Caring for Stainless Steel Water Bottles

After a disappointing discovery the other day, that there was rust at the bottom of my daughter’s Klean Kanteen water bottle, I called the manufacturer and got a great lesson in stainless steel water bottle care. Turns out the rust was my fault so I thought I would post this so no one else does what I did.

While Stainless Steel is supposed to be…well…stainless. It turns out that while it is resistant to rusting, it can indeed rust under the right circumstances. If you leave water in your bottle for an extended period of time, if you leave juice in your bottle for an extended period of time, if you don’t dry your bottle right away after washing, these are all ways to get rust spots. I got mine from a bottle that rolled under the front seat of the car and spent a warm day with juice in it. Oops.

Here are some tips for caring for your stainless steel water bottle:

1) Care for a new bottle- When you get a brand new stainless bottle, a great trick to get rid of the metallic taste is to soak it in water and vinegar overnight at a 50-50 ratio. The vinegar will prevent rusting.

2) The best cleaning products for a stainless steel water bottle include distilled vinegar or baking soda.

3)To clean those hard-to-reach parts of your bottle, put in raw rice and vinegar and shake well.

4) Never use anything abrasive to clean a stainless water bottle such as a stiff brush, an SOS pad or even some microfibres as they can scratch the bottle.

5) Never leave water and especially juice or soda in your bottle for an extended period of time as it can cause rusting.

If you find that your bottle has some rust spots, obviously you don’t want to use the commonly used chemical cleaners you find at the store since you will be drinking out of it. Here is a recipe of common household supplies that you can try:

1) Fill your sink with warm water, and add a cup of baking soda. Place the bottle in the sink and let it soak for several hours. Overnight would be a good time.

2) Mix a 1/4 cup of cream of tartar with two teaspoons of lemon juice in a bowl. Stir into a paste.

3) Apply the cream of tartar paste to your bottle using a soft toothbrush. Scrub gently on the rust spots to avoid scratching the stainless steel.

4) Rinse your bottle using the baking soda and water solution. If the bottle is badly stained, you may want to let it soak again after you have scrubbed it.

5) Wipe any remaining rust away using a wet paper towel, and then dry the bottle until it shines, using a soft rag or polishing cloth.

I got this recipe from ehow.com. It was for flatware but it worked well on the bottle.

Happy drinking!