Tip: White vinegar and baking soda are age-old remedies for removing stains.
Oil stains are difficult to clean, especially from the glass and plastic bottles. Sometimes they even spoil the design, making it look dirty. Fortunately, a few tricks and a handful of ingredients can help in bringing back the shine to your bottles, within minutes. The trick that is shared here is especially useful for ones with narrow necks.
For glass bottles:
To remove oils and stains from glass bottles, you will need the below ingredients:
- Dish detergent
- Hot water
- Uncooked rice
- Rinse the bottles to remove the residue of anything before beginning the procedure.
- Fill one-quarter of the bottle with the uncooked rice.
- Add liquid detergent to it till it reaches the halfway point in the bottle.
- Bring water close to the boiling point and then pour it into the bottle until it’s full.
- Put the lid or cover the opening with the finger or towel.
- Shake it vigorously for a few minutes.
- You will notice that the detergent starts cutting on the grease marks while the rice is scouring the sides.
- Allow it to rest until the water cools down and then dump out all the material.
- Do not overfill rice or detergent as you need space for them to move inside the bottle for efficient scrubbing and cleaning.
- Repeat the process, if necessary.
Things to keep in mind
- If you notice that rice is not working the way it is supposed to, retry the procedure with a bit of less rice and liquid.
- If there are some stubborn gunk stains, then use pipe cleaners to break them loose. Chenille stems can also be used for such stains as they can easily enter even the narrowest of openings.
- You can also look for a straw brush, which is mostly used for cleaning toddler bottles.
- Another option is to soak the glass bottles in half a lemon juice and hot water solution for a night. Keep doing this until all the stains are gone, but the solution should be replaced every day. The acid present in the lemon will eventually weaken the stains, and you will get rid of them.
Keep a jar brush handy to reach those stains at the bottom.
Tips to clean oil stains from plastic bottles
- Rub alcohol/hand sanitizer: Alcohol can be used to remove oil stains from both inside and outside of the bottles. Additionally, it can help in removing tea and coffee marks as well. Another option is to use hand sanitizer as it has alcohol as its active ingredient. If the stains are inside, pour alcohol in the bottle, shake well and then rinse with dish wash and water to remove the residue and alcohol stench.
- Bleach: Chlorine bleach, which is easily available at home, can be a great option for removing oil stains from plastic bottles. Make a solution using chlorine bleach and water and soak the bottles in the solution for one or two hours. After that, wash the bottles thoroughly.
- White vinegar: The procedure of cleaning oil-stained plastic bottles is the same as that of chlorine bleach. Add one tablespoon of vinegar in a cup of water and let the bottles soak in the solution for some time. Vinegar not only removes oil stains but also kills harmful bacteria that might have developed in the bottle.
- Baking soda paste: If there is any excessive oil residue, baking soda paste can be a great option. Apply it on the bottle or pour it inside using water. Let it sit for about 25 to 30 minutes and then wash the bottle thoroughly.
- Lemon: The simplest solution of the all is to use lemon. Just rub it over the stains for some time and then leave for a minute or two. The lemon will work its magic and also kill bacteria.
These simple kitchen hacks are sure to help you in keeping your bottles shiny and spotless!