Moldy Mishap | How to clean mold from a bottle #bleachitaway
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If you are a mom and have a car, chances are pretty good you have found the occasional rouge bottle, sippy cup, sports bottle or coffee mug left in the car since…..who knows when. And when you DO find it, it’s full of mold!
Moldy Mishaps
That’s what happened recently when our oldest daughter cleaned out her car………she found one of my favorite sport bottles that she “borrowed” weeks before.
Did you know that in general it only takes about 24 to 48 hours for this type of fungus to take root and begin creating stomach-turning mildew stains and odors.
I was headed to the trash with it, until it occurred to me to try soaking it in hot water with a little Clorox Bleach!……couldn’t hurt right? A little mold isn’t going to stop this MOM!
I filled the bottle about 2/3 ‘s full of hot water and about a teaspoon of Clorox Bleach – put the lid on it and gave it a good shaking, then let it sit for a few hours. To my excitement, when I came back, the mold was all gone below the water line, so I tipped it upside down, gave it a good shake again, and let it sit upside down for a few hours. -this way, the bleach water was able to get into the lid as well.
By dinner time, my favorite water bottle was mold free!! I rinsed it in hot soapy water and placed it in the top rack of my dishwasher, just to give it one more good clean wash, and to be sure I got all the bleach out.
Even inside the lid is mold free!
Lost and moldy is clean and new again thanks to Clorox Bleach!
Have you ever had one of these moldy mishaps with forgotten items?
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Hi there, I'm Cheryl!
As a wife, mom, and caffeine enthusiast, my journey has taken me from bustling mornings with my family to sharing delicious recipes, home care tips, and heartfelt decorating insights with wonderful readers like you. My love for baking, photography, and tidiness shines through every post I craft. Dive into my world and discover the art of homemaking, one tidy moment at a time. Read more...
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Good tip Cheryl! I used to find the grossest milky bottles in my car. Blech. Now, it’s usually some kind of moldy water bottle like yours. I always throw them away. I’ll have to try your tip out. xo
I go through gallons of bleach, I like everything all clean and white 🙂 and yes always seem to find a random bottle the kids have left in the car or backpack that they forgot to tell me about so bleach is certainly the way to go 🙂
Great tip!! I constantly find sippy cups with mold in them from the kids. This will come in handy!!
Great tip! I generally just throw it away, but this seems easy enough!
This is a wonderful tip! Did the bleach-smell really wash away in the dishwasher?
we just used this trick last night – sure does work!
I’m afraid to look in my kids’ car but I’m sure there are several items that could use some Clorox Bleach to clean and sterilize them. Definitely keeping this post in mind for future reference.
Yep. bleach has dozens of uses around the house. We use it for cleaning everything from dirty sidewalks and driveways to vinyl siding to the inside of the refrigerator and freezer. I just have to always be careful to wear old clothes when cleaning with it!
i could have used this tip a million times with the twins’ sippy cups! they always seemed to roll underneath the sofa & were found days later. so gross!
bleach is a miracle worker!
That’s an awesome time Cheryl!! We have so many water bottles here – will try that for sure!!
xoxox
Great tip! Does it remove the odour as well?
I so need this for my travel coffee mugs. Guilty!!!
Cheryl, I’m not willing to admit how many bottles I’ve just thrown away! I’m definitely going to try this.
I never would have thought of this! I have to admit, I would have probably just thrown the bottle away. Thanks for the tip!
Great tips! Thanks for sharing!
Clorox is a lifesaver! I would like to add one more tip … tell your older children that drive about this tip so they don’t throw away your Tupperware that has mold … I was too late 🙂
Oh goodness yes that has happened. Um, helloooo sippy cups! Thanks for the tips!
Your tip about turning the bottle over is a really good one. I just cleaned one bottle and I’m soaking a second one now. Thanks for the tips!
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Oh my gosh! You have made my day!! Maybe even my week. I have two water bottles (the exact same one that you show here – Contigo is amazing!) at home that I love that have little tiny mold spots that I can’t get to and clean and its been driving me crazy. I have run them through the dishwasher with no success and have been bracing myself to have to toss them. Now I don’t have to!! Thank you!! I am trying this tonight!
Why did you not disclose you are being compensated by Clorox earlier in the article? Nice that it’s in the fine print but for a baby bottle is it really safe? In my mind that was pretty deceiving!
Baby bottles, nipples, dishes and high chairs can be easily sanitized using bleach. Soak washed items for 2 minutes in a solution of 2 tsp of bleach per gallon of water. Pour solution through nipples. Drain dry.
Using bleach on porous plastics like baby bottles and nipples. So now we have a baby sucking on a nipple and drinking out of a bottle laced with sodium hypochlorite. But yet we still wander why Autism birth rates are through the roof.
Bleach linked to autism? Yikes, since when?? Please back up your claims with scientific research before posting statements like this. We have enough people already misled by the erroneous MMR connection 🙁
I always just throw away my water bottles if they ever grow mold in them. I never thought that they are useful after this, but it starts to get expensive if you have to start replacing your water bottles often. I really like your suggestion to use bleach to clean your water bottles and get rid of the nasty mold. I will definitely start using this tactic instead of initially throwing them away!
Ummm, bleach in a plastic cup that my child drinks from??? No thanks!! Just soak in some vinegar and dish soap.
Household bleach is derived from sodium chloride — common table salt. During household use, Clorox® Bleach breaks down to mostly salt and water.
Read more at https://www.clorox.com/our-story/the-truth-about-bleach/#lbriTOMJKMxs3dyb.99
Do you have any good tips for getting the soapy taste out of a bottle. I made the mistake of leaving one in the sink, and now all water that comes out of it tastes like soap, no matter how much I rinse it. Much appreciated 🙂
You all should know that hot or warm water neutralizes bleach rendering it weak or ineffective. The best way to truly kill mold AND it’s spores is to soak the bottles in white distilled vinegar for approximately one hour. Wash the bottles and then sterilize them in boiling water.