Even the grimiest bottles are easy to clean once you know this trick!

I picked up a neat little trick recently that I’m excited to share with you today! It’s the easiest way that I’ve found so far to clean the inside of a narrow or hard-to-clean bottle. I don’t know about you, but it seems like every once in a while I’ll unearth a particularly nasty glass container from somewhere around the house. (Okay, so occasionally it’s my fault, like when I’ve let flowers dry out in a vase and the inside gets all gunky. But that’s beside the point!) This tip will be nice to have up my sleeve for those occasions in the future!

I also heard that this method is actually an old bartender’s trick. Bartenders are pretty much the authority on keeping glass clean, so if it’s good enough for them, it must be good enough for the rest of us! :-) Read on to learn how this trick works in just three simple steps. I’ll also share a couple of bonus tips that will help you clean even the grungiest of glass bottles!

Bartender’s Trick For Cleaning Glass Bottles

Step 1 – Add Salt

Pour about 1/4 cup of coarse salt into the bottle. (We used ice cream salt we happened to have on hand, but any kind of coarse salt would work fine too.)

Step 2 – Add Vinegar

Next, pour a splash of white vinegar into the bottle. You just need enough vinegar to make it so that you can swish the salt around.

Step 3 – Shake!

Place your thumb or hand over the opening of the bottle and give it a good, hard shake. The vinegar will loosen the gunk inside the bottle, and the salt will help scrub it away! Give it a good rinse and let it dry.

Check out this before-and-after of the bottle we cleaned! Not bad for a little salt and vinegar! :-)

Other Tips & Tricks For Cleaning Bottles

Buy a bottle brush. There are tons of great bottle brushes out there these days, and they can be really helpful for cleaning everything from baby bottles to flower vases. You can also find bottle brush sets like this one that have a few different sized brushes for a reasonable price!

Make your own cleaning tablets. For bottles that just need a bit of freshening up, use my easy homemade cleaning tablets tablets! Just drop one into your bottle, vase, or other container, and they’ll fizz up and help keep it fresh and clean. Learn how to make them at the link below!

Related: How To Make Fizzy Cleaning Tabs For Hard-To-Clean Bottles

I may include affiliate links to products sold by others, but only when they are relevant and helpful. I always offer my own genuine recommendation. Learn more.