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.
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!)
Hi, I found this recipe on another site as well, and it said the tabs only last 15-20 days in an airtight container. Is this your experience as well? Any way to make them last longer? Thanks!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.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.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Will green Dawn work as well as blue Dawn for everything you recommend?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.It will work, but I always have the best results with Blue Dawn :-)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.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.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I bought a bottle like this at Target a few years back, made by Ello. It has a stainless steel body with a plastic small-mouth top and a plastic large mouth bottom that screws off. Perfect not only for cleaning but also for putting ice cubes through the bottom before filling. I have seen several pictures of an all-stainless-steel version with a “double-top” – the tapered small-mouth portion with cap screws off the top of the bottle right at the full width point. I really want to buy a couple of these, but have never yet found them anywhere for sale.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.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?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.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.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Great idea!!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.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.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Would these also work on coffee stains in the bottom of a cup?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Maybe, but white vinegar will work much better!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Try baking soda paste to clean coffee stained cup too.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.These are great ideas! Will be trying them soon
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I agree. I love the store brand denture cleaner. It’s great for cleaning vases.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.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.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.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 ;)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I love your ideas. Can you tell me where you get 2 oz spray bottles for some of your projects.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I use white vinegar with rice to clean dirty vases. Shake vigorously and they come out clean. Wondering why you couldn’t use same for dirty water bottles. Seems easier than making tablets.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Right here :-) https://sparknaturals.com/index.php/shop-61/accessories.html/?id=5
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I use powdered dishwasher detergent to clean bottles/containers. Add detergent and fill to the top with hot water. Shake/stir to mix well, let stand, Shake/stir again; rinse well with hot water. Use lid if it has one. The amount of detergent depends on the size of container. For a 32 oz. thermos, I use about 2-3 teaspoons and let stand for as long as a couple hours. You may have to add more detergent if container is deeply stained. Just be sure to rinse well with hot water.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Hi!
although this is a wonderful tip I have something even easier…….I buy a big box of denture cleaner tablets (Walmart Brand) and drop one or two in my glass filled container. when the fizzing stops, I simply rinse the inside thoroughly with water and put the object in my dish drainer to dry. I have used this countless times for vases, regular coffee/tea cups, my travel mug, bottles, etc. whatever. If the mouth of the container is too small for the tablet, I just break the tablet into small pieces.
I tried it for another reason yesterday……my fingernails and surrounding skin were a mess after gardening.
I thought if the tablets worked for tough coffee stains…….dropped a few tabs in a little dish of water and just soaked my fingertips for 3-4 minutes. A quick once over with my nail brush then washed up with soap and water. Not only did my nails look great, but my hands smelled minty fresh, too!
cant wait to find other uses for these tablets…..beside the intended one!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I have been using dental tabs for years the same way, but the nails cleaning is new. Thanks for that tip. I do enjoy every time Jillee creates a new idea or tip so I am still going to make these tabs to see how well they work, but the one thing I might add is a scent like lemon.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Odd that I just cleaned both of my water bottles minutes before sitting down & finding this email. :) I pour a couple of tablespoons of salt in mine & add about a cup or so of water than shake very well. That works great for scrubbing off any gunk that gets in the bottle. I stopped using Dawn to clean it because my water tasted like soap no matter how well I rinsed. The salt solution has worked well, but there are areas that could be cleaner. I’m making these today to see if they will clean the tight spots better. My water bottles are those 32 oz. Alladin ones that can have the top of the bottle removed for cleaning. Great in theory, but the more the top is removed the more the silicon gasket stretches at the shoulders of the bottle. I noticed one of them looks gross, so I’m going to have to take it apart to clean the gasket again. That particular bottle leaks at the shoulders if it’s not put back together just right, so that’s a pain.
Thanks for all of these great formulas Jilly! You are my only DIY subscription & I always look forward to getting your emails to see what you’ve come up with next!
As a side note, for those of you that soak your gaskets in bleach I just wanted to give a cleaning tip. The bleach really shortens the life of the gaskets. Another easy way to clean them is to soak them in just enough peroxide to cover them. Let sit until all bubbling stops, then wipe well with a soft cloth or paper towel. It’s much gentler than the bleach, but it may also be safer than the bleach since our drinks come in contact with it.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.This is a great product, however you can just use denture cleaning tablets. Keep giving us these great products and ideas
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Great idea. I’ve never really had much success getting these tablets to turn out. I’m thinking it may be due to the humid climate where I live – in the Midwest. I don’t have one of the steel water bottles. I do have a steel bubba cup -its like a contigo cup. It works better for me at work. We have a small counter where everyone puts their drinks. Plus I tend to tilt my head back when I drink. It’s easier when your in tight areas. I do like the idea of using tablets to clean my cup.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Can these cleaning tablets be used to clean dentures?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Yes!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I would love to know how you clean the top of your Yeti cup? The rubber ring that keeps it in place is OMG disgusting & I haven’t found a good way to clean it except letting sit in a mixture of bleach and Dawn overnight; I still have to scrub the grossness off after that
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I’d love to know this too! it gets sooo gross!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Try a magic eraser. Worked wonders
Soak it in hydrogen peroxide, instead. :-) It will get nice and clean, but it’s not as harsh as bleach!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Hurray! What a great idea.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Jillee, OK to use fresh lemon juice instead of citric acid in a pinch? I want to make these today and don’t have that handy.
No, too much liquid will make them fizz up. You need to save the fizzing reaction for inside the water bottle!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Great idea.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I have two little bottles and this will help me to clean them well :)