Can I clean it...

[GilesTH]

As I get ready to put together my all-grain system, I keep narrowing down my options and honing in on a system that I think will work for me. Recently, I came to the conclusion that I'll probably be sticking to 3 gallon batches, which means I won't need a 10 gallon mash tun. The great news is, I can get a hold of a 5 gallon igloo cooler for FREE! The bad news... it's filled with dead spiders and their nasty webs.

Should I spend the money on a new cooler, or is that something I could clean out well enough to make good beer?

[theobrew]

you should be able to clean it pretty effectively. As long as the sides are still smooth anything inside should be easily cleaned. Also don't forget you boil anything after mashing so the mash doesn't need to be sterile.

[GilesTH]

you should be able to clean it pretty effectively. As long as the sides are still smooth anything inside should be easily cleaned. Also don't forget you boil anything after mashing so the mash doesn't need to be sterile.

But does "dead spider" ever really come out? I think it's an OCD thing that makes me hesitant, but I think you're right: PBW would probably get rid of anything that might be bad for the beer. Especially if I clean it REALLY well before I convert it to a mash tun.

[BDawg]

Yes, PBW is very effective at removing organic matter. It will do a great job of it.
And if you are still worried, bleach it, then pbw it again, then star-san it.
that will get everything out and you'll have a nice white shiny mash tun.

[GilesTH]

Yes, PBW is very effective at removing organic matter. It will do a great job of it.
And if you are still worried, bleach it, then pbw it again, then star-san it.
that will get everything out and you'll have a nice white shiny mash tun.

I'd have to get some star-san, but it'd be worth it . (I use the IOStar stuff right now. Bought the wrong sanitizer. But it works for my fermentation buckets.)

[Dirk McLargeHuge]

you should be able to clean it pretty effectively. As long as the sides are still smooth anything inside should be easily cleaned. Also don't forget you boil anything after mashing so the mash doesn't need to be sterile.

But does "dead spider" ever really come out? I think it's an OCD thing that makes me hesitant, but I think you're right: PBW would probably get rid of anything that might be bad for the beer. Especially if I clean it REALLY well before I convert it to a mash tun.

Tasty puts hair from his dog in his mash. I wouldn't worry about the dead spider.

[brewinhard]

Yeah, fear no dead spiders. A good cleaning even with regular detergent (use a good hot rinse) and you should be good to go. When I moved to my last new house, I didn't get to brew for a while and when i went to get my mash tun rinsed out I found 2 dead mice in there. Needless to say, I am still using that mousetun (I mean mashtun) and making pretty good beer with it. So have no FEAR!

[Ozwald]

Damn got beat to the dog hair.

I think Jamil has a spider story in BCS. Don't fear the spider, in fact you should change your name to honor him. Spiderwrangler is kinda catchy.