When your hydro flask smells like mold, it’s apparent that it needs to be deeply cleaned. But how to wash Hydroflask with stickers? How to clean hydro flask wide-mouth lid? And how to clean the hydro flask lid gasket?
The HydroFlask is one of the greatest, bestselling water bottles in the globe today. What started as a simple concept quickly turned into a phenomenal series of hydration vessels that now have multiple variations, from travel beer bottles to coolers. But the biggest question that people often ask is why can’t they just throw their HydroFlasks into the dishwasher, since you can put hot beverages in it, anyway? The short answer to this question is even though the inside of the HydroFlask can contain hot drinks easily, the dishwasher is the worst place for it, only because you are going to lose a lot of the natural insulation it has. Customers have lamented the fact that their HydroFlasks began losing insulation properties after being dunked into a dishwasher. This is a sad state of affairs because HydroFlasks are supposed to last longer than regular water bottles.
Do You Need to Wash Your HydroFlask?
The short answer to this question is yes, no matter how fancy these water bottles may be, they still require cleaning, and if you don’t, you are exposing yourself to potential infection. Whenever you take a swig of water or any other beverage in your HydroFlask, germs or bacteria from your mouth are transferred to the lid of the HydroFlask. With moisture and warmth, these bacteria will eventually propagate, and this may cause problems later on. The bacteria can thrive in the liquids that you transfer later on, which means you will be ingesting bacteria every time you drink. We are sure you don’t want this to happen, so it would be best to wash your HydroFlask simply.
Common Mistakes
- The worst thing you can do to your HydroFlask is to put it in the dishwasher. The second worst thing is soaking the insulation in hot water, which weakens the constitution of the insulation and reduces its effectiveness. The powder coating that seals the outside of the HydroFlask can eventually be depleted by hot water and dish detergent. Exposing HydroFlasks in hot water solutions with detergents has also been associated with the discoloration of water bottles in general, so it would be best just to avoid it altogether.
- It is not wise to put your HydroFlask in the freezer. These bottles are not meant to be frozen, and it is a pointless exercise because HydroFlasks have double insulation that prevents the cold from getting in. HydroFlasks are like thermos bottles, so keep that in mind the next time you want to cool down or warm the contents of your HydroFlask. The simplest way to carry cold beverages is to pour them into your HydroFlask cold, or if you want, you can drop a few ice cubes into them, too. But never freeze them, because you are only going to be frustrated. What’s more is that freezing can damage some of the internal parts of the HydroFlask, which can reduce the insulation properties of the HydroFlask even more.
- The same applies to people who think that they can put a HydroFlask on the stove because it’s made of metal. The double-wall construction of these water bottles impedes temperature fluctuations, and they simply do not function that way.
- Cleaning products with bleach and chlorine (and all variations) should be avoided as these will eventually strip important linings in the product, which would reduce the effectiveness of the HydroFlask.
- HydroFlask caps are not dishwasher safe either, keep them away from the machine and just wash them manually.
Cleaning a HydroFlask Manually
- Before anything else: disassemble your HydroFlask before cleaning. This means removing the cap/cover, and if your HydroFlask has a straw, removes the straw as well. This is necessary because each of the individual parts or components of the HydroFlask need to be cleaned manually, especially if you are already detecting an off smell from your water bottle.
- To clean the outside, simply wash with a soft sponge, dish soap, and water. Scrub to get those germs out, but don’t scrub too hard that you discolor the bottle. Be careful with any type of insulation; let the sponge do the work.
- To clean the inside of your water bottle, you will need a bottle brush. Fill your water bottle with warm or hot water, add some dish detergent, and scrub away using the bottle brush. The bottle brush should reach the bottom of the water bottle. Take your time in cleaning the walls and the bottom, especially if you regularly fill your water bottle with coffee and other beverages that tend to stain the walls of your HydroFlask. Residue from weeks or months of drinks will make your HydroFlask smell off.
- After clearing the walls of the water bottle, give some extra effort in cleaning the spout of the HydroFlask. This is a critical part of the HydroFlask because this is the part of the water bottle that is in constant contact with your mouth, which naturally harbors a lot of germs.
- What about the straw? The only way that you would be able to get into the straw is if you have a pipe cleaner. Scrub the inside of the straw for at least a minute and rinse well with warm water. Again, you cannot use chlorine or bleach to clean the inside of your water bottle or the straw, so you will have to get all those residues out manually.
- To thoroughly rinse out your water bottle and straw, running water is your best friend. Place the water bottle under the tap and run a strong current of water and wait for the water to become clear. Do the same for the straw. Just let the force of the water remove all traces of dish soap.
- Air-dry all the components of the HydroFlask before assembling.
