for a hand and a scrubby sponge as opposed to the tiny 2" opening in a carboy (which are a bitch to clean).

Also, the supplier in this link (highgravitybrew.com) doesn't charge for shipping for these conicals, it seems like everyone else who sells them does even though they're all drop shipped from the factory regardless from whom you get it.

The best way I found to get started is to just get a gallon jug carboy, some starsan, some montrachet wine yeast, yeast nutrients, and 100% grape juice from your local grocery store.

The starsan is a concentrate, I put about a capful into a 2 liter bottle, fill it up with water, and keep it under my sink. It's an antiseptic rinse that should splash over everything that's going to touch the juice; airlock, bottle, your hands, the scissors you use, all that stuff. It doesn't even needed to be rinsed, just shake the bottle out and go to town.

Once you've rinsed, put the juice, yeast nutrients, and yeast in the bottle. Put some water in the airlock and put it on top. Put the bottle of juice and yeast in a dark cool spot until you can easily see a flashlight shine through it, about 2 months or so.

While it's doing it's thing collect 5 old wine bottles or get some from a brew supply store. Old liquor bottles work great, just rinse them good and then splash starsan around inside.

Buy a racking cane! This significantly simplifies the process of getting wine out of the jug without sucking up all the dead yeast at the bottom. Run starsan through it at first, filling the starsan cup with water as it gets siphoned out so that the inside is all nice and clean.

Rack that wine out of the jug and into bottles. That's it! Age for six months if you want, but I often just mix in a little fresh grape juice to sweeten it up a bit right there in my cup and go to town right away, hence my inability to age it.

The only regular cost is the juice. I like to get the frozen 100% juice on sale because I'm doing 15 gallon batches these days (because I'm going to outpace my thirst, darn it), I use about 14 of those per 5 gallon carboy and fill the rest up with spring water from the grocery store.

I also use 4 cups of 5 minute boiled raw sugar in each 5 gallon carboy of juice to boost the abv, but this is personal taste. It makes the wine taste pretty hot but it also has a solid kick to it so I don't mind. After I mix it with a bit of fresh grape juice it just tastes like a light sweet wine and I have a very good time with it.

I just soak everything in diluted Star San. It's flavorless, odorless, biodegradable, has a 30-second contact time to obliterate basically everything, and is safe for human consumption.

I homebrew beer and Star San is the cleaning agent I use to sanitize all of my brewing equipment. Sanitation in beer brewing is the absolute #1 most important factor when brewing beer, you want your equipment to basically be sterile. You can't achieve sterility unless you use an autoclave, but Star San will get you damned near to it. Any little contaminant, even microscopically, can infect and ruin beer. I've been brewing for 10+ years and have never had an infected batch that I didn't mean to infect (sour beers), and Star San is the reason for that. If it's good enough to sanitize brewing equipment, it's overkill for sanitizing CPAP equipment.

And the best part is it requires essentially no work from me whatsoever. I just throw everything in a bucket of Star San solution twice per week and let it sit for a couple minutes, then rinse. Done. Even that is overkill though, since it technically requires only 30 seconds. I usually just throw it in and then go make some coffee, then rinse after coffee is done.

You can mix up 5 gallons of Star San solution with distilled water and it will be good for years of repeated use if you cover it.

Buy some Star San, mix it in a bucket with distilled water to the ratio stated on the bottle, and you're set for literal years. It'll foam up when you agitate it. Don't fear the foam, the foam is good. You can also use it to clean basically everything else in your house, too.

This reads like an advertisement, but I love this shit. It cleans everything, is safe for humans, last for years, and requires basically no work from you aside from the initial dilution. Just buy it, it's great.

To kill germs all I do is put everyday ordinary rubbing alcohol inside of a spray bottle and saturate the sleeve after shaking out all the extra water inside the sleeve. The alcohol will kill just about anything you would be concerned about. Back when I was super concerned about germs, I would put a little hydrogen peroxide and Benzalkonium Chloride. But really, that is overkill. The only thing on your stroker is the same stuff that is already on your skin (if you are the only one using the toy), right? If you want to sanitize both before AND after each use to be extra "safe" you can. But I have been using these things for about a quarter century and have never had a UTI or any other kind of infection using the method I use (rinse, alcohol, air dry, cornstarch). I've never gotten evident mold growth - ANY of that. You can use cornstarch on the Tenga also, but just know that cornstarch turns clear sleeves into a yellowish white instead of clear. Clear sleeves usually go cloudy anyway, but cornstarch definitely clouds them quicker. One of the things I like about clear sleeves is being able to see myself inside them.

The heating pad link is just your run of the mill heating pad. But yes one of mine is exactly like that and I have no complaints. The only one I find unwieldy and that does a poor job is the one that is thick and furry kinda like this one. The heat doesn't transfer well through the thick fur, it is too heavy and thick to do the edging trick I talked about, And the cover doesn't come off so you can't wash it. But almost anything else works great. There are some that heat up faster, but I say just read the 1, 2, and 3 star reviews before buying if you are super concerned. That's what I do....

