Have you ever scrubbed and cleaned your baby bottle only to discover that no matter how hard you try you simply can not remove the foul odor inside? This is a common problem among plastic sippy cups and baby bottles.
While the bad smell won’t have a negative impact on your babies health, it can transfer a foul tasting flavor onto whatever liquid you put into the bottle. Fortunately, you don’t have to throw out your expensive baby bottle and buy a new one, simply use the following preventative and removal techniques below to banish funky smells for good.
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- Prevent bad smells from taking hold
- Removing milk or formula smells
- Removing juice smells
- Removing soap smells
How to prevent odors from taking hold
If you use plastic baby bottles or sippy cups then no matter how careful you are, eventually your bottle will start to stink. That being said, there are some precautions you can take to minimize the need to deodorize your baby bottle on a regular basis.
Rinse after feeding: Once your baby has finished his drink of milk or apple juice, quickly rinse the bottle out with cold water. The shorter time that the drink spends in the baby bottle, the less chance it will have to transfer its odor onto the plastic.
Refrigerate: While the preferred method is to rinse the bottle after feeding, you can also place the bottle in the refrigerator. refrigeration is important for drinks such as milk or baby formula as it prevents bacteria from forming. The bacteria that form at room temperature will help contribute to your bottles odor.
Make the switch to glass: One of the huge benefits of glass baby bottles and sippy cups is that they do not absorb odors from liquids that are placed inside. If you are sick and tired of deodorizing your baby bottle then perhaps it is time to make the switch.
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Removing milk or formula smells from baby bottles
Baking powder is your best friend when it comes to deodorizing baby bottles from smells that linger.
Simply add a heaped teaspoon of baking soda to your baby bottle and half fill with hot water. Place the lid on the bottle and shake vigorously for two minutes (this is a surprisingly good work out, feel the burn!). Pour the baking soda solution out and rinse the bottle. You should no longer notice any trace of bad smell. A quick sniff will confirm this.
Depending on the type of plastic or age of the baby bottle then you may need to use a heavy duty variation of the above technique, soaking the baby bottle overnight.
Find a tub or bowl that is large enough to accommodate your baby bottle, nipples, and lids. Count out cups of hot water and add them to the bowl until your feeding equipment is covered. For every cup of water add a teaspoon of baking soda. Stir thoroughly. You may need to place a plate or heave object on top to ensure that the bottle pieces stay under the water.
Leave the baby bottle to soak in the baking soda solution overnight. In the morning wash the baby bottle with dish soap and hot water. Leave the bottle to air dry. The smell will have vanished.
Removing juice smells from baby bottles
Sweet juices, particularly apple, can leave an unusual smell in bottles and sippy cups. The best solution for juice odor removal is vinegar.
Simply fill your baby bottle to the brim with vinegar and leave to soak overnight. Place any lids in a bowl full of vinegar and use a heavy object to keep them submerged.
In the morning, wash the bottle with dish soap and hot water before air drying. Like magic, no more juice smell.
Removing soap smells from baby bottles
Have you swapped detergents recently only to discover whatever you wash now smells soapy? If your baby bottle has a soap scent then chances are whatever you place inside are going to taste “lemony fresh”.
Soap odors are generally caused by failing to rinse thoroughly. When rinsing, make sure that clean water covers all areas of your baby bottle and sippy cup. Swirl the water around until no trace of soap remains.
If you are using a sink full of water to rinse, be sure to empty and refill often when washing up. If your rinsing water gets too soapy then it is not performing its function properly, that is, removing soap from your dishes.
If you thoroughly rinse and the smell still remains then sterilize your baby bottles in warm water. The soap smell should disappear for good.
Once you have rid your baby bottle or sippy cup from the soap smell, consider switching to a mild dish soap when cleaning plastic baby feeding products.
Related guides
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- The ultimate baby bottle buyers guide – An incredibly detailed look at baby bottles, from the different types and features to a look at the best baby bottles available. This guide covers it all.
