Sippy Cup & Bottle Deep Cleaner

Steps

1. Disassemble all cups and bottles completely — valves, straws, gaskets, caps.
2. Fill a clean basin with 1 gallon of hot (not boiling) water.
3. Add baking soda and stir until dissolved.
4. Add white vinegar. Let the foam settle.
5. Add hydrogen peroxide and stir once.
6. Submerge all parts with no air pockets trapped inside.
7. Soak at least 4 hours, or overnight for best results.
8. Brush interiors with a bottle brush. For straws and valve crevices, add coarse salt and soaking liquid to a sealed bottle and shake — the salt scrubs internally.

Why It Works

Baking soda’s alkalinity breaks down milk proteins that create cloudy biofilm on plastic. Vinegar dissolves calcium deposits from hard water and formula. Hydrogen peroxide bleaches discoloration and kills mold spores. The vinegar-baking soda fizz agitates liquid inside narrow straws and valve channels that scrubbing cannot reach. Coarse salt provides mechanical abrasion for the final scrub.

Tips

• Deep clean weekly if cups or bottles are used daily.
• Stainless steel bottles can soak too — skip the salt scrub to avoid scratching.
• If mold persists in straw valves after soaking, replace them.
• Choose clear silicone straws — easier to inspect for mold than opaque ones.
• Air dry on a clean rack. Towel drying transfers lint into valve mechanisms.