Keeping your strainer bag clean and sanitary ?

[Plantacious]

Maybe I'm missing something basic, but there seems to be some degree of both difficulty and concern, with keeping the strainer bag both clean and sanitary, in between uses.
Mine is made of cotton and it says to only use cold water to wash it. So it has to be washed by hand, and done so with care.
But the kava by nature, seems to want to stick to the bag due to it's sticky nature once it becomes wet.
And the bag by nature is absorbent to kava, as well.
So washing it completely clean seems like an industrious, time-consuming task.
Then there's the concern of possible bacteria buildup, since hot water cannot be used, and cold water doesn't kill germs effectively.
So how does everyone keep their bag clean, in the easiest and most effectively clean way ?

 

[Edward]

Get a nylon one and rinse it with hot water, much easier.

 

[Krunkie McKrunkface]

Maybe I'm missing something basic, but there seems to be some degree of both difficulty and concern, with keeping the strainer bag both clean and sanitary, in between uses.
Mine is made of cotton and it says to only use cold water to wash it. So it has to be washed by hand, and done so with care.
But the kava by nature, seems to want to stick to the bag due to it's sticky nature once it becomes wet.
And the bag by nature is absorbent to kava, as well.
So washing it completely clean seems like an industrious, time-consuming task.
Then there's the concern of possible bacteria buildup, since hot water cannot be used, and cold water doesn't kill germs effectively.
So how does everyone keep their bag clean, in the easiest and most effectively clean way ?

I use a nut milk bag, thoroughly rinse inside and out with hot water and then hang inside out to completely air dry

 

[Groggy]

Maybe I'm missing something basic, but there seems to be some degree of both difficulty and concern, with keeping the strainer bag both clean and sanitary, in between uses.
Mine is made of cotton and it says to only use cold water to wash it. So it has to be washed by hand, and done so with care.
But the kava by nature, seems to want to stick to the bag due to it's sticky nature once it becomes wet.
And the bag by nature is absorbent to kava, as well.
So washing it completely clean seems like an industrious, time-consuming task.
Then there's the concern of possible bacteria buildup, since hot water cannot be used, and cold water doesn't kill germs effectively.
So how does everyone keep their bag clean, in the easiest and most effectively clean way ?

You should be able to wash it with warm water and dish soap and let it air dry. I also use a nylon bag as Edward mentioned and they also get that starchy/yellow look overtime, it's perfectly normal and safe. There is no need to use soap every time, I scrub my down about once a month under warm/hot water and dish soap.

You can also store it in your fridge/freezer if you are concerned with bacteria, but I wouldn't really worry about it, as long as it is clean (rinsed) and dry.

 

[Pauluk]

I use womens nylons. Tights. 99 pence for a pairs. Cut a the foot off, put it in a pint glass and pull the ends over the glass so its easy to fill. Then tie it off. Throw away. Then work up the leg but tieying both ends of the offcut. Ive just done my first trad prep for years using my months worth of frozen nene makas. Thanks for that tip, by the way. Ive got about 3 days grog.

 

[Plantacious]

I decided to do this, to avoid any bacterial or mold growth.
Rinse it lightly. And instead of vigorous cleaning to get every single fiber and sediment out before drying, or worrying about it's sanitation, just put it submerged in water, in a container that has an airtight screw on lid like this, close it, then refrigerate. Then each time you make kava, or every couple days at least, change the water into fresh water in container and return to fridge.

 

[Kavashua]

If mine gets nasty I will actually microwave it in a bowl of water for a very short time. For me it’s about 15 seconds in the microwave but this will vary with each appliance. I put just enough water in the bowl to cover the strainer and pull it out once I start seeing steam. So far I haven’t ruined any strainers but use this advice at your own risk because I’m sure the potential is there to ruin the strainer. My bag is a nylon one if you’re wondering

 

[Intrepidus_dux]

I decided to do this, to avoid any bacterial or mold growth.
Rinse it lightly. And instead of vigorous cleaning to get every single fiber and sediment out before drying, or worrying about it's sanitation, just put it submerged in water, in a container that has a screw on lid like this, close it, then refrigerate. Then each time you make kava, or every couple days at least, change the water into fresh water in container and return to fridge.

This is interesting. How do you figure it helps? The water helping keep the bag cold enough to kill germs?

In the summer months I rinse my bags and let them bake outside in the sun. In the winter I alternate between soap and bleach and make sure to rinse real well. Once the bag is dry, I rub it down and shake it to make sure all of the old sediment is out of it.

 

[Plantacious]

This is interesting. How do you figure it helps? The water helping keep the bag cold enough to kill germs?

