Reader meseta offers a quick, clever method of cleaning inside hard-to-clean containers using water, soap, and a little rice.


This tip is from my mother from many years ago, when she had to clean an awkward ring-shaped milk bottle for my then baby brother: Use raw rice to clean tall or irregularly shaped bottles that have difficult-to-reach areas.

Fill the bottle with a little water, some rice and a tiny amount of dish soap/detergent; fit the lid, or just cover with your hand; and SHAKE! The rice is hard enough to scrub any residue from the side of the bottle, sometimes, when she had to face tougher stains, she would use the ball-chain from her ID pass instead of rice.


Great for jars, vacuum flasks and baby's milk bottles,.

I gave this a try this morning on the carafe in the picture and it seemed to work, though this method's probably suited to smaller containers.

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Clean Inside Irregular Bottles with Rice [#tips]