How to Clean Hydro Flask in 5 Efficient and Safe Methods

by Nancy Lee | June 11, 2018 | Kitchen Tips

How to Clean Hydro Flask in 5 Efficient and Safe Methods

Do you have a Hydro Flask at home?

Do you even know what it is?

Me? I did not know about this wonderful item until a few months ago when a friend suddenly mentioned how amazing it is.

If you need a coffee on the go or a cold bottle of water for your running or jogging sessions, then Hydro Flasks can be a great help to you.

Are you suddenly intrigued?

Good!

Let’s start from the beginning, shall we?

What is a Hydro Flask?

I already mentioned earlier that a Hydro Flask is a type of water bottle that can maintain liquid temperatures— hot liquids are kept warm for over 12 hours and cold liquids are kept cool for over 24 hours.

So how does it keep temperatures steady? It’s because of its food-grade stainless steel with a double wall vacuum insulation.

Hydro Flask s the lightest bottle in all insulated hydration category and has a small metal disk which absorbs gasses and moisture in the vacuum process. The thin wall design of a Hydro Flask will keep your hot beverage warm even in winter and your drink cold on a sunny day. And when you add ice on your Hydro Flask, it will stay there and will not melt for hours.

The outside temperature will surely not affect your drinks. Whatever temperature of your drink or the outside has, the bottle will be comfortable for you to hold.

Moreover, a Hydro Flask is highly resistant to absorbing tastes, odor, and bacteria and is also 100% recyclable. All Hydro Flask bottles are guaranteed BPA-free making it safe to hold your drinking water and other drinks. (BPAs are industrial materials used to make plastics)

Why Do I Need A Clean Hydro Flask?

This might be a dumb question, but let’s tackle it anyway.

So, why do you want a clean Hydro Flask?

Bottles are handy to have around. You can carry it with you anywhere you go. Filling it with various types of drinks can expose the bottle to contamination since food can spoil. And because you drink in a bottle, your mouth and saliva will come in contact with the bottle and spreads germs. If that is not enough, bacteria will start to accumulate.

Therefore it is important to clean your Hydro Flask for the following reasons:

1. Hygiene

This is obviously the number one reason why you need to clean your water bottle. Constant exposure to saliva and food contamination can make your Hydro Flask prone to bacteria buildup. And because you carry it with you anywhere, it is always exposed to germs. Cleaning your Hydro Flask will ensure good hygiene and can help prevent any threat to your health.

2. Odor

Filling you Hydro Flask with drinks and continuous usage can leave an unpleasant odor. And for this problem, you will need specific cleaning agents to target removal of odors.

3. Discoloration

Filling your bottle with colored drinks such as juices and coffees can cause discoloration. If you leave it uncleaned for a long period of time, the stain will be harder to remove or worse, it will become permanent.

5 Efficient Ways to Clean a Hydro Flask

Cleaning your Hydro Flask not only ensures hygiene but it is also a way to maintain your Hydro Flask in good shape. Here are 5 efficient and safe ways to clean a Hydro Flask:

Method #1: Baking Soda + Warm Water

A popular disinfectant and cleaner, baking soda is a baking ingredient making it safe to use as a cleaning agent.

1
Fill the Hydro Flask with hot water.
2
Add two teaspoons of baking soda and cover the Hydro Flask.
3
Let the mixture sit in the flask overnight.
4
Wash and rinse the Hydro Flask thoroughly in the morning.
5
Let it dry by turning it upside down without the cap.

Method #2: Baking Soda Paste

By making a baking soda paste, you can clean the insides of the water bottle more thoroughly. For this method, you need a bottle brush to use as a scrubber.

1
Combine water and baking soda in order to create a paste.
2
Get the bottle brush and dip it in the paste.
3
Using the bottle brush, scrub the insides of the water bottle.
4
Rinse it well.
5
Let it dry by turning it upside down without the cap.

Method #3: Hot Soapy Water

Using a soapy detergent to clean a Hydro Flask is the most common and simplest way. However, be sure to use only mild detergent.

1
Combine mild detergent and hot water.
2
Use the mixture to wash the water bottle from the inside to the outside.
3
You can also shake the hot soapy water inside the flask.
4
Rinse well.
5
Let it dry by turning it upside down without the cap.

Method #4: Using Lemon

Lemon juice not only acts as a cleanser but also works in removing stains and odors from your Hydro Flask. Its acidic nature makes it a good anti-microbial agent, but safe to come in contact with any food containers.

1
Get a lemon and cut it in half.
2
Squeeze the juice into your water bottle.
3
Pour boiling water into the flask.
4
Allow the mixture of lemon juice and hot water sit in the Hydro Flask for about half an hour or more.
5
Rinse well.
6
Let it dry by turning it upside down without the cap.

Method #5: Using Distilled Vinegar

Like baking soda, vinegar is also a known cleanser and disinfectant. When you use distilled vinegar in cleaning your Hydro Flask, it can help remove stain and odor.

1
Pour ½ cup of distilled vinegar into the water bottle to be cleaned.
2
Cover the Hydro Flask and shake or swirl the vinegar inside.
3
Allow the vinegar to sit inside the water bottle for around 5 minutes.
4
Using warm water, rinse the vinegar off from the water bottle.
5
You Repeat this process if there are still stubborn smell or stains in the flask.
6
Let it dry by turning it upside down without the cap.

Extra Tips on Cleaning Hydro Flask

Do not put a Hydro Flask in the dishwater. It is safer to hand wash this water bottle since not all parts are dishwasher safe.
For first time users, wash your Hydro Flask first with a mild soap and water.
When drying the Hydro Flask, make sure to remove the cap in order to avoid any discoloration along the mouth of the flask.
When you store Hydro Flasks, make sure to keep the lid slightly open, this will ensure that any moisture from the vacuum lid can air dry naturally. If not, the moisture from the lid when it is kept tightly sealed can cause mold formation or bad odors.

The Dos and Don’ts in Maintaining Hydro Flasks

In order to make sure that your Hydro Flask can serve you for a very long time, here is a list of the dos and don’ts for proper maintenance of Hydro Flasks.

Dos

Do hand wash all parts of Hydro Flask even it is dishwasher safe. Such method can help prolong the life of these parts.
Do allow newly washed water bottle parts to dry properly in an upside position with its cap removed.
Do use a bottle brush when you clean a Hydro Flask. Even though vigorously shaking a cleaning agent inside the bottle can effectively clean it, with a bottle brush you can scrub the insides for a more thorough cleaning.

Don’ts

Don’t use chlorine and bleach as cleaning agents. These harsh chemicals can damage the stainless-steel construction of a Hydro Flask.
Don’t expose your Hydro Flask to a heat source in order to warm up the inside, Keep in mind that it has a double wall insulation and outside temperature will not affect the inside.
Don’t put the Hydro Flask in the freezer. Even if you want the drink to cool, it will not work again because of the double wall insulation. If you wish to have a cold drink, put ice cubes inside the flask instead.
Don’t soak the exterior part of the Hydro Flask in hot water. Its matte finish will be damaged if you do this.
Don’t put your Hydro Flask in the dishwasher since it can damage the bottle.

Filling it up

And that’s everything you need to know about Hydro Flask and its proper cleaning maintenance. I hope that this article helps you keep your Hydro Flask the same as it was when you got it. If you have any suggestions or questions feel free to fire up the comment section below.

Now, go get that bottle brush and get busy scrubbing!

Nancy Lee

Hey there, I'm Nancy, founder and editor in chief here at Cooky Mom, and I’m absolutely in love with food and health blogs. I'm on a mission to share my insider cooking, food and health tips with all of you...