How to sanitize glass bottles?

          Glass is a wonderful material for storing food and drink. It's recyclable, looks great, and comes in thousands of different styles to choose from, so it's easy to get the packaged product you need. It can also be reused, making it the best choice for many home food producers as well as businesses large and small. But whether you're reusing a bottle or using a new one, we always recommend disinfecting the container before you put beer, wine, jam or any other food in it. Yes, even brand new glass bottles and jars should be disinfected before use.

Why Do I Need To Sterilise My Glass Bottles?

          First things first: you might have heard it’s important to sterilise glass bottles, but you might not know why. Sterilisation ensures your products are clean enough to keep your food fresh for as long as possible. If you don’t sterilise your bottles, bacteria can easily find its way into the nooks and crannies of your glassware, and can quickly spoil your product.

How Do Sterilisation Processes Work?

          There are two main options for disinfecting glass bottles: heat them up or wash them.

When you sterilize a glass bottle with heat, the temperature reached will eventually kill any harmful bacteria in the bottle. Please note - if you use this method, you will need oven  gloves and a heat-proof container. You also need to check that your bottle can withstand high temperatures without cracking or shattering -- not all glass is created equal in this respect.

          If you have a dishwasher with a high temperature setting, you can also use it to disinfect your bottles. It's easier than heating in the oven -- just set the rinse cycle and use the  bottle when the cycle is over. However, not everyone has a dishwasher -- and even if you do, a lot of water is used even in a rinsing cycle, so it's not the most environmentally friendly option for disinfection.

How To Sterilise Glass Bottles?

          Top tip! Before you start, make sure your bottle can withstand temperatures up to 160 degrees Celsius.

          To begin any of these processes, scrub your bottle with soap and water.

In The Oven

          Heat your oven to 160 ° C.
          Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place the bottle on the baking sheet.
          Place in the oven for 15 minutes.
          Remove from oven and fill as soon as possible.

In The Dishwasher

          Heat your oven to 160 ° C. Place the bottles separately in the dishwasher (no used dishes, please).
          Set the dishwasher to run on a hot flush cycle.
          Wait until the loop ends.
          Take the bottles out of the dishwasher and fill them up as soon as possible.

          You can also disinfect glass bottles and caps or LIDS using either of the above methods. If your LIDS are made of plastic, don't put them in the oven unless you know they are oven-safe. If you need an alternative way to handle your LIDS, you can boil them in water for 15 minutes.

          When your bottle is sterilized, it is important that you fill and seal it as soon as possible to avoid any bacteria re-entering the bottle after the process is complete. However, safety is always the first priority! Make sure you use oven gloves when handling bottles and LIDS, and keep children and pets out of the kitchen until your bottles are safely sealed.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place the bottle on the baking sheet.
Place in the oven for 15 minutes.
          Remove from oven and fill as soon as possible.