Yes - according to at least my local health department, the guidelines to prevent contamination, etc are:

• keep cold things under 40 degrees
  
• keep hot things above 120
  
  If something has been heated and then cooled, it can't be between 40 and 120 degrees for more than 4 hours. If you are cooling something, then you should be using an ice bath. The fastest way to cool something is by immersing the container in ice+salt water. If you cool in the fridge, the contents will actually take longer than the safe time period to cool down.
  
  If you have mold growing in any open or closed containers in your fridge, take the opportunity to empty your fridge and give everything a deep clean. Otherwise, nasties like listeria can grow. It could even be a little dripping leak somewhere that's collecting in the back, encouraging mold growth.
  
  Source: from when I was working as dish / runner at restaurants during high school.
  
  Also:
  http://www.snopes.com/food/prepare/suntea.asp
  
  You can also pick up good sanitizers at your local home-brew store. Friends of mine use a product called Starsan for their home brewing to keep everything sterile. It's also EXCELLENT at getting rid of tea stains if you leave things to soak for an hour or so (depending on how stained they are).
  
  http://www.amazon.com/Midwest-Homebrewing-and-Winemaking-Supplies/dp/B0064O7YFA

If you have the pleather vr cover- gently pull on the faceplate until it comes off. Then the pleather face cushion is velcroed on to that faceplate I believe. Pull off and gently rinse in a sink with light hand soap. Let dry before reattaching.

With the stock faceplate the foam is glued onto the faceplate. You'd just have to pull the faceplate off and gently rinse the whole thing with water or light hand soap water if it is as smelly as you say. Then let dry before reattaching.

It's bacteria that causes the smell. Yuck. If you sweat in the headset a lot like I did when doing Thrill of the Fight and BoxVR workouts- before I tweaked my back- you'd have to manage sweat. Wear a headband, bandana, skullcap, whatever- and when sweat really builds up, take the headset off periodically and towel off. After the "workout" I like to lightly towel the faceplate of the VRCover, head strap, and earphones with a towel to soak up some moisture then wipe with a skin sensitive antibacterial wipe like this- see below link. I also do a quick wipe of the controllers trying not to get any liquid in the buttons. Let dry before using again. I normally place the headset in front of a fan for 30-60 minutes depending on the humidity.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00902QTDG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_tbx2DbQB4EDY6

Do not get the cloth around the lenses wet. And don't get the lenses wet. You of course know that.

Here's a past thread. I dunno if it helps- what I wrote is my methods of cleaning.

https://www.reddit.com/r/oculus/comments/beqnx3/best_way_to_clean_a_cv1

Here's how to remove faceplate.

https://youtu.be/zKAmfHnnQ_g

As long as you use common sense you'll be fine.

6.5gal plastic fermentor - $17.88 (Don't bother with glass fermentors!)

6.5gal Bottling Bucket - $18.81

Hydrometer - $12.99

3 3-piece airlocks - $5.00 - trust me, they'll break.

stopper not needed with plastic fermentor

Bottle filler - $5.09

10 ft 3/8th inch tubing - $10.99

Auto siphon - $8.76

don't need a bottle brush with plastic fermentor

144 bottle caps - $5.78

Use any pure sugar for priming - just calculate it right. I use cane sugar without issue.

Wing bottle capper - $15.48

Dial thermometer not really needed if you're slapping on an adhesive one, but definitely get this for a hot liquor tun if you're doing that.

Wine thief - $11.20

I never used a funnel or fermentor brush - you can use anything to clean but I suggest Oxyclean rinses

32oz Star San - $20.70

Adhesive Thermometer - $4.84

Total Cost: $137.52. Not ridiculous savings BUT you get 32oz of star san instead of 4oz of io-star which will last you years and sanitizer is expensive. You get a plastic fermentor instead of glass which is so much easier to clean and keep light out. Glass carboys are good for aging and aging is good for wine or special beers. Focus on simple ales that don't require it first.

The real savings come when you do all grain and make your own equipment. You can save $137 alone if you buy a big stainless steel pot and slap on a dial thermometer with a ball valve.

As a kindergarten teacher, I've legitimately considered quitting my job over this stupid phobia, but I can't let it win and neither can you. You're so right. Kids are gross, schools are gross and things spread like wildfire. BUT...the ways to prevent the bug remain the same - good hand washing! And of course I always have it in the back of my mind whenever I have a student out that it MUST be a stomach bug. 95% of the time it isn't. And I spend my time all worked up over nothing.

