Best way to clean press cloths

[nick....@gmail.com]

Hi,

This has been my 1st year using a rack and cloth press and now that I'm almost done with pressing, I'd like to seek the group member's advice on the best way to clean and wash the press cloths before putting them away?

I have so far been using a combination of soaking, shaking, pressure washer and my wife's washing machine which left it full of Apple pomace (as I'm sure you can imagine she was very impressed with this last method ;-)

As there are lots of people on here using this type of press I was hoping there are plenty of tried and tested methods.

Thank you

Nick

Swindon

[Ray Blockley]

Much depends on the type of cloth? Is this a Voran press with the standard coarse press cloths?

My usual procedure after emptying the cloths is a very good vigorous / aggressive shake, followed by a 15 min quick wash & fast spin in the machine (with wife's permission), wipe out any bits of pulp in the washer, shake cloths again then, another slightly longer wash with a small amount of detergent. Fast spin, dry thoroughly & pack away.

Ray

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[Andrew Lea]

On 14/12/2015 08:35, Ray Blockley wrote:

>
> My usual procedure after emptying the cloths is a very good vigorous /
> aggressive shake, followed by a 15 min quick wash & fast spin in the
> machine (with wife's permission), wipe out any bits of pulp in the
> washer, shake cloths again then, another slightly longer wash with a
> small amount of detergent. Fast spin, dry thoroughly & pack away.

I do much the same with my Voran cloths but never use detergent.
Sometimes it takes up to 3 rinse and spin cycles to get the cloths
clean. And I agree that the drum needs a wipeout after use! I also agree
that a good shake and 'snap' helps to get much of the initial clinging
pulp off the cloth.

I have seen other people hang their cloths on a home-made A-frame rack
(something like the old fashioned 'clotheshorse') and clean off the
clinging pulp with a pressure washer.

The thing to avoid is to allow the pulp to dry on the cloth - it's much
more difficult to remove when its dehydrated.

Andrew

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near Oxford, UK
Wittenham Hill Cider Portal
www.cider.org.uk

[David Llewellyn]

You say you have a pressure washer - If you can get a sheet of stiff steel
mesh, bigger than one of your cloths, with mesh size of around 2cm. Lay the
mesh flat, held above the ground on some kind of support, and lay a cloth on
it and blast it with the power washer. If your jet of water is held
perpendicular to the plane of the mesh, the jet of water will pin the cloth
nicely against the mesh while it blasts out all traces of pomace. Works
beautifully for me!

David Llewellyn
Tel: + 353 87 2843879
www.llewellynsorchard.ie

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[Village Green Cider]

I normally shake then soak on the final press

1 hour boil wash to clean the washing machine of detergent before 

Then a 90 minuite boil wash with the clothes in, and a couple of scoops of sodium Metabisulphite in the detergent draw

Then line dry them

Clear out with hand then, another boil was so the washer is ready for clothes again.

Suspect it is overkill but they do come out clean.

Not sure if sodium Metabisulphite is bad for the washing machine however, but it is quite old so does not worry me too much

[Ray Blockley]

Have to add here that with the fine press cloths I am using now, cleaning is so much easier & quicker as nothing really gets stuck in the weave; shake & quick wash is all I need when using those.

Ray.

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[Andrew Lea]

That's intriguing Ray. Would you say there is a greater threshold pressure before the juice starts to flow? With the regular coarse cloths I get a lot of free run juice and much of the juice yield comes before the pressure gauge shows very much at all. Are things different with the finer weave? Is there a noticeably greater resistance to flow than before?  I realise this is a very subjective judgement and you won't have figures or anything, but what does it seem like?  I suppose I'm wondering if these cloths have so many advantages then why aren't they standard fitting?

Andrew

Wittenham Hill Cider Portal
www.cider.org.uk

[Ray Blockley]

All very rule of thumb of course, but by the time the press is loaded with the full 9 layers, there is between 15L & 20L of free - running juice collected; and all prior to rolling the cheese into the press.

Once the cheese is under pressure, most of the juice has run before the needle on the dial moves. Currently getting around 70L per pressing with these dessert fruit and 50L of that is out before 100 bar shows on the dial. I'm doing my last pressing this week so will record how it goes.

I wonder if cost is a factor at all? I haven't compared the cost per metre of the two types.

Ray

[David]

It used to take me nearly an hour to clean the coarse cloths which is the only reason I changed to the fine cloths. I would never entertain the idea of going back to the coarse ones no matter what I was pressing.

I clean mine by hanging on a washing line and hose them down with a strong jet of water, not a pressure washer. This is done daily after each pressing, than once a week I put them 4 at a time (I use 8) through two quick washes of the washing machine and hang to dry. I never use any cleaning product on them.

I think my cloths have done 4 seasons so far and each season would be approx 40 x 1tons pressed. They have plenty more in them yet.

[David]

https://www.flickr.com/photos/peasgoodnonsuch/5373425326/in/pool-ciderworkshopchallenge/

These were mine in 2011, they are there now and look just the same (Fresh from use/wash today rather than been there all the time)

[David Llewellyn]

Are they the fine cloths Ray has, from Vigo?

