Buzz
Iced coffee season is my absolute favorite. While summer ranks low on my list of preferred seasons, the idea of iced coffee feels like a refreshing mental retreat. Everything seems better during this time, except for the lingering odor from my metal water bottle. I prefer using a wide-mouthed S’well bottle for my iced coffee because it’s practical and spacious enough to hold ice and accommodate my pour-over brewer for a quick Japanese iced coffee. However, the bottle, designed for water, tends to absorb the coffee’s aroma, making it less suitable for other beverages. Fortunately, I’ve found several effective ways to eliminate the smell, ranging from simple to more thorough methods.
Using Soap and a Bottle Brush
The dishwasher is off-limits—my bottle clearly states HAND WASH ONLY. If I haven’t left coffee sitting for too long, a good scrub with a bottle brush and dish soap usually does the trick. I already owned a bottle brush for cleaning my kids’ oddly shaped plastic cups, but it’s also handy for wine glasses, highball glasses, and other hard-to-reach drinkware.
Boiling Water
Sometimes, the water from my kitchen faucet isn’t hot enough for effective cleaning. In such cases, I rely on my goose-necked kettle—the same one I use for making pour-over iced coffee—to add boiling water to stubbornly dirty pots or pans. This technique also works wonders for removing persistent odors from metal water bottles. Since these bottles are designed to maintain both hot and cold temperatures, you can pour boiling water inside, seal the lid, and let it soak for as long as needed. Overnight is ideal, but a few hours often suffices. Adding a few drops of dish soap can enhance the cleaning power.
Vinegar Soak
If boiling water doesn’t fully eliminate odors, try an overnight soak with a mixture of white vinegar and hot water. Rinse the bottle, fill it about a quarter of the way with white vinegar, and top it off with hot water (tap water works, but boiling water adds extra effectiveness). Secure the lid, shake the bottle, and let it sit overnight. Rinse thoroughly the next day. The vinegar smell will dissipate, and any lingering coffee odors should vanish.
Baking Soda and Bleach
My go-to method—since I often can’t locate white vinegar—is a mix of baking soda and chlorine bleach. If the idea of using bleach in something you drink from sounds odd, I understand, but only a small amount is needed. Combine 1/2 teaspoon of bleach with a heaping teaspoon of baking soda in a bowl of water large enough to submerge your bottle, as detailed in this earlier Mytour article. This approach also allows you to clean the bottle’s lid, including its ridges and rubber seals. Just be sure to rinse thoroughly afterward to avoid any bleach residue. (Seriously, don’t drink bleach.) If bleach feels too risky, skip it, double the baking soda, and soak overnight.
Denture Tablets
In a 2014 Mytour post, Alan Henry suggests using denture tablets to clean and sanitize reusable water bottles. While I wouldn’t purchase them specifically for this purpose (baking soda is far more economical), if you happen to have some on hand, it’s worth a try.
