How to Clean Dairy Equipment
Cleaning dairy equipment helps ensure high-quality milk production. Learn how to clean milking equipment in 3 steps.
Learn how to clean dairy equipment with the help of Blain’s Farm & Fleet.
If you live on a dairy farm, you know that milking equipment is expensive and needs to be maintained. Cleaning dairy equipment–or milking equipment–helps ensure a better quality milk. It also helps maintain the lifespan of your milking equipment. With the help of Blain’s Farm & Fleet, you can learn how to clean out your dairy equipment on the farm. With some supplies and these three steps, your dairy equipment will be ready to go.
Step 1: Rinse
The first step of circulation cleaning is the rinse cycle. Before cleaning the inside of the milking equipment, hose down any external surfaces in the milking parlor. Then it’s time to clean the pipes and milking system.
Flush lukewarm water through the milking system. This helps get rid of any milk solids that have built up in the system. Continue rinsing–not re-circulating–warm water through until the water is clear. Drain all the rinse water before going on to step 2.
Step 2: Wash
For the wash cycle, you will need a chemical cleaning solution to remove any butterfat and protein that has built up in the machine. Many dairy farms use a chlorinated alkaline detergent to clean the milking pipelines. Mix the detergent with the wash water according to the manufacturer instructions.
The wash water and detergent mixture needs to be between 160ºF and 170ºF at the beginning of the wash cycle. Check the temperature of the water coming from the return wash pipe to check that the solutions are maintaining the right temperature.
Step 3: Sanitize
Once the wash cycle is completed, the last step is to sanitize. A chlorine-based sanitizer is commonly used among dairy farmers. It’s mixed with lukewarm water and run on a five minute cycle. Always follow the manufacturer’s instructions for sanitizers. Once the disinfectant has circulated, allow it to completely drain from the milking equipment.
At Blain’s Farm & Fleet, we know about farm animals. From animal health to fencing supplies, you’ll find everything you need for your livestock. To learn more about farm animals–big and small–visit our Hobby Farming blog.