As part of my ongoing quest to swap disposable items for reusable ones, I’ve started using reusable cups and water bottles more frequently. I have a 30oz YETI tumbler that I love, but it’s not great for carrying around with me. On Prime Day I saw a great deal on one of those cute vacuum-insulated water bottles, and I thought it would be perfect for carrying around in my purse. I decided to give it a try, and I’ve been using it for the past several days now.
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I love the water bottle itself, but the small opening makes it kind of tricky to clean! I figured I would probably have to order a special brush to clean it, until I came across a genius solution online – fizzy cleaning tabs! These fizzy cleaning tabs are simple to make, and they make cleaning your water bottles SO much easier. It’s also much quicker than throwing them in the dishwasher, which is great when you’re in a hurry!
These cleaning tabs contain a few of my favorite cleaning ingredients, like baking soda for its abrasiveness, citric acid for its fizzing action, and good ol’ Dawn dish soap for a good overall clean. Whether you have one hard-to-clean water bottle or a shelf full of them, I definitely recommend giving these cleaning tabs a try. You might just fall in love with your water bottles all over again! :-) (And for more homemade fizzy tab ideas, check out the links below!)
Related: How To Make Fizzy Toilet Cleaner Tabs
Related: These DIY Toner Tabs Will Steam Clean Your Blemishes
Fizzy Cleaning Tabs For Water Bottles
You’ll need:
1 cup baking soda
1/4 cup citric acid
1/4 cup salt
1 tsp Dawn dish soap
1/2 tsp hydrogen peroxide
Melon baller or spoon
Parchment paper
Baking sheet
Directions:
Add the baking soda, citric acid, and salt to a small bowl, and mix well.
Next, add the dish soap dry mixture in the bowl. Then add the hydrogen peroxide a few drops at a time while stirring gently. (There will be a bit of bubbling, but that’s fine! Adding the peroxide a little bit at a time will help keep the bubbling at a minimum.)
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When all the ingredients are well-incorporated, prepare a baking sheet by lining it with a piece of parchment paper. Then grab your melon baller or a small scoop, and pack it full of the damp mixture from the bowl. Place your formed tab on the lined baking sheet. Repeat the process until you’ve use all the mixture you prepared.
Leave the baking sheet in a warm, dry spot overnight to let the tabs dry completely.
Using Your Fizzy Cleaning Tabs
Using your cleaning tabs is easy! Fill your bottle or container with water, then just drop one of your cleaning tabs in. Let the tab bubble and fizz for about 2 minutes, then place the cap on the bottle. Give it a good shake, then dump the cleaning water out and rinse with clean water.
You can use your fizzy cleaning tabs to clean glass, plastic, and metal water bottles (You can also use them to clean other glass, plastic, or metal containers!)
Good old fashioned bleach and water work great for soaking out stains in your coffee cup. If you’re in a hurry- scrub it with a Brillo pad. Works wonders.
Will green Dawn work as well as blue Dawn for everything you recommend?
It will work, but I always have the best results with Blue Dawn :-)
Somebody invented a water bottle that opens at the small end AND the large bottom end for easy cleaning. Unfortunately, I’ve never seen one on the market.
Crack open a new clear water bottle, take a sip and leave it in the car for a week in the summer. That is all it takes and it gets real nasty with all kinds of flakes floating around. Therefore, one use and the bottle must be cleaned.
I found Citric Acid at Sprouts with their bulk spices. Maybe While Foods has it there, too? I had to ask where it was in the store… :) My tablets are drying now-looking forward to using them soon! Oh, I didn’t have Dawn brand soap, so I hope other brands work, too?
Jillee, I too, love my 30oz. Yeti, but I do take mine with me. I had a problem that it was hard to hold when it had condensation. My hands are kinda small. I placed 2 small, thick rubber bands (the kind from broccoli are just right) side by side where the top part tapers down. This provides enough grip to hold onto.
Great idea!!
I also use rubber bands around ally my glass bottles for a better grip.
I.e. Glass soap dispenser, glass spray bottles…
I too must try, as am in India, much easier for me to get sofa&citric acid etc. Let’s hope I get best of the results. Thanks for all the tips.
Would these also work on coffee stains in the bottom of a cup?
Maybe, but white vinegar will work much better!
Try baking soda paste to clean coffee stained cup too.
These are great ideas! Will be trying them soon
I agree. I love the store brand denture cleaner. It’s great for cleaning vases.
Wanted to offer tip on citric acid. If you have an Indian market nearby (tons of then around us), they’ll sell Citric Acid cheap. I use a teaspoon in my kettle, fill with water & boil then rinse well. Everytime I do this on our electric glass kettle, my husband thinks I bought a new one.
Thank you for this tip! I was worrying about how to find citric acid at all, much less affordably and it’s a great excuse to go to the nearby Indian markets anyway and get some naan and chutney and bulk spices, anyway ;)