Ball washing to bag washing

[Blue Roads]

I used aluballs for a long time and after having several highly-stained balls where the mesh was completely clogged up, I found a way to wash my balls so they would last longer.

I'm doing traditional prep now and I will usually wash the bag at the end of an evening. At times I have washed the bag and then used it shortly afterwards, and the kava always tasted funny, which I'm guessing is from not rinsing out the soap very well. I was using Dawn dish soap, but I also have Ivory dish soap for cleaning my cpap components, and switching to that seemed to help it rinse out more easily. I also will use a bowl and keep filling it with water while agitating the bag in the water, dumping out the bowl, wringing the bag, and then rinsing it a few more times that way until I don't see any more soap suds. Almost makes me wish I had some kind of miniature washing machine that could take it through a rinse and spin cycle.

What do you all do to wash your bags and get them rinsed out thoroughly?

 

[_byron]

I throw my bag in a ziploc in the freezer after each session. When it starts to get funky I do what you said. If it start to get really funky I will soak it in isopropyl alcohol for a few min then rinse with soap and water.

 

[Blue Roads]

Thanks Byron!

 

[AlexisReal]

I recommend, for starters, unperfumed WUL. We use Surcare. There are some others too.

 

[Ellis Hudson]

I usually boil my strainer for 7 minutes once ever month. It gets out all of the gunk and it makes it look like new.

 

[Blue Roads]

I've started soaking it overnight, and when I put the bowl and bag on the scale to weigh the kava I was about to put in, I noticed the bowl/bag combo was 2 grams lighter. I'll do the boiling also, that's a good idea. The unperfumed WUL is good too, thank you.

 

[Zaphod]

I used aluballs for a long time and after having several highly-stained balls where the mesh was completely clogged up, I found a way to wash my balls so they would last longer.

I'm doing traditional prep now and I will usually wash the bag at the end of an evening. At times I have washed the bag and then used it shortly afterwards, and the kava always tasted funny, which I'm guessing is from not rinsing out the soap very well. I was using Dawn dish soap, but I also have Ivory dish soap for cleaning my cpap components, and switching to that seemed to help it rinse out more easily. I also will use a bowl and keep filling it with water while agitating the bag in the water, dumping out the bowl, wringing the bag, and then rinsing it a few more times that way until I don't see any more soap suds. Almost makes me wish I had some kind of miniature washing machine that could take it through a rinse and spin cycle.

What do you all do to wash your bags and get them rinsed out thoroughly?

I have a bad habit of leaving it filled with kava overnight...because I am lazy. So I usually have 2-3 bags in rotation. To clean I will let it sit in a little bit of soapy water and vinegar for 2-3 hrs and it comes out squeaky clean. Every once in a while I will boil it but if you regularly use the vinegar I don’t think it is necessary.

 

[Blue Roads]

@Zaphod thanks for the vinegar tip. I'll give it a shot.

 

[Zaphod]

@Zaphod thanks for the vinegar tip. I'll give it a shot.

I should also mention that I have tried ethanol as well, but the vinegar did a better job and obviously a lot cheaper.

 

[Blue Roads]

It worked great, the bag seemed to rinse the soap out more easily. I'm still mildly curious now about cleaning my old aluballs that I got when I first started drinking Kava, and didn't wash them well. They've got a white residue that is clogging up the screens and I have tried all kinds of stuff to get it out of there. I'm guessing there is some key ingredient that will dissolve that stuff and not hurt the plastic. I wonder what it would take to have a lab see what exactly is in the residue and work backwards from there.

 

[nabanga]

I must admit I have never washed my strainer nylon stocking or cotton strainer bag - just quickly rinse them, wring them out and hang them on their hook to dry. There are lots of flies where I am, and they never land on my strainer, so just figured they would be OK.
Or maybe they are just so filthy that even the flies are disgusted and move on.