​

I definitely feel the same anxieties that you do, but you are doing all the right things in terms of preventing yourself (and many of your students) from exposure! I can highly recommend the Clorox brand hand-sanitizer for those times when you just can't get to a sink for proper hand-washing. It has saved me many times! So glad you love your new job! :)

​

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0013CNOMU/ref=sspa_dk_detail_0?psc=1&pd_rd_i=B0013CNOMU&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_p=f52e26da-1287-4616-824b-efc564ff75a4&pf_rd_r=4YCYFVP278H7DAGSMSZB&pd_rd_wg=kuDZk&pf_rd_s=desktop-dp-sims&pf_rd_t=40701&pd_rd_w=mf1gp&pf_rd_i=desktop-dp-sims&pd_rd_r=9bf0eb83-d721-11e8-be04-2d6d4ad679d7#customerReviews

​

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​

​

I have three ideas (they'd all be a singular gift because they are each close to $10).

Justin Bieber Singing Toothbrush because who wouldn't love to swoon to "U Smile" while brushing their teeth?! (This is an add-on item but I'm sure it's offered on other sites for the same price).

Urinal Shot Glasses lol gross.

Hand Sanitizer Because maybe someone touched their genitals...


Good luck, I hope you find the perfect item!

Agreed that hand sanitizer in a bind can be almost a necessity

I carry 2-3 of these in my wallet (3 will fit in credit card slot) at all times. Super helpful if I'm somewhere without my bag (where I keep sanitizer bottle)

They are AMAZING when you need them and just the right amount

I think the last batch over-fermented. Were they fizzy, too? If it's too warm the culture goes crazy.

Here's my current recipe.

per quart of water:
3.5% brine (33g non-iodized salt per quart of water)
2 Tablespoons Dill seed
1 Tablespoon Mustard Seed
1 Tablespoon Black Peppercorns
1 Tablespoon Coriander Seed
1-2 Bay Leaves, crumbled
1/2 to 1 bulb Garlic, cloves separated, skinned and smashed a little
Small Whole Cucumbers (like Kirby), as many as will fit!

Leave out until brine becomes cloudy (about a week), then put in the fridge. Taste often! I like to wait at least 10-14 days -- if I have the willpower.

DON'T cut the blossom end! Any incision into the cuke greatly speeds the process and they get mushy fast. If you want, you can gently scrub any blossom remnants off.

Links that may help:
Pickle Me Too Hot Pickles
Arthur Schwartz Recipe from David Lebovitz
It's Alive with Brad
Sandor Katz's Sour Pickles

Last, you can do a quick sanitize with Star San. A little goes a long way.

Good luck!

Professional brewer and qualified chef, by trade.

What you are smelling in your manky facial interface is bacteria.

Running it under warm water and squeezing to air dry is not going to kill the bacteria. You need to soak in a Non-Caustic Alkaline Cleaner like 5 Star PBW, rinse thoroughly in the same temperature of water used in soak, and sanitise (soak) in a bath of Saniclean. It will both clean (kill the bacteria) and sanitise the interface.

I realise Steam support won't recommend this, but you're considering replacing it, in entirety anyway - worth a shot to potentially bring good as new. I recommend it, and thought of it, with your T-Shirt reference as I've used the cleaning regimen on many funky T-Shirts over the years to good-as-new result. Overall, it's gentle and would be surprised if it harmed the interface in any way.

Be sure to mix to manufacturer recommend.

Links no affil:

PBW https://www.amazon.com/Five-Star-PBW-Non-Caustic-Alkaline/dp/B0064O7XBA/ref=pd_sbs_328_t_1/133-7549608-7179150?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B0064O7XBA&pd_rd_r=1d8805b4-099a-455b-9297-f39c4abf70f4&pd_rd_w=ROSuU&pd_rd_wg=6Wn9T&pf_rd_p=5cfcfe89-300f-47d2-b1ad-a4e27203a02a&pf_rd_r=JXDAMV7R1SNC3S6AJTKB&psc=1&refRID=JXDAMV7R1SNC3S6AJTKB

Saniclean: https://www.amazon.com/Midwest-Brewing-Winemaking-Supplies-8D-ESWW-S1HF/dp/B0064O809O/ref=sxin__ac_d_rm?ac_md=0-0-c2FuaWNsZWFu-ac_d_rm&keywords=saniclean&pd_rd_i=B0064O809O&pd_rd_r=efa7773d-be23-479e-a194-b827a5d1aad8&pd_rd_w=EiIIU&pd_rd_wg=EJ6CQ&pf_rd_p=ed481207-4bea-4e19-bbad-73ed40fdc292&pf_rd_r=PQPVQ9GQHRZXHJ2F93NH&psc=

also try northernbrewer.com

Immediately cover the bite in hand sanitiser and repeat every 10 to 15 minutes. It probably won't work but if you do live (IF) it will make a great BBQ story with friends. Use this one for best story results: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B004CPQBRA?pc_redir=1396707965&robot_redir=1

Congrats on your first contest! They are quite fun :)

