# Will Bleach Hurt Hutch Rubber Stopper?



## ronvae2 (Apr 8, 2007)

I dive for my bottles, and usually just put a couple cups of bleach into a pail of water & let the bottles soak for a couple weeks to get the algae out.  But this one is an aqua Hutch from Benson Bottling Co., Minneapolis, circa 1893-1902, I think, and the rubber stopper is in really good condition.  Will bleach hurt it?  I couldn't use a bottle brush if I wanted to, because of the stopper.  Any ideas on how to get the algae out?  (I've rinsed it with soapy water & it looks alot better now, but lots of green algae in the bottom.


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## bottlediger (Apr 8, 2007)

i have a feeling that the bleach will eat the rubber but im also pretty sure once that rubber dries real good its just gona dry rot anyway for being down in the water all those years. I wouldnt worrie about the stopper if I was you, just bleach it


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## capsoda (Apr 9, 2007)

The bleach has never hurt any that i have used it on but Ryan is correct on the fact that they will dry out. You can oil them with olive oil or some other natural oil and they keep fairly well.


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## Bixel (Apr 9, 2007)

Yah, those rubber stoppers stay together for a while after you find them, but after a couple months, it will start to fall apart, and eventually, it will just crumble apart, like mine did.


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## ronvae2 (Apr 9, 2007)

Hummm.  Has anybody ever kept water or another liquid in a Hutch permanently, to preserve the stopper?  Just wondering...


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