How to Clean a Thermos

We know you love your insulated flask, it keeps cold drinks cold and hot beverages hot, and it also reduces plastic waste. It’s excellent for sports, traveling, or you can take it to work. However, it can be difficult to remove the stains with just soap and water. Coffee and tea are notorious for staining your thermos over time. There’s no need to worry because this article contains several useful tips to help you have a sparkling thermos.

Cleaning a Thermos

If you’re wondering how to clean a coffee thermos, you have to remember that it depends on the material and what you store in the flask. A dirty thermos can harbor bacteria and odor. This is why we prepared this list of effective methods to clean a thermos.

Use Baking Soda

Have you ever wondered why baking soda is present in certain cleaning kits, toothpaste, and deodorants? Baking soda is an effective cleaning agent which fights stains and even rust; this makes it ideal for cleaning your food thermos.

Did you know that baking soda is a salt? This means it’s a neutral compound; however, it’s slightly basic, which makes it an excellent thermos cleaner. The good thing about baking soda is that it is not only good for cleaning a thermos, but it also absorbs odors.

Here’s the best way to clean a thermos using baking soda`s

Requirements

• Warm water
• A tablespoon of baking soda
• ½ cup of distilled white vinegar
• Brush/towel

How to clean a thermos with baking soda

• Pour your vinegar into the thermos flask
• Add the baking soda
• Fill your flask with warm water (hot water is excellent)
• Leave this mixture for 10 minutes or more, depending on the stains. Do not cap to avoid a reaction.
• Use a thermos cleaning brush or towel to scrub the stains. Rinse and air-dry.

Lemon Juice

Lemon juice is not only used for cooking and drinking, but it is an excellent cleaner. Lemons are sour because they contain citric acid. They are more acidic than oranges; this makes them excellent for cleaning your best food saver. Many soaps are alkaline, but acids are also excellent cleaners.

Lemon juice removes stains caused by coffee, wine, and other food. Lemon juice is also antibacterial, which makes it the best way to clean coffee thermos. Because it is acidic, it keeps bacteria at bay, especially E.coli and salmonella. It also fights odor.

Using Lemon Juice: Requirements

• Lemon juice
• Warm water

Instructions

• Pour 3-4 tablespoons of lemon juice into your thermos
• Shake for 5 minutes
• Rinse well to avoid leaving any traces and then air-dry.

Hydrogen Peroxide

You’ve probably heard that hydrogen peroxide is a good cleaning agent, but do you know why? Is it effective to clean a food thermos? If you’ve been wondering how to clean stainless steel thermos, hydrogen peroxide is the answer. It’s not only a cleaner, but also a disinfectant. This means it kills bacteria.

Hydrogen peroxide is similar to water; however, it has an extra oxygen atom. This makes it harmless and allows quick break down. All these properties make hydrogen peroxide a super cleaner. Here’s how to clean a stainless steel thermos inside using hydrogen peroxide.

Requirements

• ½ cup hydrogen peroxide
• 2 tablespoons baking soda

Instructions

• Put the hydrogen peroxide into the thermos, followed by baking soda. This depends on the size of the thermos flask you are cleaning.
• Fill the flask with ¾ boiling water. Boiling water activates the baking soda. The mixture will foam, so don’t be alarmed.
• Leave this overnight; this gives you the best results. This is also an excellent solution for how to get coffee stains out of mugs.
• Rinse the flask with warm water and allow it to dry.

Vinegar

Are you finding it hard to clean your food thermos? Chances are you have a cleaning solution in your kitchen, and you don’t even know. We’re talking about vinegar. The acid in vinegar makes it an excellent cleaner. The acidity helps to clear up buildup caused by coffee stains.

Here’s how to clean your food thermos with vinegar;

Requirements

• ½ cup of distilled white vinegar
• ½ tablespoon baking soda
• Enough hot water

Instructions

• Put the vinegar and baking soda into your thermos flask and then shake. This mixture will foam, so remember to do this in a sink. Vinegar and baking soda are excellent when used together; they remove stains and kill germs. Using distilled white vinegar is ideal because it is more acidic and gives better results. White vinegar doesn’t leave any tastes or odors on your thermos flask.
• Pour hot water into the flask after foaming is over. This helps to distribute the mixture all over the thermos and loosening stubborn stains. Do not cap to avoid pressure buildup.
• Leave this for about 10 minutes. If your food thermos has thick stains or discoloration, leave the solution to sit longer.
• Clean your flask with a thermos brush, and then pour the contents and rinse. If the flask smells of vinegar, you can rinse it severally or pour hot water in it and let it soak for a while.

Dishwasher Soap

Dishwasher liquid is formulated to clean dishes and cutlery. The ingredients get rid of grease and other stains. This is a simple method, but it works.

Requirements

• Dishwasher soap
• Microfiber cloth
• Thermos brush
• Towel

Instructions

• Pour some dishwasher soap into your thermos and fill it with warm water. Avoid submerging it in water. Cap the thermos and shake vigorously. Pour the contents and inspect the flask. If there is buildup, scrub using a brush. If the thermos is very dirty, let the water sit for at least 5 minutes.
• When your flask looks clean, pour the contents and rinse. Air dry before storing to avoid musty odor.

Maintenance Tips

Maintaining your food thermos leads to longer life and better performance. Thermos are versatile because we use them to carry beverages, while others are food thermos. We know you love your thermos, that is why we compiled the following maintenance tips just for you.

• The first step to cleaning a thermos is to know that it is ideal to use a dishwasher. The humidity and high temperatures in the dishwasher are not suitable for the materials used to make a flask.
• The best way to clean a thermos is by hand, using a soft sponge and soft soap. Avoid solvents, whiteners, and products/soaps with chlorine.
• If you don’t dry your flask properly, it can rust, even if it is made from stainless steel. You can air-dry your thermos and do it with a clean, dry towel.
• The best way to maintain your flask is to dry and store it properly. Crumble kitchen paper to make a ball. Insert this in the flask and avoid closing the lip. The kitchen paper is beneficial because it absorbs any remaining moisture and prevents bad odor. All these tops are useful; however, you need a high-quality flask for it to last. You can check out reviews about different products or visit mykitchenadvisor and other useful sites for tips.

Conclusion

Your thermos gets stains and buildup after a while, even if you clean it every day. You can clear this with simple, cheap methods. Everything you need is already in your kitchen.