How do I wash up better?

[bridgetreilly]

I don't have a dishwasher. There is just no room for one in my tiny house. So I wash up by hand, which is fine.

Except I am really struggling to wash up my water bottles. After a few months of use, they all seem to develop spots of mould in places that are completely inaccessible round the rim and inside the lip and so on. Is there a good way of keeping them properly clean that I haven't thought of?

Do you have a bottle cleaning brush?

Milton?

I don't have a dishwasher and hate washing up, I do it half arsed.

Had a BF once who told me the only way to do the washing up is to get stoned.

Tried it and it worked.

I did wonder about Milton, actually. Maybe I'll try that.

wearywithteens
Yup, I do. I would just like them not to get to that point so quickly!

Bottle cleaning brush with warm soapy water, after that rinse it out and use sterilising fluid overnight? That’s how I keep my bottles clean.

Do they happen to be camelbak bottles?

If so, you can take them apart and sterilise them with hot water/mild bleach/bottle brush. I have to do mine every so often. It can be fiddly to get them back together (esp the washer) but you get a knack for it.

In between, I fill the sink with the hottest soapiest water I can, then fill the bottles and squeeze them empty through the nozzles. Then rinse and leave them upended to air dry on a clean teatowel.

Do you put other things in the bottles? eg fruit juice or slices of lemon to give flavour to the water? Water alone shouldn't lead to mould in a bottle.

Are you letting them dry properly. Some kitchen towel inside can get rid of any moisture maybe?

I do it the old fashioned way. Add a good few grains of rice. Add washing up liquid. Then move the rice around the bottle and honestly it cleans every bit of the bottle! Stick on the lid and give it a good shake then rinse as normal.

Bottle brush and a soak in hot water with a dash of bleach/Milton.

I have this with Sistema bottles. On their website they explain how to take the bottle tops apart to get them properly clean. I did my DS's just this evening. Otherwise, mild bleach or Milton to soak and a bottle brush as PP say.

Yes, I sometimes put lemon in them.

The problem isn't the bottle part so much as the lid/seal/spout bit where it's just impossible to get in all the fiddly parts to clean properly. But I think I am going to try the Milton.