• Cheapest: Wet Wipes
  
• Other Item: The Wes Anderson Collection Book, So cute :3
  
  Thanks for the contest! <3

this is where I started:
http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/brewing/starter-kits/basic-starter-kit.html

I have made this in the past and it turned out quite well:
http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/brewing/recipe-kits/caribou-slobber-extract-kit.html

Also, a great reference:
http://www.howtobrew.com/

you can also buy it in paperback, which I would recommend

beyond that kit, he'll need a big (5 gal a good place to start) kettle. I have a 5 gallon SS version, you can get fancier, but better off starting simple. something like this:
http://www.amazon.com/Prime-Pacific-Stainless-Steel-Quart/dp/B0017WPY1A/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1323059145&sr=8-2

also need to get a sanitizer, I use starsan:
http://www.amazon.com/Star-San--32-oz/dp/B0064O7YFA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1323059205&sr=8-1

I use leftover bottle from other beer - most batches come out to about 50 bottles.

I'm sure there's plenty I've forgotten, hopefully others will fill in.

To piggy back on u/stormbeforedawn's comment.

This is the equipment I used that I've had good luck with so far. It's what he recommended, I'm just providing links to the specific product I used.

• 2 gal primary bucket
  
  
• 1 gal secondary glass
  
  
• Autosiphon
  
  
• racking cane
  
  
• Hydrometer
  
  
• Starsan
  
  
• GoFerm
  
  
• I used Fermaid O, not Fermaid K, because I was following a specific nutrient regimen. It's called TONSA 2.0. Popular, but apparently not cost efficient with larger batches. People better at this than I can answer nutrient schedule questions.
  
  
• Bubbler/Airlock.
  
  
• Bottles and cap method are your preferance. You can get bottles of tons of shapes, colors and styles. Corked, capped, swingtop, etc. Just make sure the bottles are food-safe and not decorative hobby/thrift store stuff. If you use corks, same rule, don't use decorative stuff. You'll want #8 agglomerated cork and a hand corker tool to put the corks on. #9 corks work too, but you'll need heavy tools (like a floor corker) to do that..

I have a 5 lb. CO2 tank that sits on a small shelf in the back of my kegerator, with a regulator to dispense CO2 at 30PSI. The CO2 is attached to the corny keg using some 5/16" gas line and a ball-lock fitting.

The 40 ft. of beverage line is 3/16" (internal diameter) vinyl tubing that is coiled and wrapped with zipties to make sure it doesn't get tangled. Even though that sounds like a lot of line, there is only ~8 ounces of fluid in it when it is completely full. When the keg runs dry, I detach the CO2 and beverage lines, clean the keg, add about a liter of sanitized water (diluted starsan) to the keg, reattach the lines, and push the sanitized water through the beverage line. When the beverage line looks nice and clean (but still has the sanitized water in it), I can take it off and leave it in my kegerator until it's ready to use again. When I add another full keg, I just discard the first glass (which is half sanitized water and half sediment from the cold crash), and then I'm good to go.

I'll third the prioritize advice and add keep it simple. First follow CICO as best you can daily and second is to do exercise. Exercise isn't needed but it can help you both mentally and physically.

As for being sick look for a pocket hand sanitizer spray at your local drug store or pharmacy section. Something like this. If you go back to gym I'd suggest using this between machines to avoid catching another bug. If the ingredients are just 'isopropyl alcohol' (propan-2-ol) or 'ethanol based liquids' and 'glycerin' it won't leave any residue on you or any equipment you touch. Stay healthy :)

Well I was in a porn store looking at items. The sales clerk came over and asked if I'd like to see something. I said yes and she took it back to the front desk to put batteries in it. She pulled out hand sanitizer and said, "We ask that you use this before touching our products."

I used hand sanitizer then examined the merchandise. It wasn't what I was looking for so I gave it back. I then went back to browsing. Finally I picked something out and came back to the cashier to check out.

I asked, "Do you have the hand sanitizer Maybe You Touched Your Genitals ?

What she heard was "Do you have the hand sanitizer? I think I touched my genitals."

After some shocked looks, babbling, and explanation between use we realized the mistake. I was so embarrassed. I've never been in that store again.

Background

Based upon my initial question: Is it wine or meed?, I am working on my first Mead/Pyment. I've taken the original recipe I cobbled together from a variety of sources.

Is it mead? Well yes. According to the calculators in the sidebar concord juice is about 8.89% sugar. Honey is roughly 80%. I'm no math wiz, but I fussed with both Google and Wolframalpha and 8.89% of two gallons is roughly 45 Tablespoons or 0.23 pounds of sugars, 1 Gallon of Honey is roughly equivalent to 204 tablespoons of sugars or 7.9 pounds of sugars. yes I know Different types of sugars, etc. etc. But the mixture here is getting much more than 51% of the sugars from honey, so: 'tis a Wine -> Mead -> Melomel -> Pyment.


