What Is Sodium Percarbonate? A Home Brewer's Guide to Cleaning & Sanitising

If you've bought a cleaning product for your home brewing kit, there's a good chance sodium percarbonate is the active ingredient — even if the label doesn't say so plainly. It's one of the most widely used cleaners in home brewing, and for good reason. Here's what it is, how it works, and how to use it properly.

What Is Sodium Percarbonate?

Sodium percarbonate is a white, crystalline powder — essentially a stable combination of sodium carbonate (soda ash) and hydrogen peroxide. When it dissolves in water, it releases both, giving you an oxidising cleaner that lifts grime, protein deposits and beer stone from your equipment without the harsh smell of chlorine-based cleaners.

How Does It Work?

The hydrogen peroxide released acts as a non-chlorine bleaching and oxidising agent — it breaks down organic residue and has a mild sanitising effect. Crucially, the hydrogen peroxide decomposes naturally within about an hour into just oxygen and water, which is why sodium percarbonate-based cleaners are typically labelled "no-rinse": there's nothing harmful left behind to rinse away.

Is It Safe?

Used correctly, yes — it's one of the gentler options available to home brewers compared to chlorine-based alternatives. That said, it's still a chemical cleaning product, so a few sensible precautions apply:

• Avoid contact with combustible materials.
• Wear gloves and eye protection when handling the concentrated powder.
• Don't eat, drink or smoke while using it.
• If it contacts eyes or is swallowed, rinse/seek medical attention as appropriate and follow the guidance on the product's safety data sheet.

How to Use It

Dissolve according to the product's instructions — typically around 5g per litre of water for a standard cleaning solution. Make sure the solution contacts every surface of the equipment you're cleaning, leave it to work, then simply pour away. No rinsing needed, provided you've used it within about an hour of mixing, since that's when the active cleaning power is at its best.

Cleaner or Sanitiser?

It's worth understanding the difference: a cleaner removes visible dirt, protein and beer stone, while a sanitiser reduces microbial contamination to safe levels immediately before brewing or bottling. Sodium percarbonate products do a bit of both, but many brewers still use a dedicated no-rinse sanitiser (also often percarbonate-based) as a final step right before pitching yeast or filling bottles, for extra peace of mind.

Shop Sodium Percarbonate Cleaners

We stock both Chemclean, our sodium percarbonate-based PBW alternative for deep cleaning, and our own Non-Rinse Sanitiser for a quick, no-fuss sanitising step. Browse our full range of home brew cleaning and sanitising supplies at Brewco UK.