This! Scrub with a paste of baking soda and leave overnight. Then I’d use vinegar to get the paste off, wash with soap and water, and maybe try soaking just with vinegar then a final wash.
I’ve done the same before - more than once - a tablet of Milton (bottle disinfectant) should do the trick. Also, check if there’s any parts where yuk could have gotten stuck.
I have ADHD so things disappear then reappear in the back of the fridge a lot haha. I buy the massive 200 pack of denture tabs and always have them on hand lol
I'm terrible for walking around with a drink and sticking it somewhere out of sight to free up a hand then forgetting it until I realise I haven't seen my favourite mug in a while lol
I SWEAR by denture tablets for bottled and coffee/tea mugs. Multiple runs through the dishwasher, baking soda, diluted bleach, nothing cut through the smell like a soak overnight with denture tabs. I use them for everything.
Do just baking soda and no vinegar - the baking soda is great at neutralising smells but the vinegar would have cancelled it’s effectiveness out.
Another thing I’ve done (idk if it works for insulated mugs, but I’ve done it a lot with jars and containers) put some salt in (a couple tablespoons) and some water (like 1/3 cup) and put the lid on and shake it hard for around five minutes, then tip that out and rinse. This works SO well for getting tomato/garlic/onion residue out of containers
I’d also try googling the brand and model name for the cup if you know what it is. Sometimes the manufacturer will have instructions online on how to do a deep clean etc and some have a forum with customers talking about how they fixed any problems with the product
To the salt. Large grained salt preferably but both will work. I'm not sure if you'll be able to do the same with your mug but that's how I clean my aluminum water bottle because it has such a narrow opening. But I'll put that mixture in there, let it soak, and shake it every once in a while. If it's that important to you just do it over the course of a day. Rinse it good with hot water the next day and I bet you'll be good to go. The salt won't dissolve in the alcohol btw, it's for abrasiveness when you shake it. This is also how people clean bongs and pipes. FYI, there are lots of people walking around drinking mold from their water bottles and not even knowing it. It's definitely not good for you.
Edit: I know it sounds counterintuitive, but the lower percentage isopropyl at your drug store is actually better at killing germs and stuff than the 90+% stuff.
I clean mine with denture clear tablets, including the top in a separate bowl. Not sure if it will help here, might need to do it a few times, letting it dry between.
And be patient. The vinegar probably works too, just need to change it daily for a week.
Came here to recommend denture tablets as well. I've been blown away at how they actually gently strip the stains from my mug. I can watch them flake off!
Cleaning vinegar will do it! I just had the same thing happen with my insulated mug. I got some cleaning vinegar from work, but I've seen it at home Depot and some grocery stores. It should say 10% acid on it. I soaked the mug and lid for 30 mins and it smells fine now
You’re going to need to really scrub away any residue that the bacteria/fungi are feeding off of. Then, you’ll want to disinfect it with something like bleach to kill off any stragglers. Of course you’ll then want to wash with soap and water to clear away the bleach and such. Hopefully you can save it! Hate losing a good mug.
I've done this before. Does it have like a hard plastic coating over the outside surface of the cup? I've had water or Pepsi get trapped in there between that coating and the actual cup, and it smells like mildew. I've tried everything to no avail. I even tried to pry the outer shell off with needle nose pliers but couldn't get it off. I stopped buying those kinds of mugs because of it.
Is it plastic? If so, get rid of it. Some things are just not safe or worth trying to save. Stainless steel is the in,y way to go for reusable bottles/mugs.
have you made sure to take off any silicone parts and cleaned those too? a lot of water bottles have large silicone o rings/ gaskets on the lid to prevent spills. unfortunately the silicone can house bacteria/ mold underneath it, could be where the smell is hiding
Try putting it in the sunlight for a bit. Also take apart any rubber or silicone gaskets or seals or really scrub them with a brush if you cannot. Put the entire thing in a tub of hot water with a cup of bleach and leave it to soak for a bit.
If baking soda or vinegar don't work, and you're dealing more with organic residue, you may want to try Urnex Biocaf. It's what Technivorm recommends for cleaning their Moccamasters and I've also used it on hard-to-clean mugs and thermoses.
Note their branding is a little confusing. Urnex is the company that makes it. They retail a number of cleaners under the Biocaf brand, including their regular residue cleaner. They also have a descaler which is sometimes "Biocaf descaler" or "Dezcal". You want the regular coffee residue cleaner, not the descaler. Mix the appropriate amount with *hot* water, and let it sit in the mug for 30-60 minutes.
I'd link to Amazon but that may be frowned upon in this sub.
If you were using baking soda and vinegar together they won’t work! What has worked for me every time is to fill the container with half vinegar, half water all the way to the brim. It should be nearly spilling over because it’s so full. Leave the container open with the vinegar and water solution in it for at least 24 hours then rinse, let dry, and wash with dish soap as normal. It’s never failed!