The following is an expansion of The GotMead format for recipes.

1. Ingredients
   
   • Star-San - not technically an ingredient, but it's for sterilization. I think of it as an anti-ingredient keeping the bad bugs out. (Sprayer use= 1/4 tsp to 650ml water & 60 second exposure)
     
   • 1.5 Gallons of boiled tap water (more or less to make things work out.) NOTE: I have well water, not city water - so no chlorine & plenty of minerals.
     
   • ~2 Gallons of homemade concord grape juice. (SG 1.060)
     Last year I pressed about about six gallons of grape juice from concords of my own. I was going to make jelly in the winter and froze it in the deep freeze.
     
   • 10lbs (now 15lbs) of Pure N Simple Honey.
     
   • ~3 tsp Fermax from Amazon.
     
   • Red Star Premier Blanc [Amazon] (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00434CB74)
     
     
2. Equipment
   
   • Large Stainless stock pot (for initial boil)
     
   • 5 Gallon food grade bucket & Lid sterilized.
     
   • 4 Gallon Sams club water bottle playing the role of carboy.
     
   • Hydrometer
     
   • Transfer hose
     
   • Water lock/ Bubbler
     
     
3. Preparation
   
   • Thaw the grape juice overnight in the fridge in a large container in case of leakage.
     
   • Sterilization/pasteurization.
     Thinking through the volume of Honey (~1 gallon) and aiming for a 4 gallon carboy; bring 1.5 gallon of water to a boil. Turn off heat, add the grape juice in order to pasteurize the juice without setting the pectin, stir in about 10-12 pounds of honey. (remove any scum that forms)
     
   • Sanitize the bucket and lid, and stirring spoon.
     
   • Stir vigorously as you add the ingredients.
     
   • add to the bucket, check the temperature and the SG - calculate remaining honey or water and add as needed. Stir till mixed, or your arm falls off - whichever comes first.
     
   • Check the temperature until it is at least down to about 80 degrees then add the yeast we're off to primary fermentation.
     
     
4. Primary fermentation.
   
   • 5 gallon sterilized bucket & lid with airlock.
     
   • Actual Original Specific Gravity (OG): 1.130 (I thought it was 1.122 but the must was still quite warm.)
     
   • I will plan on testing as fermentation tapers off and make a decision then on adding additional honey and warm water (carefully of course) in order to restart fermentation. (adjust to desired SG as needed).
     
   • Once fermentation has stopped transfer it to the secondary.
     
     
5. Secondary.
   
   • 4 gallon sams club water jug (plastic) with airlock.
     
   • Saved my honey jugs just in case I had any left over that wouldn't fit in the carboy.
     
   • Time. Lots of time.
     
     Notes:
     
     9/13/16 Initial. Retested SG, it was at 1.130.
     
     9/15/16 Sterilized a large spoon and vigerously stirred to aerate. SG at 1.074, fermentation is fast and furious.
     
     9/16/16 Aerated/degassed. 3tsp fermax. SG 1.050
     
     9/16/16 Aerated/degassed. SG 1.026
     
     9/21/16 Racking Day. SG 0.998 (ABV 18%?). Upon racking there was not quite enough in the carboy. After staring at it for twenty minutes I decided to gamble and added one gallon of water, and 5LBS of honey to bring it up to just below the base of the neck. Retesting the SG was 1.030. It is currently sitting inside a 5 gallon bucket in my bathroom, I'll transfer it to the closet as soon as I'm reasonably certain it won't go Mt. St. Helens on my wardrobe.
     
     

I have followed the same basic route, kang starr method and the sauce turned out tasty, but I just couldn't understand if it had actually fermented. I never had visible airlock activity and even tried adding in some of the liquid from my greek yogurt but still nothing. left it for about 2 weeks....

If you don't have an airlock you can use some cheese cloth or even paper towel with a rubber band should work in the interim. Anything with food especially since its sitting out for an extended period of time should be heavily cleaned & sanitized. I do some homebrewing so I use starsan

maybe start with some small batches to get your ratios down and try deviating a couple of them to see what you like best. also I think you might want to add in a little sugar.

Once done, add in vinegar & blended to superfine, toss it on the stove to bring to 180-190 deg for a few minutes then bottle it hot and then flip the bottles over for a few minutes to sanitize for shelf stability.

lol Weird coincidence, eh? I'm probably going to add a few bits and bobs to the zip pulls and where the handles and strap attach so I can ID it from a distance better. I already have a nice scented hand sanitzer thing I can attach to it.

The carboy you are looking at was the first one I had ever purchased, the airlock and stopper work great for 1gal batches. definitely recommend.

I use the Red Star yeast for my batches and it works well, might switch to a more specific yeast later, but for just starting out it works well. If used sparingly, you can make up to 55 1gal batches with the amount of yeast you are buying.