I believe it's a combination of 3 factors : submerged in water, an airtight closed container, and refrigeration, that creates an environment where bacteria or fungus cannot grow, as long as the water is changed regularly.
I believe this concept applies to food, so why not kava ?
It may not be necessary to do all 3 things, for example filling up with water may not be necessary, but I do all 3 steps, to stay safe.
My concern with the drying method you suggested, is that even if it's completely dry, as long as you had any leftover root fragments that were not removed during cleaning, those fragments can still grow micro-organisms when dry, if left in the wrong environment.
I don't claim to be an expert, but this is my conviction, based on all my experience in food preparation and storage, since technically kava is a food.

 

[Zaphod]

I use a nylon bag and wash with dish soap after each use and hang to air dry. I have had the same yellowish bag for almost a year with no issues. If I get a particularly sticky batch which soap usually doesn't touch, then I will use a bit of olive oil/vegetable oil to help dissolve the sticky KLs and then wash with dish soap.

 

[Krunkie McKrunkface]

If mine gets nasty I will actually microwave it in a bowl of water for a very short time. For me it’s about 15 seconds in the microwave but this will vary with each appliance. I put just enough water in the bowl to cover the strainer and pull it out once I start seeing steam. So far I haven’t ruined any strainers but use this advice at your own risk because I’m sure the potential is there to ruin the strainer. My bag is a nylon one if you’re wondering

Yes. One should do that periodically with sponges, as well

 

[Plantacious]

My strainer is from Kavafied, and I'd be afraid to put it in the microwave, since they tell you not to use hot water in their Aluball.
They don't tell you the reason why the Aluball can't take hot water, so I don't want to take the chance of their strainer going
in the microwave if it's made of the same material as the Aluball, and then see it melt in the microwave.

 

[Kavashua]

My strainer is from Kavafied, and I'd be afraid to put it in the microwave, since they tell you not to use hot water in their Aluball.
They don't tell you the reason why the Aluball can't take hot water, so I don't want to take the chance of their strainer going
in the microwave if it's made of the same material as the Aluball, and then see it melt in the microwave.

Mine is also a kavafied strainer. Timing is definitely key, I’m not sure what temperature nylon melts at but I would think it would be above the temperature of water boiling.

 

[Mo'iety]

Nylon's melting point is well above the temperature of boiling water. I occasionally microwave-boil my strainer bag. It's probably not really necessary but I like to try to keep it relatively sanitary. The water also takes on a yellowish tinge so it also helps dissolve some of the yellow gunk off the bag.

Sent from my moto g(6) using Tapatalk

 

[Plantacious]

Nylon's melting point is well above the temperature of boiling water.

I could be wrong, but doesn't a microwave go above the temp of boiling water ?

 

[The Kap'n]

I could be wrong, but doesn't a microwave go above the temp of boiling water ?

It can, however boiling water will only reach 212°F. Any excess energy added will be immediately converted into energy used in the physical boiling process, so it simply boils more vigorously. Boiling your strainers might be the best idea as you're definitely killing anything living, as well as easily breaking down those sticky kavalactones that gunk up a strainer.

 

[Plantacious]

It can, however boiling water will only reach 212°F. Any excess energy added will be immediately converted into energy used in the physical boiling process, so it simply boils more vigorously. Boiling your strainers might be the best idea as you're definitely killing anything living, as well as easily breaking down those sticky kavalactones that gunk up a strainer.

I thought I remember hearing also somewhere, that something has to be in the boiling water a certain minimum number of minutes, in order to kill everything.
Do you know how many ?

 

[The Kap'n]

I thought I remember hearing also somewhere, that something has to be in the boiling water a certain minimum number of minutes, in order to kill everything.
Do you know how many ?

At 212°F pasteurization requires .01 seconds which is the FDA recommended 5log reduction in living organisms.


To kill everything and sterilize. 2 minutes.

 

[Plantacious]

At 212°F pasteurization requires .01 seconds which is the FDA recommended 5log reduction in living organisms.
To kill everything and sterilize. 2 minutes.

That's interesting.
Because I used to make homemade Tira Misu, and when made the authentic method, it's made and eaten with raw eggs.
And some instructions say that in order to "flash pasteurize" the eggs long enough to kill the bacteria, you just put the egg on a spoon and dip it into the boiling water for a second or 2. Of course, any longer than that, and the white starts to solidify.
So in this method it truly is considered "pasteurized", but technically not sterile and free of all bacteria.
But I wonder what's the point of pasteurization, if that particular process only kills a fraction or portion of the bacteria.

 

[Plantacious]

And here is an answer.

http://www.differencebetween.info/difference-between-pasteurization-and-sterilization