# Best bottle brush for cleaning the inside of bottles?



## Coca-Cola (Oct 21, 2020)

Just wondering what the best bottle brush is for cleaning the inside of bottles out is? I bought one at the store and it is too big to fit through the neck of the bottle. I assume you would also want one soft enough to not abrade the inside? Any advice is appreciated!


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## nhpharm (Oct 22, 2020)

For standard sodas, medium medicines, milks and so forth, I like these...they will fit in a very small opening for their size:



			https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B073169F77/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1


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## Mjbottle (Oct 22, 2020)

I find the best way is to use small pieces of copper wire cut up like in the picture..put it in the bottle with some soap or whatever product you prefer ( i like to use s.o.s. pad and squeeze some blue soap inside) and just shake shake shake... it gets into the harder to reach places. Good luck


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## Harry Pristis (Oct 22, 2020)

You can use just about any cleaning product (except Whink) to clean a bottle. Hydrochloric (muriatic) acid will not harm the glass.  LimeAway is commonly used if you have limey deposits or iron deposits.  If the glass is "sick," that is, decomposing, no cleaning product will remove the sickness.

What I have found generally useful is laundry bleach.

I fill a bottle with tepid tap-water to which I add a tiny amount of laundry detergent (because it is non-sudsing) and a dollup of laundry bleach. I let it soak for a few hours.

Whatever residue is left I remove with a home-made brush. I use a stiff wire coat-hanger for this purpose. I cut the hook portion away. I bend the smallest possible loop on one end of the wine and a large loop on the other. The larger loop will be the handle.





I cut a lengthwise strip of scrubbing pad (a Scotch-Brite knockoff from the dollar store) wide enough to generously cover the small loop. I roll the strip of scrubbing pad around the small loop and secure it tightly with several wraps of thin copper wire. String or a rubber band could be substituted for the copper wire. The copper is too soft to scratch the glass, but is relatively impervious to chemicals.

If you wish to use a commercial bottle brush, try this. I affix a small patch (about the size of the brush diameter) of scrubbing pad to the tip of the brush using polyurethane cement (Plumbers Goop, Shoe Goop, etc.). This patch not only makes the brush more effective in corners and at the bottom of the bottle, it also cushions the tip of the wire brush from any "hammer effect" in manipulating the brush inside the bottle.


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## embe (Oct 22, 2020)

Yeah, some of the older medicine bottles etc have pretty small openings.


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## Dogo (Oct 22, 2020)

You will need a variety of brushes to clean a variety of bottles. I got my best results by soaking in a strong mixture of warm (when mixed) water and TSP. Let them stand for up to a week. The chopped copper is the safest cleaner if you can find a way to turn or tumble them.


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## JarDoctor (Oct 28, 2020)

Coca-Cola said:


> Just wondering what the best bottle brush is for cleaning the inside of bottles out is? I bought one at the store and it is too big to fit through the neck of the bottle. I assume you would also want one soft enough to not abrade the inside? Any advice is appreciated!


The best brush for sodas is one Jar Doctor sells number B170 for $5.00. It is 14" long and the brush is 4" long - it is bendable to get in to corners, and shoulders.  Our most popular for bottles especially sodas.


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## Roney (Oct 28, 2020)

Coca-Cola said:


> Just wondering what the best bottle brush is for cleaning the inside of bottles out is? I bought one at the store and it is too big to fit through the neck of the bottle. I assume you would also want one soft enough to not abrade the inside? Any advice is appreciated!


I use coarse sand with a little water and maybe just a drop of dishwashing liquid. Just shake vigorously.


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## martyfoley (Oct 28, 2020)

Roney said:


> I use coarse sand with a little water and maybe just a drop of dishwashing liquid. Just shake vigorously.


I used gravel (or coarse sand) back in the 70s.  I took the bigger stones out of the gravel.  Put about 3 tablespoons of gravel into the bottle, a drop of dishwashing liquid, and filled the bottle with water about 1/3 of the way, and shook the hell out of it with my thumb over the open top.  It got 99.9% of the residue out.  Of course if the glass is stained from minerals in the soil this will not remove the stain as its in the glass.  On eBay you can buy brushes that come in various sizes on a ring which may be very helpful for only about $12.


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## bne74honda (Oct 28, 2020)

In my experience the best method is using copper wire, about 1/8 in dia and cut into pieces about 1/4 long. Cut with wire cutters produces a bit of an edge on the ends and these find the tight corners of the glass quite well. Depending on the size of bottle - and I have used this method on the smallest and largest - place enough copper in the bottle to cover the bottom and add a cleanser of yer choice. Shake gently, rotating to cover all surfaces. This will get just about anything off the glass. I generally use CLR. I find brushes never get all surfaces and the copper bites thru the toughest goo. For larger bottles and heavier stains, I'd double the amount of copper. I've used this with bottles so small only one or two pieces of copper would fit. The cut copper will generally last for 30+ washings before it simply wears down.


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## New England Digger (Nov 5, 2020)

Quite often you can find good bottle brushes in the Big Box Stores in the Baby/Infant Department. Used for cleaning feeding bottles, etc.


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## nhpharm (Nov 5, 2020)

Be careful with the copper wire.  If done improperly you can break the bottle; especially bottles with thin shoulders like flasks.  Seen it happen several times.


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## ROBBYBOBBY64 (Nov 5, 2020)

Harry Pristis said:


> You can use just about any cleaning product (except Whink) to clean a bottle. Hydrochloric (muriatic) acid will not harm the glass.  LimeAway is commonly used if you have limey deposits or iron deposits.  If the glass is "sick," that is, decomposing, no cleaning product will remove the sickness.
> 
> What I have found generally useful is laundry bleach.
> 
> ...


I love and use very similar ideas as you, which reminds me I need more metal coat hangers.
ROBBYBOBBY64.


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