As for the sanitizer, you'll find most people use Star San because of how homebrewing-friendly it can be, but its really up to you. Just make sure your equipment is thoroughly cleaned and sanitized before brewing.

Maybe you touched your Genitals Hand Sanitizer!
It's $6.55 with free shipping :)

Dish soap is indeed great, especially for kitchen grease.

My grandmother used the original GOJO hand degreaser (not the orange kind) on the "work with your hands" sort of grease stains my grandfather collected in his job/puttering: http://www.amazon.com/GOJO-1109-Original-Hand-Cleaner/dp/B00065TSSO/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1372966923&sr=8-10&keywords=gojo

Check out /r/Homebrewing and just start saving. Even 2 dollars a day with you and a friend and you could be rolling in a couple months.

edit: also start saving glass bottles that require a bottle opener. Those are reusable.

edit2: Things you'll need. Feel free to find similar products.

cooler with spigot

valve(I'm not sure of the size on that igloo)

bazooka screen

bottles(make sure they're brown)

caps

capper

some sort of gas stove. say a propane stove, a turkey fryer, or a kitchen stove.

a large pot

starsan

I'm probably forgetting things.

-A kitchen scale for weighing out the proper salt by mass ratio is pretty much a necessity.

-If you're interested in making things shelf-stable, then you'll need a pH-meter to make sure you're below 4.6.

-I recently started using a food-safe spray bottle with a StarSan dilution for sanitizing everything that comes in contact with my ingredients.

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07QK1NX91/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_image_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://smile.amazon.com/Star-Sans-Sanitizer-4-oz/dp/B00E5MXGKK/ref=sr_1_5?crid=YOMTTJMJEDG4&keywords=starsan+brewing+sanitizer&qid=1575148862&s=beauty&sprefix=starsan+%2Cbeauty%2C200&sr=1-5

>What is the best way to ensure I don't have the carbonation start to come into play?

By understanding what your hydro is telling you. There are a variety of stabilization methods covered on the wiki, including time and abv, running out of sugar, heat, chemicals and forced filtration. Chemicals are the easiest for a rookie, I personally prefer ABV. Each method has pros and cons.

>made for home brewing buckets

food grade =!= o2 impermeable through the walls. I have to look it up every time for which plastics are both food safe and o2 proof. Seals can be an issue in any bucket, like you were thinking. Oxidation is a huge killer for brewing. If you don't overstay your welcome in a random bucket it is a non issue. You can buy a bucket with airlock, spigot and lid for ~14$ though. It's hard to get all that for less.

>sanitizer

https://www.amazon.com/Star-San-4C-YKNL-FWNT-San-16oz/dp/B0064O7Y64/ref=asc_df_B0064O7Y6450285

That's a lifetime supply for most brewers. I think I'm on number 3 of those bottles at most and I have 800 gallons or so to my name.

your LHBS is generally going to be the cheapest for everything but honey and kegging equipment, and maybe bottling supplies depending on the deal. I bully the local shop into volume discounts when I buy a few hundred bottles.

https://www.amazon.com/Kirkland-Signature-Pure-Honey-Pound/dp/B007F2EQEW/

There are plenty of honey's available on amazon. The above is a decent cheap one. There are better honey's out there but this shows up at your door tomorrow for a reasonable price. A lot of "raw" and "organic" honey's are full of shit, but it's hard to tell what's good an what's not without tasting. If something is grade A and "raw" it's probably a lie. USDA grades have a lot to do with clarity and honey that hasn't been heated of filtered has better aroma and flavor may struggle to mead Grade A criteria.

i see you're almost out of hand sanitizer.
Here you go friend: http://www.amazon.com/Purell-Hand-Sanitizer-Original-LT/dp/B0085TFDHI/
oh and nice shoes

I had one of those for a while. Always got great looks/comments.

Maybe You Touched Your Genitals" Hand Sanitizer

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004CPQBRA

My friend, do I have the perfect product for you!

Star San - I use it to clean all of my homebrew equipment, as well as some coffee pieces (Chemex and Aeropress). Follow the directions for dilution, and soak whatever you want for as long as you want (although 30 seconds to 2 minutes is all that's really needed). Then just be sure to wash off with water and you're set.

As pretty much everyone else here has said, flush it with plenty of warm water.

I'm partial to doing a final rinse of both cumtubes and toys with diluted StarSan (a no rinse commercial disinfectant). Just be sure to make sure and rinse it again before using it again.

> $549 retail

Damn it, I have to do math again....

For $550 you can also purchase the following:

• Home brew starter kit w/ 5 gallon kettle - $90 (this is essentially what I started with 6 years ago and still use everything)
  
  
• A free extract kit with the above purchase
  
  
• You'll need something to put that homebrew in. 2 cases of 1 L flip tops - $76
  
  
• Cleaning supplies, both PBW and StarSan - $40
  
  
• Everyone's favorite brewing book - $12
  
  That's really everything you need for one batch and we're only up to $218...
  To fill the gap of $282, how about 7 extract kits estimating about $40 per kit?
  
