Did I sanitize well enough??

[New Brewer]

I am about 24 hours into my first batch. This am my brew was very active and foaming strong. Its since slowed down and I spoke to my local brew shop and the said it wouldnt hurt anything to clean the airlock and throw it back on so it does its job better. I asked them if I need to sanitize it and he said no just rinse it and put it back on. I decided to do a quick sanitizing too but i mean quick and I got most sludge off it but not all. How ever I did sanitize, is everything going to be ok or did I just possibly contaminate my batch? I should have just left it alone, im very anal and I think Ive done vvery well so far. Please let me know if ive made a mistake. Thanks!

[slothrob]

It will probably be fine, as the "sludge" itself is sanitary, but it's best to be cautious when it comes to such an easy thing to clean and sanitize as an airlock. All beer is contaminated to some extent, though, and you probably didn't add much more bioburden. The beer is also fermented enough that the alcohol and pH will help prevent most bugs from taking hold.

However, you should consider the differences between cleaning and sanitizing. First, you want to clean the airlock completely. At least rinse off all the debris, so the airlock can be sanitized properly. Then sanitize it with your sanitizing solution of choice. If it's dirty, it won't get sanitized. I keep a bucket with a couple gallons of StarSan sanitizer around all the time, so I can sanitize things like this in an emergency.

[Suthrncomfrt1884]

I also keep a spray bottle of sanitizer for these situations. It's a good idea to buy another airlock too. Whenever I get a clogged one, I like to have a freshly sanitized one to replace the it with with asap. Then I can clean the old one properly without worrying about contamination.

[New Brewer]

Thanks guys for the info! I do hope its all good, your right Slothrob about the cleaning and sanitizing differences. And a second airlock would be a good idea also. Thanks again!