help with cleaning chemicals

[avejoseph]

Hi ladies,

I have switched my routine and have three dairy specific cleaners but I think I've got some unnecessary overlap and could use some advice. I've got a heavy duty dairy utensil cleaner, milkstone remover and acid rinse, and Mark 10 Dairy cleaner and sanitizer.


stearnspkg.com/consumer-brands/farm-sanitation-products/item/135-mark-10-dairy-cleaner-sanitizer.html

This is a link for the Mark 10 and the other two products are shown at the bottom. 

Reading the instructions on the Mark 10 it says it removes milk stone, cleans bulk tanks and sanitizes. I have been using it as a sanitizing rinse right before milking (instead of a bleach 200ppm rinse) but does this work for a milkstone remover too? Or cleaner? I'm confused...Do you use it twice? During your cleaning routine and then as a sanitizer before milking? I am careful not to mix chemicals in the sink and feel like I've got a lot going on around the utility sink right now!

Here's my routine, could you tell me if I am over-doing anything. It takes me close to 20 minutes to do this in our utility sink. 

-rinse everything with lukewarm water
-disassemble and put a splash of utensil cleaner in the milk bucket with warm water and a splash in my cleaning bucket with all parts
-scrub with brush and scrubber
-rinse
-clean the outside of my milk bucket and spray with my bleach solution and rinse
-dilute acid rinse and soak parts and milker (interior) for a minute or two
-rinse and hang to dry
-wash and sanitize udder wash bucket, strip cup and cloths

Then shortly before milking, I dilute the Mark 10 in hot water and soak all parts and inside of milk bucket for a minute, drain and then hook up and head out...

[avejoseph]

[avejoseph]

[Kelsey]

I recommend staying away from any quat-based cleaners/sanitizers, as they can really throw off your cheesemaking by degrading rennet and starter cultures. It doesn't deactivate in the presence of organic matter like bleach does. Definitely don't use it w/o rinsing first. I've never come across a quat-based dairy sanitizer and I'm surprised they tell you to use w/o rinsing! Cheesemakers I've worked with have warned me away from it.

I would just use good old bleach for your sanitize rinse.

[avejoseph]

Mar 4, 2021 11:46:29 GMT -5 Kelsey said:

I recommend staying away from any quat-based cleaners/sanitizers, as they can really throw off your cheesemaking by degrading rennet and starter cultures. It doesn't deactivate in the presence of organic matter like bleach does. Definitely don't use it w/o rinsing first. I've never come across a quat-based dairy sanitizer and I'm surprised they tell you to use w/o rinsing! Cheesemakers I've worked with have warned me away from it.

I would just use good old bleach for your sanitize rinse.

Ok, good to know. Thanks
I know Fleet farm sells a bleach in the dairy section that I can get but I currently have two bottles of concentrated bleach from Walmart that I want to use up. They are not old. I read recently that they don’t have to list fillers or additives in bleach so to use a NSA bleach. Is it that finicky that I should only use the bleach in the dairy aisle or can I use this up first with no worries?

[Kelsey]

It should say on the jug if it's approved for sanitation/food surfaces/etc. Regular chlorox bleach is. Some, like the splash-less bleaches, are not approved for food surfaces. But you don't need dairy-specific bleach.

Your cleaning routine sounds really solid.

[rosalind]

You could switch to acid cleaning only a couple times a week. Every milking is usually not necessary.

Personally, I don't sanitize before milking. We have tested/clean well water and the equipment using a clean milking area between uses. Peroxide is a safer/healthier option if you do want to use something. I try to avoid excessive chemicals, have known too many people get seriously ill because of them.

[justonecow]

Mar 4, 2021 18:18:04 GMT -5 rosalind said:

You could switch to acid cleaning only a couple times a week. Every milking is usually not necessary.

Personally, I don't sanitize before milking. We have tested/clean well water and the equipment using a clean milking area between uses. Peroxide is a safer/healthier option if you do want to use something. I try to avoid excessive chemicals, have known too many people get seriously ill because of them.

Are you saying Peroxide for sanitizing?

[Kelsey]

3% hydrogen peroxide can be used effectively at room temperature with a 10 minute contact time.
Or use 3% hydrogen peroxide at 130-150°F with a 1 minute contact time.

Be sure it is stored in a light-proof container (no translucent spray bottles)

[avejoseph]

Mar 4, 2021 18:18:04 GMT -5 rosalind said:

You could switch to acid cleaning only a couple times a week. Every milking is usually not necessary.

Personally, I don't sanitize before milking. We have tested/clean well water and the equipment using a clean milking area between uses. Peroxide is a safer/healthier option if you do want to use something. I try to avoid excessive chemicals, have known too many people get seriously ill because of them.

Thanks. We have good well water plus it’s filtered in the house where I do all the cleaning. It’s funny how you start out wanting the most natural product you can use and then swing to all the strong chemicals in order to get clean milk. I know there is a good balance somewhere in between, just trying to find out what that is and what works for us.
Is there any concern for septic systems using this acid and a little bleach nearly every day? Do you use enzyme treatments to help?

I’m planning on doing an SPC test with the sanitizer rinse and one without (or maybe with peroxide) just to see the difference. I had some buildup where the inflation tube connects on the surge lid so I think that got my numbers up.

Rosalind, do you take your inflation tubes off your lid every cleaning? Is your routine the same if you’re milking OAD vs TaD? I did read your cleaning the surge milker post on your blog while I was trying to figure out why my SPC counts were high.

[avejoseph]

Where can you buy large quantities of peroxide? I only know the little brown bottles in the pharmacy aisle

[suzorse]

I use the heavy duty dairy utensil cleaner , and have the acid rinse , I use the dairyland clorine sanitizer , a little bit goes a long way , and it is my final rinse , then I air dry everything , I do not do a pre rinse before milking , I also have household bleach on hand , and you have to read labels on the bleach and make sure it is the sanitizing kind , as you want your sanitizing solution to be at 200 ppm , I use clorine test strips from the pool section , to check my solution rates , then I know that this amount of water and this amount of clorine is correct ,
Suzanne

[rosalind]

All our health food stores carry food grade peroxide 35% in the refrigerated section. But, if I price out Walmart's price vs the concentrate, the cost comes out about the same. (Just, a lot less plastic waste with a concentrate.)

If I remember correctly, I could get a non-food-grade peroxide from feed stores that carry more natural products. And that is cheaper!

I do try to take the inflation's off the lid, but some days I'm lazy. (Like if I know the next milking will just be calf food, I'm not as thorough.) I know I probably should always! My routine has changed some, I've been meaning to update my page. I found an inflation holder, so now I can pop the inflations off the lid, scrub clean, and hang on the holder to dry.

On lazier days, we leave the inflations on and submerse everything in a dairy detergent and leave it to soak while we do other chores, then rinse and hang to dry.

I like OAD because I have more energy to do a thorough scrub after each milking!