  So with my plan of $548 (that's one dollar cheaper!) you get 40 gallons of beer! How much does the competitor make per batch?
  
  > The newer keg, which is the same volume (1.75 gallons) as the old keg will have simplified connectors.

I use Star San. It's a very popular option for sanitation.
Clean container and remove any debris, rinse with water thoroughly, spray on Star San/water mixture and let it dry.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0064O7YFA/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_LEszybWX7Q1CR

How about some hand sanitizer for after shaking all those hands/touching each other.

I would love a postcard to put on my fridge. Anyone can send me one, really. ;)

I found an unlikely winner in STAR SAN: https://www.amazon.com/Star-San-B0064O7YFA-San-32/dp/B0064O7YFA

It's an organic acid used for sanitizing brewing equipment. Go for a light mix with water in a spray bottle and you should be fine after one or two applications. I just wiped out an aphid infestation on my pear tree with it.

Being a homebrewer, I recommend a soak in Oxyclean/PBW and then some Starsan for good measure.

Baha. Yessss. You mean
these ? Ps they're on amazon for $14 something! I've never heard of them before. I only knew about the Lysol spray haha. # gamechanger

Edited to include amazon- random

incredible!

Heres me.

the reason i want this phone is because this is my current phone. some of the buttons don't work like they use to. the speaker in the ear piece is blown so its pretty much an alarm clock that i can text on. I've never had a "smart phone", i have never had a phone that would even be considered an average phone. i feel like a joke when people are like look it up on your phone and i pull out a 8 year old flip phone.

Gojo Hand Cleaner.

https://www.amazon.com/GOJO-1109-Original-Hand-Cleaner/dp/B00065TSSO/ref=sr_1_3?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1481674683&sr=1-3&keywords=gojo

Boiling should kill anything on your equipment, but as soon as it cools off it will be susceptible to picking up an infection from the environment. Do yourself a favor and buy a bottle of Starsan. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01467UGN8/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_yw4JAbPABT8R7
Keep all your cold side equipment wet with Starsan whenever you're using it. I've never had an infection when doing this.

The chalky white film is likely mineral deposits from your water, it should rinse out easily. If you thoroughly dry your fermenters with a towel before you put them away you shouldn't get that film.

Oh yes, and it is quite simple to get the stuff together without buying a kit. Do you have a local home brew store?

This subreddit's wiki which includes a beginner section: https://www.reddit.com/r/Homebrewing/wiki/index
There are several videos on youtube that have good instructions.

Here is a basic list of gear to brew beer in a bag. You can get all of this stuff on amazon if you don't have it already. This is not the best list, but it works.
http://homebrewmanual.com/home-brewing-equipment/


Some of the stuff you won't likely have at home:

• Starsan: http://amzn.com/B01467UGN8
  
  
• Hydrometer: http://amzn.com/B013S1VAM4
  
  
• Grain bag for Brew in a Bag: http://amzn.com/B00CA5PH4W
  
  
• Bottle Capper: http://amzn.com/B001D6KGTK
  
  
• siphon: http://amzn.com/B0064ODELI
  
  
• airlock: http://amzn.com/B00A6TRKO4
  
  
• bottle caps: http://amzn.com/B000Q64T8M
  
  Beer recipes: http://beerrecipes.org/
  
  To get grains from amazon, type in the grain type and it will provide you options. If you don't have the ability to mill it yourself, you can order it crushed. Its not ideal, but if you don't have a homebrew store near you and don't have your own mill....it will work. You will have to measure out the correct amounts for each grain that you add on your own from the bulk that you ordered. If you want to brew with extracts, you can also order those on amazon as well.
  
  You can order hops on amazon the same way as grains or extracts.
  
  
  

Hand sanitizer that you can attach to your bag. I'm not even a clean freak like that, but I probably used it 5x a day

https://www.amazon.com/PURELL-Advanced-Instant-Hand-Sanitizer/dp/B00XUQK2KO/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1484110211&sr=8-5&keywords=hand+sanitizer

Any brand works, but I personally use a Platypus. There are filling stations with cold water
https://www.amazon.com/Platypus-Big-Zip-Reservoir-2-Liter/dp/B00F5IAAMU/ref=sr_1_14?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1484110375&sr=1-14&keywords=water+bladder

And that, my friend, is why this exists.

Reading through the comments and just want to make a PSA of someone ever does this to you or OP if you did use it and your face is now stained this stuff will take the dye out of you skin I would just follow it up with a normal cleanser because I don't know how harsh it is. I'm a freelance baker and my hands get dyed frequently this stuff takes it right off.

