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Cleaning spray bottles may not be as easy as cleaning most other types of containers. Still, there are certainly achievable ways on how to do it yourself. The functionality of spray bottles is too good to let this small issue stop us from reusing them. Don’t worry. We will help you.
Of course, you must assess your spray bottle first. Always consider the contents that they were previously used for. Some contents may be harmful to your skin so handle those with with extra care. Try to see if there are any problems with the mechanism or if there are missing parts such as the Dust Cap. You should also scan the container to see if there are any cracks or dents. Remove the cap and check the inside of the body. If there are problems with the spray bottle, it may not be worth cleaning and reusing.
Give your bottle a good rinsing. If possible, use a hose or a faucet with a relatively high pressure. This will wash off most of the materials on the surfaces and make it easier for the more intensive cleaning later.
It will also allow you to handle the bottle more safely when you move later to disassembling it.
Now, here is an important step that you have to do. It is called flushing. For this part, we recommend that you use a pair of gloves.
Get a mug and fill it with hot water. Place the mug in your kitchen sink. Very carefully, take the dispenser (without the bottle) and submerge the bottom of the Dip Tube in the water. Make sure that the Insert faces the sink and away from your body. Then, pump the spray several times to allow the water to flush the whole dispensing system thoroughly.
While the spray part gets a flushing treatment, the bottle also needs to have its label removed.
Rinse the bottle with warm water first. Then, with gloves on, soak the bottle into a deep basin with steaming hot water. Let it sit for about 10 minutes before pulling it out with tongs.
Hold the bottle with a towel and begin peeling off the label while it is still hot.
If the label does not come off completely, soak the bottle in water with baking soda. Try peeling off the label after about half an hour.
Disassembling and reassembling your spray bottle may be the trickiest part of cleaning it. We only recommend this step if you are confident in doing it. There is a considerable risk of breaking the spray bottle parts or even injuring a finger or two.
By now, you should have already separated the bottle from the dispenser. Disassembling mainly concerns the dispenser only, so you can put the bottle aside.
First, dry off the dispenser with a clean rug for a better grip, then hold it in your hand. Make sure that you study it as well as you can. One by one, try to take out its individual parts. The actuator ot the dip tube would be the best part to start with.
Do not try to separate all the parts. Some parts such as the gasket and the pump mechanism are not intended to be taken apart.
Keep in mind that you will put everything back together again later, so you must take note of where each part should go.
At the least, you should have five different segments after disassembly:
① The Dust Cap
② The Actuator with the Insert
③ The Closure with the Gasket and the Pump Mechanism
④ The Dip Tube
⑤ And the Body / Bottle
After separating the spray bottle parts, place them in a basin and wash them with warm water and dishwashing soap. Use a cotton swab for hard-to-reach parts such as the threading of the bottle and the closure, and the inside of the actuator.
Rinse all the parts generously with water. It is important that you leave no soap on them.
Your bottle may appear all clean and shiny at this point. However, they need to be clean at the micro-level. Soap and water alone are not able to kill 100% of bacteria and viruses present in the surface of the bottle parts. The best way to do this is by sterilizing it.
With parts still dismantled, sterilize the spray bottle just like how you sterilize baby bottles. You can boil them for a couple of minutes or you can also steam them. However, make sure to take out any plastic parts before applying heat.
Because spray bottle dispensers are mostly made of plastic material, we do not recommend that you sterilize them in your oven. The plastic parts may not be able to withstand the oven’s heat.
After sterilizing, leave all the bottle parts to dry off completely. Place them on top of a clean towel in a clean area where there is a good amount of sunshine.
With clean, dry hands, you can now begin reassembling the spray bottle. Make sure that all parts are securely in place and that nothing is loose.
Lastly, give your spray bottle an air flush. With nothing inside the bottle, simply press the actuator several times. This is to make sure that there is no moisture trapped in the dispensing system.
There you go! Your spray bottle is now clean and ready to be reused. For more information, please contact us directly.
Fengrui established in 2010, is specialized in manufacturing and developing all kinds of perfume sprayers, perfume caps and plastic bottles.