- How to wash baby bottles – After feeding your baby you will have to wash the baby bottle. Lean how to quickly and easily wash your baby bottle.
- How to sterilize your baby bottles – Learn about all the different methods you can use to sterilize your baby bottles.
- How to wean your baby off the bottle – It can be difficult to give up a good thing. Follow these simple steps to wean your baby off the bottle.
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Do you have any tips on getting rid of the gunk that sticks to the inserts? My son left his sippy in the car overnight altgough there was nothing in it the rubber mouth piece and the insert that keeps it from leaking are caked with gunky stuff that just wont come off. Ive tried the bottle washer scrubber and soap with water but still nothing!!! I have thrown away a mountain full of cups tht after so many uses no matter how many times you wash the inserts out it doesnt come off…
Oh yes, the gooey gunk is a common problem with sippy cup valves and straws.
Try soaking in hot water (you may need to use a plate or other heavy object to keep it submerged). The gunk should then easily be removable with a pipe cleaner or Q-Tip.
Failing that, you can try denture tablets. Denture tablets are designed to remove food and gunk from dentures after being in the mouth all day. They also work well for sippy cups.
Good luck!
My baby is three months old if I try the balding powder to get the smell out it won’t make her suck right asking as I was them out after right
For my daughters soppy cups, I use a toothpick with a sharp end to scrape all the milk out. Takes time, but works every time for me and my husband
Pipe cleaners!!
I have a bottle that’s been put away for a while now. It’s somehow gotten the smell of really bad farts or just bad milk left over. And I’ve tried scrubbing and scrubbing soooooo much!
Sounds like a stubborn smell. Unfortunately scrubbing generally does little to remove set in smells. Soak overnight in a baking soda solution. This should remove the majority of the smell.
If any smell still remains, half fill the bottle with vinegar and give it a quick scrub. Do not rinse the bottle and leave to dry.
Good luck!
I didn’t notice the soapy smell on the bottle until after I was done feeding my 11 week old baby tonight. Should I be concerned for his health? I thoroughly rinsed the bottle when I cleaned it before preparing the formula.
Personally I would not be concerned. If you are confident that you thoroughly rinsed the bottle then it is likely that the plastic has absorbed the soapy smell. While the smell may be off-putting, it is common problem with using plastic baby bottles. You can try using a milder dish soap if you are really concerned, swap over to glass baby bottles. Glass bottles rock because they do not absorb odors.
I left some apple juice in a water bottle for my kid and for 2 weeks it has been there i can’t get the smell out please help me
I have purchased some sippy cups from an individual and they smell like cigarette smoke. Any suggestions?
Ewww, yes baby’s bottles can really smell horrible, makes me want to throw up just thinking about it. It’s like the smell of Fairy mixes with the smell of stale milk and it just doesn’t want to come off. A friend introduced me to a new product she found online… it’s called Nimble Babies Milk Buster. They’re saying that the odour is caused by milk fat and protein sticking on the plastics. Got a bottle from Amazon and have used it for a few months now and our bottles are free from any smell… it just smells very clean, almost like water if you know what I mean.
I Got these sippy cups from a relative and there is ciggeret smell on then :( I have soked them in hot water with bakeing soda, then tried viniger and baking soda, tried boiling then also.. Any ideas to get it out!!??
I tried using baking soda to get the smell of bad milk out, but it only worked on the bottle. The teat still has the smell, what do I do to get rid of the smell on the teat?
I have a sippy cup that for some reason makes everything in it taste like it’s gone bad. I only found out when my little girl stopped drinking out of her sippy cup so I tried it and it was awful and I know the almond milk that i put in it was good as I had just opened it. I washed it and then put hot soapy water in it to soak and then washed it again but the next time we used it the same thing happened. I would love to be able to use the sippy cup again as it’s our only one and she keeps accidentally spilling her small amounts I put in a little cup. for the most part she does well without spilling. She’s 2 years old.
I washed the comotomo silicone bottles in the dishwasher, and now it’s smells like garlic. I have tried vinegar and baking soda but the smell wont go away.