Water bottle cleaning tips

[chris_r]

Does anyone have any?

I have three 58 pattern bottles and they all have stubborn residual odours. I've tried bleach and bicarbonate of soda, separately, and the smell won't budge. Next on the list is vinegar followed by lemon juice. If they don't work I'm kind of stuck.

I don't want to replace them as they're about £10 a pop, so any advice is welcomed.

Cheers guys.

[nolightweight]

A good soak in a Miltons solution usually works for mine.

[southey]

I second the miltons, i've put them in with boiling water to add a bit of steam.

[Graham_S]

Milton fluid again.
If it's good enough for a babies bottle, it's good enough for me.

[rik_uk3]

Bleach (thats all Milton is only Milton is ten times the price) and lemon juice or bi-carb.

[tinkerer]

bi carb and i always store my bottles with the lids off;)

[chris_r]

Thanks guys.

They've spent the last two nights topped up with a strong bleach solution, with only marginal results. It seems the Milton followed by bicarb is giving better results. They're starting to smell much better now.

[EdS]

sodium metabisulphate - home brew sterlising powder. Cheap abd does the job.

[rik_uk3]

One thing to remember is that plastic bottles will always have a 'flavour', perhaps we would all be better off using 1 litre aluminium drinks bottles instead

(before its mentioned 1. you won't go radio rental drinking from aluminium flasks and 2. the lining if any won't flake off take over your DNA and make you grow two heads).

[chris_r]

I've just dispatched a litre aluminium bottle because of the white crystalline growth sprouting from the inside of a dent. Yum.

[ArkAngel]

Milton and a good scrub with a bottle brush

Dried hung upside down in the airing cupboard to get every last drop of moisture out then stored with the lids off

Seems to do the trick

[rik_uk3]

I've just dispatched a litre aluminium bottle because of the white crystalline growth sprouting from the inside of a dent. Yum.

Didn't try cleaning it then?

[chris_r]

Didn't try cleaning it then?

No. I mocked it with pointy words and dropped it in the bin. Don't know what it was that was growing in it and didn't really want to see it again. Presumably, something to do with whatever lining was in the bottle being damaged by the dent.

[iano]

Double post!

[iano]

Can't believe no one has said Steradent - the tablets people with false fangs use to clean them up in a glass overnight. Just pop a tablet pr 2 inside a bottle full of water and it will bubble away cleaning the innards. If you're my age though you will look a little odd to the checkout girl buying a tube of it! Must think my teeth are dropping out at the tender age of 24 :p

Another tip might be to flush it with boiling water, pop it in the dishwasher or store it in the freezer between trips. A mate of mine swears by flushing out his Camelback with water straight from the kettle and then popping it in the freezer, the cold temps act to stop any germs from doing their thing.

Didn't realise a dent could spoil a lined aluminium bottle. My Sigg that I use pretty much every day is covered in dents and bruises and the like, sort of a badge of honour... Still tastes okay though!

[DaveBromley]

I have to agree with the sterident!! cheap and cheerful and cleans anything

Dave

[TinkyPete]

I use the steradent as well the milton is ok as well, I use the tablets as i find it the most convient way of doing it. Just put a couple of tablets in, do not put the lid on, fill with water and leave overnight.