Better cleaner for glass and some other parts

[Coffeefreak]

I recently had a damaged window replaced with a low-e glass. The installer impressed me that she knew what she was doing. (Yes, even a "Male Chauvinist Pig" like myself can admit it when a woman is skilled)
She used a glass cleaner after the window was installed called Sprayway which she said was MUCH better than Windex or any of the ammonia liquid cleaners. I popped for a can of the foam spray at my local Wal Mart superstore (they keep it on the lowest shelf underneath the Windex type products.) It really does a much better job on my HotTop window and all of the other windows in my home and auto.

Disclaimer: I am not connected with the company at all. Just delighted to find something that works better on glass (and have tried it on coffee oils that have baked onto the chrome as well.)

[mp]

Thanks for the heads up Coffeefreak ... will have to keep an eye out for that one.

 

[Ascholten]

Is it safe for food items,  ie does it leave a residue or anything?

Shiny Suds funny commercial

Aaron

[Coffeefreak]

I personally would not use ANY harsh chemical cleaner on a container that is directly used for food preparation or storage. That said, we want to keep the glass window of our HotTop roaster clean so that we can see what color the roasted beans are attaining.

Whether we use a Windex type liquid which contains ammonia or a foam solvent like this one, it is important to use a paper towel to wipe up any dissolved coffee oils and residual solvent.

[MGLloyd]

As a former chemist, I use the Simple Green or Home Depot ZEP Citrus degreasers to clean my Behmor.  But I always clean first with the solvents, then wipe out the inside with a microfiber cloth dampened with water, and then do a dry burn.  I am pretty confident that this approach removes any solvent residue before using the Behmor to roast again.

[Tex]

I personally would not use ANY harsh chemical cleaner on a container that is directly used for food preparation or storage. That said, we want to keep the glass window of our HotTop roaster clean so that we can see what color the roasted beans are attaining.

Whether we use a Windex type liquid which contains ammonia or a foam solvent like this one, it is important to use a paper towel to wipe up any dissolved coffee oils and residual solvent.

Why? I don't recall EVER looking at the beans while roasting; relying solely on 1st & 2nd crack, and a good digital timer, to tell me when to eject the beans. And as for the glass plate; it was easy enough to pop the end off the roaster and remove it for cleaning. Why risk spraying chemicals of any kind in the roaster?

[peter]

I don't recall EVER looking at the beans while roasting; relying solely on 1st & 2nd crack, and a good digital timer, to tell me when to eject the beans.

Doesn't mean visual clues are meaningless though, does it?  A color change from green to yellow/golden indicates the drying phase is over, which tells me it's safe to progress w/ the profile.  Adding heat with too much moisture remaining in the beans is the main cause of grassy flavors in light roasts.

[Tex]

I don't recall EVER looking at the beans while roasting; relying solely on 1st & 2nd crack, and a good digital timer, to tell me when to eject the beans.

Doesn't mean visual clues are meaningless though, does it?  A color change from green to yellow/golden indicates the drying phase is over, which tells me it's safe to progress w/ the profile.  Adding heat with too much moisture remaining in the beans is the main cause of grassy flavors in light roasts.

Since I never stop at less than FC it isn't an issue. And I can tell by the bread dough smell that the beans are still drying.

[peter]

I don't recall EVER looking at the beans while roasting; relying solely on 1st & 2nd crack, and a good digital timer, to tell me when to eject the beans.

Doesn't mean visual clues are meaningless though, does it?  A color change from green to yellow/golden indicates the drying phase is over, which tells me it's safe to progress w/ the profile.  Adding heat with too much moisture remaining in the beans is the main cause of grassy flavors in light roasts.

Since I never stop at less than FC it isn't an issue. And I can tell by the bread dough smell that the beans are still drying.

I didn't mean to imply that grassy flavors in light roasts was the only reason to finish the drying phase; latent moisture in the beans prevents some desirable chemical reactions from occurring as well, resulting in missing the beans' full potential.  I'd guess that your ramp to 1st is gradual enough that you are avoiding that problem.


Only because I want to be like JohnF when I grow up, I'll bring this back on topic; I bought a can of the Sprayaway for $2.49, and am looking for a dry stretch of weather to clean my windows and will report back.

[MGLloyd]

^^^ I bought a can of Sprayaway a couple of days ago and tested it to clean my Behmor after roasting four pounds on Saturday.  It seemed to work no better nor worse than using my customary Simple Green or ZEP Citrus cleaner.  I will have to try it out on some windows and see if it works better than Windex.