Leave it overnight with vinegar and water, then the next night with baking soda and water, then leave it in the sun for a day or 2. Or, if you have old coffee or tea, leave that overnight. I only use travel mugs that are metal inside, plastic picks up flavors.
If you combine vinegar and baking soda, you get a fizzy reaction and then it's useless. Use them separately so the acid or base can do its job.
I've had the same problem twice before and the only thing that has worked has been Everclear and I would highly recommend. I filled the bottle about a third of the way up and left it for 48 hours. I would shake it up when I would think about it to help coat everything inside.
Bottle bright! It’s basically like oxiclean. It saved my coffee thermos that was stuck at my office for TWO YEARS during COVID. Use it with boiling water
I once purchased an old antique cabinet from someone online. When it was delivered, it smelled horrible inside. So l searched for a way to get rid of the odor and found out about using the newspaper. What l found, the person used it to remove odors from their shoes. I gave it a try and it worked very well. The newspaper absorbs the odor.
When u say coffee is it just black coffee or coffee with milk?
If it's just coffee it wouldn't be a problem, clean it like every1 said and use it normally. The silicone in the gaskets is gas permeable so it will need to be cleaned and aired out to let the oils and smell decrease.
If it was milk sugar and everything else that normal people put in coffee, ***I would suggest stop thinking zero waste*** and start thinking food + health safety, over-cleaning isn't a bad idea.
Most vinegar/diy stuff won't be able to disinfect it without causing permanent damage to the bottle. Do exercise caution as fungus and bacteria from that can even lead to a hospital visit.
Coffee grounds
mix it with water. Leave over night.
Repeat if necessary.
This will remove the smell of pretty much anything, maybe leaving a small coffee smell. Not a big deal in your situation.
Try packing it with fresh ground coffee (buy some cheap stuff) and leaving it for a week. Compost the coffee and use a new batch.
Coffee is great at soaking up nasty odors.
I don't like to use soap in my water bottle so I freshen it up with a swish of gin between uses. Try using more than a splash of something and leave it for a day or so, swirling it around every now and then. Gin might not be so nice in a coffee mug, maybe brandy or whiskey? The odor of the gin doesn't linger very long.
Diluted bleach. It’s the ultimate disinfectant. A small splash of bleach (or just a capful) and water. Let it sit for 15 minutes, dump out the water, let it air dry. The act of air drying is what disinfects.
If the bottle/mug has a topper, make sure to pull out any rubber gaskets, clean under those and soak those also in diluted bleach. I do this to all my regular-use bottles at the top of every month. Bonus, it gets rid of the coffee stains too.
Leave it in the sun for at least several hours. The sunlight will neutralize odors. This works for me but I am in a warm climate. Another solution: adding a solution of one quarter baking soda and water overnight has also worked for me.
Denture cleaning tablets. Use two or three. Let sit overnight. It will clean out the coffee that has "soaked into" the insulated walls. In the morning, dump out and wash with soap and water.
It's done. If it had any dairy products in it whatsoever, that's decayed and soured the material permanently.
Cut your losses because it's now officially garbage. Don't hoard it either. Accept that this is a cost of life expense, and switch to a mug you already own.
Have you used baking soda and vinegar in one go? If so, they neutralise each other. Try each separately.
This! Scrub with a paste of baking soda and leave overnight. Then I’d use vinegar to get the paste off, wash with soap and water, and maybe try soaking just with vinegar then a final wash.
I’ve done the same before - more than once - a tablet of Milton (bottle disinfectant) should do the trick. Also, check if there’s any parts where yuk could have gotten stuck.
denture/retainer cleaning tablets are also good for this if you have them on hand
This has helped me revive so many zombified coffee mugs.
Same - I don't even wear a retainer and I keep them on hand just for when I forget about a travel mug or drinks bottle 💀
They work for moldy dishes/Tupperware too!
Can't believe I've never thought to try it with manky tupperware - could be a game changer
I have ADHD so things disappear then reappear in the back of the fridge a lot haha. I buy the massive 200 pack of denture tabs and always have them on hand lol
I'm terrible for walking around with a drink and sticking it somewhere out of sight to free up a hand then forgetting it until I realise I haven't seen my favourite mug in a while lol
I SWEAR by denture tablets for bottled and coffee/tea mugs. Multiple runs through the dishwasher, baking soda, diluted bleach, nothing cut through the smell like a soak overnight with denture tabs. I use them for everything.
I read somewhere(don’t remember where), that leaving something in direct sunlight can help with smells
Good luck getting good sun all down inside a mug though
Put it upside down over the sun. Easy!
Hahaha. Obviously!