Good for sanitizing

http://www.amazon.com/Midwest-Homebrewing-and-Winemaking-Supplies/dp/B0064O7YFA

I wouldn't use bleach, alcohol and hot water are much better. You could use food grade sanitizer, on decorations that can't take heat.

https://www.amazon.com/Star-San-2883-8-oz/dp/B01467UGN8

Sanitizing rinse, food safe

I think sanitary welding refers to TIG. I know that is what is used in professional breweries.

Also, PBW to clean
https://www.amazon.com/PBW-Five-Star-1-lb/dp/B0064O7XBA

StarSan to sanitize
https://www.amazon.com/Star-San-B0064O7YFA-San-32/dp/B0064O7YFA

Star San. But I agree with u/robotir, that stone looks very brittle. Also, most things found at Goodwill are used. If this is indeed a used item then it was used as a decoration and perhaps not meant to used for food preparation.

If you're really concerned about bacteria, wash thoroughly with hot soapy water, then sanitize with a brewing sanitizer like Star San then rinse/dry.

Bullshit

EDIT: Here is the company sight for said product. I wouldn't want to not give credit where credit was due.

Buy an airlock and stopper that’ll fit whatever you’re fermenting in.

Use Starsan to sanitize.

IDK where you can get yeast but maybe an online home brew store will ship you some dry yeast.


You also will probably want to do a staggered nutrient addition or you could add raisins.

Also check out r/mead

You can get almost all of them on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Maybe-Touched-Your-Gentials-Sanitizer/dp/B004CPQBRA/

If this catches on, Costco may want to carry this

I want one just for lols.

http://www.amazon.com/Maybe-Touched-Your-Gentials-Sanitizer/dp/B004CPQBRA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317779593&sr=8-1

They have an entire line of products.

New Reasons To Wash Your Hands

https://www.amazon.ca/Maybe-Touched-Your-Genitals-Sanitizer/dp/B004CPQBRA

This comes in handy.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B004CPQBRA?pc_redir=1395436435&robot_redir=1

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0064O7YFA/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1498007709&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=star-san&dpPl=1&dpID=41P3SyQ0KML&ref=plSrch

Actually it is on amazon.com, too.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B004CPQBRA
There are varieties i believe.

Most people start with a gear-kit similar to this: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0179ZH89Y?keywords=northern%20brewer&qid=1449409004&ref_=sr_1_1&sr=8-1

Other thing you need is Starsan, it's a no-rinse sanitizer, you COULD use bleach, but you need at least 5 minutes contact time with bleach, and then you have to rinse the equipment which could introduce new bacteria. (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0064O7YFA?keywords=star%20san&qid=1449409431&ref_=sr_1_1&sr=8-1)

Then you need to check out your LBHS for ingredient kits/ recipes.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0064O7YFA/ref=pd_aw_vtph_328_bs_tr_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=8PJJ5XW9TJNSFJTA89EE

Is this what you are referring to?

OMG.... /u/Boogidy

for your co-workers

https://www.amazon.com/Maybe-Touched-Your-Genitals-Sanitizer/dp/B004CPQBRA

I thought this was an apt name for it.

That's why this exists

I keep this around the office

Where can I get one of these?

edit: found it!

http://www.amazon.com/Maybe-Touched-Your-Genitals-Sanitizer/dp/B004CPQBRA

it's real

http://www.amazon.com/Maybe-Touched-Your-Genitals-Sanitizer/dp/B004CPQBRA

Star San sanitizer.

http://www.amazon.com/Midwest-Homebrewing-and-Winemaking-Supplies/dp/B0064O7YFA

You're gonna need this to clean the sink.

https://www.amazon.com/Maybe-Touched-Your-Genitals-Sanitizer/dp/B004CPQBRA?th=1

https://www.amazon.com/Maybe-Touched-Your-Genitals-Sanitizer/dp/B004CPQBRA?th=1

Only $5.49!

Amazon.com, of course: http://www.amazon.com/Maybe-Touched-Your-Genitals-Sanitizer/dp/B004CPQBRA

Linky for those lazy like me.

Ok I found three strange items, maybe they'll make you WTF:

1

2

3

Get StarSan. It is a food grade sanitation solution. Basically it's acid. Make sure you read and FOLLOW the directions on the bottle. Wear gloves. It MUST be diluted or you can damage both your skin and the canteen. If I remember correctly, it's like 12 bucks for a bottle or two on Amazon. The purpose I use and know it for is sanitization of home brewing equipment. It will kill all the nasties.

https://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.amazon.com/Star-San-2883-8-oz/dp/B01467UGN8&ved=2ahUKEwjbgrfFvYLeAhXjHjQIHbUSAvEQFjADegQIABAB&usg=AOvVaw12M_i95-ijhUF3iiZ0bYDz

Alternatively, you could rinse the thing with Listerine. Kills 99.9% of germs and it will smell minty fresh.