A quick shake with soapy water isn’t cleaning. It moves the slimy film around and leaves the lid, which is where most of the smell lives, untouched. This is the routine I’d follow at least once a week for a bottle you drink from every day:
- Take the lid apart as far as it goes and pull out any removable seal.
- Fill the bottle a third full with hot water and a drop of washing-up liquid.
- Scrub the inside with a long bottle brush, paying attention to the base, where the corners collect gunk.
- Push a straw brush through any straw a few times, from both ends.
- Go round the lid threads and the seal groove with a small detail brush.
- Rinse, then leave every part to air-dry separately. Screwing it back together while damp is how the smell comes back.
You’ll notice that needs three different brushes. A sponge can’t reach the bottom of a narrow neck, and nothing in a normal kitchen fits inside a straw.
The set I’d get
The OXO Good Grips Water Bottle Cleaning Set covers exactly those three jobs. You get a long bottle brush, a thin straw brush, and a little looped detail cleaner for caps and lids. They hang together on a ring and snap off when you want one, so they don’t get lost in the sink drawer.
The bristles are nylon on all three, so they won’t scratch stainless steel or plastic. The long brush is the obvious one, but I’d say the detail cleaner is the real reason to buy the set. Flip-top and straw lids have tiny channels that you simply can’t reach otherwise, and the first time you run it round the seal you’ll see why your bottle had started to smell.
They’re useful beyond bottles too: flasks, baby bottles, vases, the narrow jug you never quite get clean.
If your bottle is wide-mouthed and dishwasher-safe, you could manage without the big brush. You’d still want the other two for the lid.
Have a look at the OXO Good Grips Water Bottle Cleaning Set on Amazon
