How to get old flavors out of bottle?

[what the hell]

Some flavors seem to get rinsed out of bottles easily. Others not so much.

I usually rinse them numerous times with HOT water. If I can still smell the flavor in them I soak the bottle in Alcohol for a bit then rinse with hot water again. Sometimes this doesn't work. If this is the correct method... how long should they soak?

How do you do it?

 

[debb]

Maybe try vinager and/or B.soda

 

[Nikhil]

The nose is very sensitive to even small amounts of flavoring, so although you can still smell it, there won't be much affect on the next liquid you make. You can also try using the same bottle for one flavor trope, like having a bottle for fruit flavors, a bottle for chocolate flavors, etc.

If you really want the smell gone, an isopropyl alcohol soak usually works well and is very cheap (16oz is a little over $1 at Walgreens).

 

[Bahnzo]

Iso alcohol really doesn't work all that well to be honest. Like Debb said, baking soda works well to remove odors as does bleach. Typically with a regular bottle (like a nalgene) you just sprinkle some baking soda on the bottom and fill the bottle with water and let it rest for a few hours to overnight. With the smaller bottles we use, it's more difficult...what I do is mix a cup of water with 2 tablespoons of baking soda and 1 tablespoon of bleach. Dunk the bottle in to fill it up and let it sit. Rinse it out with hot water later. Even that sometimes doesn't get stronger odors...the plastic bottles we use really absorb stuff well. I'm eventually switching to glass when I find a decent place to get smaller dropper bottles.

 

[Nikhil]

I don't know about the bleach and baking soda. I'd rather have some odor in the bottle than incidentally vape those even in small quantities. I hope at least they are removing the flavoring rather than masking it and that you are getting it all out. Isopropyl is a cheap and good solvent about equivalent to ethanol and a good disinfectant, but evaporates very quickly so I know there is none left. The flavoring odor is relatively immaterial to me, just trace amounts of flavoring compounds.

How about these glass bottles? Vials - Specialty Bottle

 

[Bovinia]

Some flavors seem to get rinsed out of bottles easily. Others not so much.

I usually rinse them numerous times with HOT water. If I can still smell the flavor in them I soak the bottle in Alcohol for a bit then rinse with hot water again. Sometimes this doesn't work. If this is the correct method... how long should they soak?

How do you do it?

Thanks for asking this question...and thanks for all the great answers. I just started doing some DIY and wondered the same thing.

 

[Nikhil]

Just realized the bleach and baking soda probably work because of their acidity/alkalinity breaking down the flavoring compounds, and if so then using vinegar is probably a safer alternative. Or something else: http://www.jackeden.com/tips/phmat.html

 

[what the hell]

Thanks for the replies!

I'm not too keen on using bleach. I HATE the smell of bleach. I could see that smell staying in the bottle.

 

[Zenfrogs]

I have used vinegar with pretty good results... Rinse with hot water and it did not affect the juice I put in it.

 

[Bahnzo]

Just realized the bleach and baking soda probably work because of their acidity/alkalinity breaking down the flavoring compounds, and if so then using vinegar is probably a safer alternative. Or something else: pH Levels of Common Materials - Jack Eden

Thanks for the replies!

I'm not too keen on using bleach. I HATE the smell of bleach. I could see that smell staying in the bottle.

You don't use bleach by itself, you dilute it in water. Bleach and baking soda are commonly used for cleaning odors from plastic...google it and you will see. There's nothing wrong or unsafe with it.

 

[Nikhil]

Perhaps it's not dangerous, but bleach decomposes into salt and sodium chlorate, which will not vaporize.

 

[Bahnzo]

Which is why you rinse the bottle and/or don't vape it......

 

[eikon]

How about these glass bottles? Vials - Specialty Bottle

+1 for the glass!!! esp COLORED GLASS (Amber, Cobalt, or Green*) Colors keep the evil UV rays away from your juice. the 1 dram (3.7ish ml) dropper bottles from specialty bottle are fracking brilliant. they sell up to 4oz dropper bottles (but the big droppers get a bit hard to control) they also carry up to 16 oz standard cap bottles DIRT CHEEP.

i'm not a shill for SB, just a believer...
if you are a DIYer and you are keeping your photosensitive or odiferous raw materials in clear plastic, or clear glass for that matter... well... than... you don't deserve a PV... sorry, just my

(*it sucks but they only have green in vials, nothing over 1dram)

 

[itzdoja]

i use dawn dish soap and hot water

 

[Ast_Isis]

Glass Bottles: Dish Soap and Water
Plastic Bottles: Baking Soda and Water left to sit in the bottle overnight than rinsed well.

NOTE: I use the plastic bottles for smaller, portable amounts of liquid and tend to keep the same flavor in one bottle.

 

[pearlheartgtr]

I make mead and ahmen! PGA. A staple for sanitizing equipment and containers is One Step. It's non toxic and there's no need to rinse (though I still do). For the little bottles, I'd say mix up a batch in a large bowl and soak the bottles and other equipment (pipettes, droppers, etc.) in it for a couple of minutes and let air dry. I've had it remove some nasty odors from plastic airlocks and fermentation buckets. It's cheap and 8oz. goes a long way.

Northern Brewer: One Step

Another thing I remember is citric acid (or lemon juice) to remove odors from plastic. Fill the bottles, let set for a few hours, rinse and air dry.

 

[kushka]

I

How about these glass bottles? Vials - Specialty Bottle

Would love to - I understand how quickly nic brakes down more then most - and would love to use dark glass bottles and I to keep my larger stores of unflavored nic in it. But - I have yet found a place that sales small size glass dropper bottles where shipping cost is not prohibitive. Like I can get 6 1oz bottles at the place you recommend for under $5 but the cheapest shipping is over $9. So for small amounts of already mixed I use plastic and keep tightly closed in the dark as much as possible.

 

[Poeia]

Would love to - I understand how quickly nic brakes down more then most - and would love to use dark glass bottles and I to keep my larger stores of unflavored nic in it. But - I have yet found a place that sales small size glass dropper bottles where shipping cost is not prohibitive. Like I can get 6 1oz bottles at the place you recommend for under $5 but the cheapest shipping is over $9. So for small amounts of already mixed I use plastic and keep tightly closed in the dark as much as possible.

Try eBay.
bottles
vials
the "vials" search brought up some nice ones with free shipping (for example 15 ml with dropper 12 for $14.99 & free shipping.

 

[kushka]

Try eBay.
bottles
vials
the "vials" search brought up some nice ones with free shipping (for example 15 ml with dropper 12 for $14.99 & free shipping.

Thank You! - I looked before for jars on ebay (and all the shipping seemed too high) but never looked for vials! that 4 dram 12 for $14.99 seem that best deal (though I really wish they would offer 6). I did see an offer of six for a good price with a European dropper which looks just like a hole with a short stem.

Does anyone have an experience with a European dropper? How do they work? Do you have to shake them for them do drop? If you don't at what speed do they drop? Could they be used to drop onto an atty?

 

[revolver]

I dry burn mine...

Mind you, you may get a bit of a burn taste after the process but it shall eventually dissapear, and you should be ok!

PS: Wait, wait........ I have just realized that you might also get some leaking afterwards!!

Huaaaaaaa!