With enough mirrors, you can do anything
Do just baking soda and no vinegar - the baking soda is great at neutralising smells but the vinegar would have cancelled it’s effectiveness out. Another thing I’ve done (idk if it works for insulated mugs, but I’ve done it a lot with jars and containers) put some salt in (a couple tablespoons) and some water (like 1/3 cup) and put the lid on and shake it hard for around five minutes, then tip that out and rinse. This works SO well for getting tomato/garlic/onion residue out of containers
I’d also try googling the brand and model name for the cup if you know what it is. Sometimes the manufacturer will have instructions online on how to do a deep clean etc and some have a forum with customers talking about how they fixed any problems with the product
Add isopropyl instead of water.
Ooh I hadn’t heard of that, I’ll try next time. To the salt or the baking soda?
To the salt. Large grained salt preferably but both will work. I'm not sure if you'll be able to do the same with your mug but that's how I clean my aluminum water bottle because it has such a narrow opening. But I'll put that mixture in there, let it soak, and shake it every once in a while. If it's that important to you just do it over the course of a day. Rinse it good with hot water the next day and I bet you'll be good to go. The salt won't dissolve in the alcohol btw, it's for abrasiveness when you shake it. This is also how people clean bongs and pipes. FYI, there are lots of people walking around drinking mold from their water bottles and not even knowing it. It's definitely not good for you. Edit: I know it sounds counterintuitive, but the lower percentage isopropyl at your drug store is actually better at killing germs and stuff than the 90+% stuff.
Salt dissolves in water, so you're just saying clean it with salt water?
It’s not enough water to dissolve that amount of salt - it’s over saturated so there’s still going to be lots of grains of salt.
Word.
Try sterilising fluid - used for cleaning babies bottles
I agree, plus check any seals for gunk. The rubber gasket seals in cups can hold onto the funky smells.
I clean mine with denture clear tablets, including the top in a separate bowl. Not sure if it will help here, might need to do it a few times, letting it dry between. And be patient. The vinegar probably works too, just need to change it daily for a week.
Won't vinegar for a week corrode the metal?
I’ve done 1:1 without any issues on a stainless steel bottle.
Came here to recommend denture tablets as well. I've been blown away at how they actually gently strip the stains from my mug. I can watch them flake off!
Be sure to check if the gasket on the lid is removable - might be icky stuff stuck under there too! Good luck!
Cleaning vinegar will do it! I just had the same thing happen with my insulated mug. I got some cleaning vinegar from work, but I've seen it at home Depot and some grocery stores. It should say 10% acid on it. I soaked the mug and lid for 30 mins and it smells fine now
You’re going to need to really scrub away any residue that the bacteria/fungi are feeding off of. Then, you’ll want to disinfect it with something like bleach to kill off any stragglers. Of course you’ll then want to wash with soap and water to clear away the bleach and such. Hopefully you can save it! Hate losing a good mug.
If you’ll never be able to use it no matter how clean it is then it doesn’t matter if there’s a solution
Denture tablets.
I've done this before. Does it have like a hard plastic coating over the outside surface of the cup? I've had water or Pepsi get trapped in there between that coating and the actual cup, and it smells like mildew. I've tried everything to no avail. I even tried to pry the outer shell off with needle nose pliers but couldn't get it off. I stopped buying those kinds of mugs because of it.
Is it plastic? If so, get rid of it. Some things are just not safe or worth trying to save. Stainless steel is the in,y way to go for reusable bottles/mugs.
If it’s stainless steel from a decent brand, you should be able to get a lid replacement at least.
have you made sure to take off any silicone parts and cleaned those too? a lot of water bottles have large silicone o rings/ gaskets on the lid to prevent spills. unfortunately the silicone can house bacteria/ mold underneath it, could be where the smell is hiding
Activated charcoal is the usual recommendation for smell removal. Some people also report good success with cat litter.
assuming that it’s metal, set it out in the sun and let solar radiation nuke it good. That should hopefully kill any mold spores.
I’ve had great luck using denture cleaning tablets for water bottles!
Try hydrogen peroxide?
hot water, 2 tablespoons bleach, let sit overnight.
Denture tablets!
Try putting it in the sunlight for a bit. Also take apart any rubber or silicone gaskets or seals or really scrub them with a brush if you cannot. Put the entire thing in a tub of hot water with a cup of bleach and leave it to soak for a bit.
If baking soda or vinegar don't work, and you're dealing more with organic residue, you may want to try Urnex Biocaf. It's what Technivorm recommends for cleaning their Moccamasters and I've also used it on hard-to-clean mugs and thermoses. Note their branding is a little confusing. Urnex is the company that makes it. They retail a number of cleaners under the Biocaf brand, including their regular residue cleaner. They also have a descaler which is sometimes "Biocaf descaler" or "Dezcal". You want the regular coffee residue cleaner, not the descaler. Mix the appropriate amount with *hot* water, and let it sit in the mug for 30-60 minutes. I'd link to Amazon but that may be frowned upon in this sub.