 

David Llewellyn

Tel: + 353 87 2843879

www.llewellynsorchard.ie

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From: cider-w...@googlegroups.com [mailto:cider-w...@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of David

Sent: 14 December 2015 13:34
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[Francis Bonenfant]

Have you tried a good soak with a percarbonate based cleaner? Say, PBW, or unscented oxisan. In my experience it straight up disintegrates organic matter residues. You should still take off the bulk of the pomace with straight water first, though.

[The Marches Cyder Circle]

Swindon Nick,

Historically speaking, Albert Trotter tells me that, during the warwah, they used to hang them out on The Siegfried Line to dry!

Silly I know. But it is getting near Yule and I'm bored...heh heh!

Seriously, we soak ours for a few days after final pressing (changing the water each day). Then a good 'snap' shake before going on the line (Siegfried or otherwise!) for a hose (not pressure wash) down. Then into the machine for a COLD spin. Gently but thoroughly dried on the cloths horse afore the firer, then into the airing cupboard stored in a pillowcase (that is, the cloths in the pillowcase, not the airing cupboard. Ahem.

Yuleishly yours, Nye.

P.S. Is the Siegfried Line still there?

[Max Nowell]

Nein

[Martin campling]

I use very fine garden windbreak netting; you can barely see through it. However, milling with a Fruit Shark and with the pulp under no pressure, the juice can fill a 6-gallon bin in very short time. My cheese dimensions are 15x16" and 5 layers deep, each of 3". My thinking is that the "proper" (and expensive) cloths are not worth paying for. Under 150psi my netting still shows no sign of stress even after 5 years of use and the flow rate through the "cloth" is not the limiting factor in my 200-300 gallon operation.

To bring this back to the original subject of the thread, these need two or three rinses in cold water (three is better), hang them out in the sun to dry (takes a few minutes), then shake the remaining very small (almost powder) bits of apple off. Done. But, whatever you do, don't use detergents when washing... the phosphates bind well to lots of materials.

By the way... a tip a customer in the home brew shop I work in told me is that archery netting is excellent for use as cloths. I haven't looked into it further but, for those of you looking to buy cloths, worth a look. 

Cheers,

   Martin

[Francis Bonenfant]

Well percarbonate cleanser is marketed as chlorine-free bleach, but containes no chlorine or phosphorus. It releases hydrogen peroxide when in solution, and this peroxide will oxidize the pulp and the slight foaming action will help dislodge it. It's also a mild basic (caustic) cleaner. You can pre-soak or add it to your washing machine. I regularly use this to clean rags stained with spilled cider, wine, and lees. It should be ok to dry your cloth after a thorough water rinsing. If you want to be extra sure there's no residue, one rinsing with something acidic like acid sanitizer, diluted vinegar or citric acid will neutralize any traces of carbonate. 

[David Pickering]

To add in an antipodean two cents worth …

My press cloths are made from what in Australia is known as “woven weed mat”. It’s black polypropylene ribbon woven into a flat fabric. It’s a bit of a stretch to call it a food-grade product but then curtain netting and other assorted fabrics are likewise not food-grade. The advantages the weed mat has is that it is essentially two dimensional and the polymer is non-porous. And, with all due respect to the work of the sewing experts in the group, the polypropylene being thermoplastic can have cut fabric edges sealed with a hot-air gun e.g. paint stripper gun.

Cleaning is peg to the clothesline and use a hose or alternatively, as Nick, Andrew and David have said, use a supporting frame and a pressure cleaner - quicker and uses less water.

Cheers - David

David Pickering - "Linden Lea" 681 Huntley Road, ORANGE NSW 2800

[Thomas Fehige]

I used a washing machine at 40°C without any detergent, daily, after pressing was done. To appease other users it helps to clean the pomace out of the machine afterwards and/or find/buy a cheap old washing machine for the cider shed. I used the coarse cloths that came with the Voran press. They dry out very fast. Better wash them at a "delicates" setting and spin dry them at the lowest speed as the yarn they are made of is very slippery and therefore the seams are not very tough (unless you strengthen them by welding them over with a hot air gun).

Cheers -- Thomas

[nick....@gmail.com]

Wow, thanks for all your responses, nice to know we all get the same issues especially with the washing machine.

In response to Ray's question about the weave, I'm using a Sambron presse and have a selection of various sizes cloths some fine and some corse. I totally agree that the fine cloths are superior to the corse and would very much doubt if it would make a difference to the yield if anything from what I have seen the corse are more likely to clog than the fine.

I did try snapping the cloths to remove the lodged pomace, at the beginning of the season, but it always seems to end up down the back of my neck.

I will see if I can find some fine mesh and try the pressure wash method to get rid of the excess pulp and failing that I might try some of the chemical methods, although where possible I do try and avoid them whenever possible.

Thankyou everyone for your input, most helpful.

Nick

[nick....@gmail.com]

[nick....@gmail.com]

[David]

Yes