thermos cleaner

[1962]

i figured there had to be alot of coffee drinkers on this site who had some advice on how to clean the inside of a stanley stainless steel thermos. i have been using a bottle brush, hot water, and soap and its just not removing the black residue. years ago with the same type thermos i tried some coffee pot cleaner that was probably intended for glass pot use. the outcome was after that cleaning the thermos never kept the coffee hot very long. cold coffee too often just dont cut it so i tossed the bottle in the trash.
should i go and purchase a new bottle, or does anybody have a cleaning remedy.. thanks.

 

[beenthere]

Hmm? as long as the coffee stays hot and it tastes like coffee, why clean it?

 

[HomeBrew2]

beenthere has a very good point. But for some of us who use a thermos to bootleg adult beverages into places where they aren't allowed, the old coffee taste spoiles the whole experience. When normal cleaners won't work, in the home or the shop, I use liquid dishwasher solvent ... I mean detergent.
Cheers!

 

[GaryM]

I'm a tea drinker rather than a coffee drinker, but here's what I use.

Dip-it is a powder that you add to the coffee carafe, or thermos, after filling with boiling water. I use about 2 Tbs in my quart thermos.

The liquid will kind of foam and overflow the thermos some, so I do it in the sink to keep the counter clean.

Let it sit for about 3 minutes and dump it out. Then rinse well with water. I sometimes rinse with a baking soda solution to obtain a nice fresh taste.

I believe there is also a Dip-It liquid. I've not tried it so can't say if it's the same thing.

 

[JerryG]

Put a little bleach in and fill with water. Let it sit over night. Then wash out well.

 

[RobertN]

Put a couple table spoons of baking soda in there. Fill it up with hot water. Let it sit for a bit, then brush it out.

Baking soda works well for lots of "stuff" that is baked on, caked on, or just plain on.

 

[Cityboyfarmer]

BB’s are the best method I’ve seen to clean a thermos if it is metal. Put a small amount of water in the thermos with a small handful of BB’s along with a teaspoon to a tablespoon of bleach, depending on the size of the thermos. You can use dishwashing liquid, but it foams up a lot. Dishwasher detergent works well too.

Anyway, with the water, bleach and BB combination, place the lid on and shake it up, down and all around. It will take all the goop off the inside of the thermos and leave it shiny & clean inside.

This is the best and fastest method I've tried.

 

[Inspector507]

Crushed ice, or cubes if you have to, and detergent/water. Always worked for me /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[johnday]

1962; Crushed ice, a lot of salt, and a little water. Shake till happy, or clean. Which ever comes first!! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[DrRod]

If you can get inside it with a brush, try toothpaste. Also works great on plastic coolers and the like.