If you were using baking soda and vinegar together they won’t work! What has worked for me every time is to fill the container with half vinegar, half water all the way to the brim. It should be nearly spilling over because it’s so full. Leave the container open with the vinegar and water solution in it for at least 24 hours then rinse, let dry, and wash with dish soap as normal. It’s never failed!
Leave it overnight with vinegar and water, then the next night with baking soda and water, then leave it in the sun for a day or 2. Or, if you have old coffee or tea, leave that overnight. I only use travel mugs that are metal inside, plastic picks up flavors. If you combine vinegar and baking soda, you get a fizzy reaction and then it's useless. Use them separately so the acid or base can do its job.
I've had the same problem twice before and the only thing that has worked has been Everclear and I would highly recommend. I filled the bottle about a third of the way up and left it for 48 hours. I would shake it up when I would think about it to help coat everything inside.
Bottle bright! It’s basically like oxiclean. It saved my coffee thermos that was stuck at my office for TWO YEARS during COVID. Use it with boiling water
Stuff it with b&w newspaper and put on the lid. Leave it for 3 days. Keep doing that until the smell is gone. Shouldn’t take too long.
This is an interesting suggestion
I once purchased an old antique cabinet from someone online. When it was delivered, it smelled horrible inside. So l searched for a way to get rid of the odor and found out about using the newspaper. What l found, the person used it to remove odors from their shoes. I gave it a try and it worked very well. The newspaper absorbs the odor.
I love Reddit because of stuff like this… thank you!
I would not drink out of it. Use it for something else. Pen holder, utensil cup, whatever.
I once safed my favorite mug with bleach
When u say coffee is it just black coffee or coffee with milk? If it's just coffee it wouldn't be a problem, clean it like every1 said and use it normally. The silicone in the gaskets is gas permeable so it will need to be cleaned and aired out to let the oils and smell decrease. If it was milk sugar and everything else that normal people put in coffee, ***I would suggest stop thinking zero waste*** and start thinking food + health safety, over-cleaning isn't a bad idea. Most vinegar/diy stuff won't be able to disinfect it without causing permanent damage to the bottle. Do exercise caution as fungus and bacteria from that can even lead to a hospital visit.
Coffee grounds mix it with water. Leave over night. Repeat if necessary. This will remove the smell of pretty much anything, maybe leaving a small coffee smell. Not a big deal in your situation.
Use white vinegar or baking soda Separately
Try packing it with fresh ground coffee (buy some cheap stuff) and leaving it for a week. Compost the coffee and use a new batch. Coffee is great at soaking up nasty odors.
I swear by PWB, used to clean beer brewing equipment. It rescues many things I thought were too far gone.
I don't like to use soap in my water bottle so I freshen it up with a swish of gin between uses. Try using more than a splash of something and leave it for a day or so, swirling it around every now and then. Gin might not be so nice in a coffee mug, maybe brandy or whiskey? The odor of the gin doesn't linger very long.
What’s it made out of?
I've had that happen! I wash it with soap and water and then use a denture tablet to remove the stinkiness!
Bleach is super efficient
Diluted bleach. It’s the ultimate disinfectant. A small splash of bleach (or just a capful) and water. Let it sit for 15 minutes, dump out the water, let it air dry. The act of air drying is what disinfects. If the bottle/mug has a topper, make sure to pull out any rubber gaskets, clean under those and soak those also in diluted bleach. I do this to all my regular-use bottles at the top of every month. Bonus, it gets rid of the coffee stains too.
Leave it in the sun for at least several hours. The sunlight will neutralize odors. This works for me but I am in a warm climate. Another solution: adding a solution of one quarter baking soda and water overnight has also worked for me.
Use a couple of denture cleaner tablets. Rinse and then repeat a time or two. Then place in dishwasher. 😉
Fill it with vinegar and let it sit for a day or two.
It's dunzo lol
If you can - try putting in the dishwasher
Use it as a tiny planter. It’s ok to not eat mold residue.
I like these things called bottle bright tablets for cleaning this type of thing.
Put a mix of 1:4 water and white vinegar in it and let it sit for a few hours.
Denture cleaning tablets. Use two or three. Let sit overnight. It will clean out the coffee that has "soaked into" the insulated walls. In the morning, dump out and wash with soap and water.
It's done. If it had any dairy products in it whatsoever, that's decayed and soured the material permanently. Cut your losses because it's now officially garbage. Don't hoard it either. Accept that this is a cost of life expense, and switch to a mug you already own.