Cleaning honey extractors

[E&MBees]

I have managed to buy a second hand manual four frame Lega extractor off eBay. I know that in previous posts people had suggested buying an electric one, but these are just too expensive at the moment.

I would like to give it a proper clean before using it later this year. What would be the best cleaning products to use? It’s stainless steel.

Thanks.

 

[enrico]

I would be satisfied with soap and water and then boiling water! Shouldn't be too many crevices to worry about!
E

 

[The Poot in Somerset]

If you have a hose with good pressure, after the soap and water treatment give the insides a good jetting to rinse off. Often that's all mine needs between extractions.

 

[Bear]

If your that fussy you could strip it down and use a steam cleaner on it. Just make sure there’s no wax present.

 

[madasafish]

If your that fussy you could strip it down and use a steam cleaner on it. Just make sure there’s no wax present.

I have stripped down both I have bought s'hand and greased (with food safe grease) the bottom bearing which was dry on both. It also enables you to proeprly clean the rotating s'steel whotsit which holds the frames.. wax on bottom bars hidden from view from above..

I use a cold water hose at full pelt.. cleans everything very easily...

 

[Gilberdyke John]

I have managed to buy a second hand manual four frame Lega extractor off eBay. I know that in previous posts people had suggested buying an electric one, but these are just too expensive at the moment.

I would like to give it a proper clean before using it later this year. What would be the best cleaning products to use? It’s stainless steel.

Thanks.

I use cold water with a soft brush followed by a cold water jet then a wipe down with diluted sterilising fluid (Milton substitute) from Savers. Before the Covid appeared it was 83 pence a bottle but rapidly vanished from the shelves. When it reappears I'll bet it will cost a lot more.
Worth checking the nuts and bolts are stainless steel. Too many let the standard down by using mild steel. easy to replace with stainless from ebay

 

[WoodenBeam]

A pressure washer helps with cleaning stuff such as extractors

 

[E&MBees]

Thanks for the suggestions.

 

[Hachi]

A pressure washer helps with cleaning stuff such as extractors

 

[PeaBee]

Pressure washer. Then hot water and finish with a food safe BS EN 1276 spray is what I do with my extraction equipment

 

[Nannysbees]

We have a manual, great for what we need, I enjoy using it

 

[ericbeaumont]

a proper clean

cold water

A couple of buckets of cold water are all that's really needed, and the extractor can stay in the kitchen while you clean it.

Use a jug and trickle water round the drum from the top, washing with a soft scouring sponge. Do that twice and everything will be at the bottom; drain into a bucket. Boil a kettle and pour slowly round the rim, washing the sides.

No need to use soap in an extractor, nor to sterilise. After all, is honey sterile? Do you sterilise other equipment or jars? Better to repeat the clean before use next season.

 

[drex]

I keep boiling water away from my extractor. It melts any wax, which will coat everything and is a real pain to remove.

 

[PeaBee]

A couple of buckets of cold water are all that's really needed, and the extractor can stay in the kitchen while you clean it.

Use a jug and trickle water round the drum from the top, washing with a soft scouring sponge. Do that twice and everything will be at the bottom; drain into a bucket. Boil a kettle and pour slowly round the rim, washing the sides.

No need to use soap in an extractor, nor to sterilise. After all, is honey sterile? Do you sterilise other equipment or jars? Better to repeat the clean before use next season.

As it is used in food production I would still recommend sterilising it with a suitable solution. It would certainly be expected if environmental health ever followed up on honey sales and honey is not always sterile.

 

[Curly green finger's]

As it is used in food production I would still recommend sterilising it with a suitable solution. It would certainly be expected if environmental health ever followed up on honey sales and honey is not always sterile.

I wonder how many people sterilize there new jars?

 

[Erichalfbee]

Washed in hot soapy water and oven dried. But I don’t have as many as you

 

[Curly green finger's]

Washed in hot soapy water and oven dried. But I don’t have as many as you

That's an understatement .
Going to use 1lbs for most of the honey next year but keep the 8 oz for heather.
The little jars are ok for the heather but not for the rest.
Also going to keep some 12 oz hex for home.

 

[Erichalfbee]

That's an understatement .
Going to use 1lbs for most of the honey next year but keep the 8 oz for heather.
The little jars are ok for the heather but not for the rest.
Also going to keep some 12 oz hex for home.

Sterilising?
What do commercial units do?

 

[PeaBee]

I wonder how many people sterilize there new jars?

Depends on where you buy them from and how they have been stored. If on pallet seal wrapped straight from producer they should be ok to use straight away. If in boxes I always rinse, the concern with glass packaging is less about microbial contamination/sterilising and more about ensuring foreign objects and dust etc are not present when bottling . Food hygiene regs place the onus on the food business operator to ensure that the material used for packaging food stuffs are not a source of contamination.

 

[Jules59]

I wonder how many people sterilize there new jars?

My wife insists that we do. She does the jars whilst I mess about with the extracting.