How Do You Clean Aluminum Water Bottles? 4 Super Easy Methods

Dirty aluminum water bottles can lead you to consume bacteria and germs which can eventually cause gastrointestinal or respiratory symptoms. So, there’s no escape from knowing the best way to clean your water bottle.

Although aluminum water bottles are reusable and eco-friendly, they tend to get dirty and rusty pretty quickly. So, how do you clean aluminum water bottles? What are the best ways?

You can use soap water, vinegar, baking soda, hydrogen peroxide, and fizzy tablets to clean aluminum water bottles. But it’s a must to know the proper way to use them as well. You should also be careful about cleaning the lids and straws in the right way.

Read on to learn how you can clean and maintain aluminum water bottles.

How to clean aluminum water bottles easily

Table of Contents

4 Ways to Clean Aluminum Water Bottles

Although there are numerous DIY ways of cleaning aluminum water bottles, only a few of them will ensure zero damage to the bottles. And, we are going to cover such zero damaging methods here.

How to Clean Aluminum Water Bottles With Soapy Water

For regular cleaning of aluminum water bottles, soap, and warm water is enough. Here’s how you can proceed with the work.

Remove the cap of your bottle and pour hot water into it first. Then, add some drops of liquid dishwashing detergent.
Bring the cap back to the bottle and shake your bottle. You’ll notice the water bubble in the bottle.
This time, you’ll want to use a scrub brush to clean the bottom of your bottle. Meanwhile, wash the outside of your bottle with the brush as well.
When the scrubbing is done, use warm water to rinse the bottle as long as you don’t see any soap bubbles.
Now, get the scrub brush and clean the lid inside and out. Don’t forget to clean the mouth or opening of the bottle. Then, rinse and let the lid and bottle dry.

This is all about how to clean out aluminum water bottles using soap and water.

How to Use White Vinegar to Clean Aluminum Water Bottles

Vinegar is incredibly popular in cleaning projects because of its acetic acid content. The acid breaks down the oil, dirt, bacteria, and stains. This is the way of deep cleaning aluminum water bottles.

However, vinegar can be harsh on aluminum surfaces. For this, you need to dilute it before using it. Here’s the complete process for you:

Remove the cap from your aluminum water bottle and add equal parts of vinegar and water to the bottle.
Now, bring back the cap and shake the bottle well. Then, leave your aluminum water bottle with the solution inside overnight.
The next morning, shake the bottle once again before you rinse out the bottle. Use warm water to rinse the bottle and the lid. Finally, make sure they’re dry.

How to Clean Aluminum Water Bottles With Baking Soda

If you wonder how to get smell out of aluminum water bottle, using baking soda for cleaning purposes will help. It does not only abolish smell but also works like a boss to eliminate grime and mildew. Below is the detailed process:

Take one teaspoon of bleach and the same amount of baking soda in your aluminum water bottle.
Now, fill the bottle with clean water.
Scrub the cap of your bottle inside and out using the same solution.
Leave the bottle alone to sit overnight.
The next day, rinse the water bottle and cap thoroughly and let them dry.

Using Hydrogen Peroxide to Clean Aluminum Water Bottles

This is another process of deep cleaning and disinfecting your aluminum water bottles. You can do it once a week to get rid of the germs, dirt, grime, and odour from your water bottles.

First off, use hot water to give your bottle a good rinse.
Take 1/4 cup of hydrogen peroxide into your aluminum water bottle.
Attach the cap of the bottle in place and shake the bottle well.
Simply rinse your aluminum water bottle using warm water and let it dry.

Precaution: Make sure you work in a well-ventilated area when handling hydrogen peroxide and store the remaining chemical in a dark and cool place.

How to Use Fizzy Tablets to Clean Aluminum Water Bottles

Fizzy tablets can do even better than most homemade cleaning solutions. These are more useful when it comes to bottles with small openings. The tablets not only remove dirt and build-ups but also remove odour from aluminum water bottles.

The key ingredients of the tablets are citric acid, hydrogen peroxide, baking soda, and salt. To use fizzy tablets, follow the steps below.

Fill your aluminum water bottle with clean water and add a tablet to it.
Let the tablet sit for half an hour or up to overnight.
After the required time, just rinse the bottle and you’ll get a new-looking water bottle.

Process of cleaning aluminum water bottle

How to Get Rid of Rust In Aluminum Water Bottles

Rusting is a common problem with using aluminum water bottles. But here’s the way to get out of the issue:

Again, you have to use baking soda. Mix the soda with lemon juice. Now, apply a thin layer of the mixture to the rusty areas of your bottle. Wait for 10 minutes.
Take a scouring pad to scrub the rust. Make sure you do it gently so you don’t scratch the aluminum.
If the interior is too rusty, chances are you’ll need to use a bottle brush. Use a cleaning tool that will reach the interior and clean the rust by gentle scrubbing.
Finally, rinse and dry your bottle.

How to Clean Aluminum Water Bottle’s Lids and Straws

Dirty lids and straws support the growth of mould, bacteria, and other microorganisms. For this, we’ll share the simplest lid and straw cleaning process here.

Lid Cleaning

Pour hot water into your aluminum water bottle.
Now, add baking soda to the water. Then, soak the lids and caps in the solution.
Let them sit for 2-3 hours. After that, rinse the lids using hot water. You can use dish soap in this step if needed.
Also, you can use Q-tips for cleaning the hard-to-reach corners in the lid.
Lastly, rinse the lid using hot water and that’s it!

Straw Cleaning

To proceed with the straw-cleaning process, fill a bowl with hot water and dishwashing liquid.
Take a pipe cleaner or brush and dip it into the cleaning solution. Then, insert the cleaner into the dirty straw.
The brush should be big enough to reach every side of the brush. Once the cleaning is done, use clean water to rinse the straw.

Easy method of cleaning aluminum water bottle

FAQs

Why Does Your Aluminum Water Bottle Smell?

Stagnant water, mould, coffee stains, and even cleaning products can cause your aluminum water bottle to smell bad. If you’re used to storing the bottle when it’s not dried properly, the remaining moisture causes the four in most cases.

The stagnant water is even more dangerous because it acts like a path for water-borne bacteria. Some cleaning products can leave a soapy or bleachy smell as well.

How Often to Clean Aluminum Water Bottles?

for deep cleaning, you can clean aluminum water bottles weekly. However, it’s best to clean the bottle at least with clean water at the end of every day. Make it a habit just like you clean any other food surface such as a plate or bowl.

Does Hot Water Trick Work for Cleaning Aluminum Water Bottles?

Yes, this trick is used to deep clean metal water bottles. It helps disinfect germs from your water bottle. You can simply fill your water bottle with hot water and leave it overnight. Just rinse it using clean water (or you can add dish soap) the next morning and nothing else is needed.

Can You Use Rice to Clean Aluminum Water Bottles?

Yes, using the rice tick is one of the most effective ways of cleaning aluminum water bottles especially if you don’t have a bottle brush available. Fill the halfway of your bottle with water and add one tablespoon of rice (uncooked) in it.

Now, just attach the bottle cap tightly and give the bottle a good shake. Rinse the bottle using hot water and you’ll see all the dirt coming out.

Last Thoughts

Hopefully, ‘How do you clean aluminum water bottles?’ isn’t a big question for you anymore.

There are a handful of methods of cleaning aluminum water bottles without damaging the bottle materials. Most options on our list are safe and the ways of cleaning are easy. Whether you use only dish soap, vinegar, or baking soda method, make sure you dry the bottle properly as the remaining moisture can reduce the longevity of your bottle.