Is it possible to wash a thermos in the dishwasher?

Thermoses for drinks or hot dishes are very difficult to wash, especially thermoses that have a narrow neck, and therefore housewives have a logical question: can a thermos be washed in the dishwasher? What will the quality of such a wash be like, and in general, will it deteriorate after such a test? It is worth understanding all this in detail to answer the question posed.

Is a dishwasher dangerous for a thermos?

There are many dishes that manufacturers do not recommend washing in the dishwasher at all, no matter how much we would like it. These include a thermos. And all because it can simply go bad. Its function, to maintain temperature inside, will be lost.

Most thermoses have a flask inside the body. The flask is covered with a special heat-insulating material. After getting wet, such material will begin to lose its properties and will deteriorate, which will be reflected in the thermos itself - you will notice how the drinks inside it will cool down faster. Even if you dry it thoroughly, the heat-insulating properties of the flask will not be restored. Therefore, it is worth remembering that any heat-insulating dishes (thermos flasks, glasses, mugs) must be washed by hand without prolonged contact with water and steam.

If there is no special material in the thermos, then the air in the void between the flask and the body acts as insulation. This is even worse. If water gets into this void and then does not dry out, then over time the thermos will not only cease to hold heat, but will also begin to smell bad.

Washing a stainless steel thermos

How can you wash a metal thermos if it has stains from tea or other drinks and you can’t put it in the dishwasher? You will have to wash it one way or another, since over time, unwashed walls will affect the taste of the tea you brew. In order not to damage the thermos, you need to know some rules that will help you get rid of dirt at home.

Important! Before use, wash a new thermos with warm water, using gel dish soap and a soft cloth. All parts are washed separately and then dried well.

So, you need to wash the thermos and dry it immediately after using it, thanks to this, no foreign odors will appear in it. As for blackness and plaque, they cannot be washed off with plain water; the following remedies can help you at home:

• lemon acid;
• baking soda;
• ammonia.

A product based on citric acid is prepared as follows. Pour 2-3 teaspoons of lemon juice into a thermos (depending on the volume of the thermos), add boiling water and close the lid. Next, you need to leave the thermos with lemon water for a day. After which the metal thermos is washed using a soft sponge and dried well. Citric acid is effective in combating both tea and coffee stains.

A baking soda-based product will not only help clean the thermos, but also neutralize all odors. To do this, you need to pour 3 tablespoons of soda into a thermos and pour a full thermos of water, closing the lid. Leave the thermos with the solution for at least 6 hours. After this time, open the thermos and add another 3 tablespoons of salt, close and shake. The salt will eat away the remaining plaque well if you wait about an hour more.At the end of the procedure, rinse the device and dry it well.

Another folk remedy in the fight against pollution and odors is ammonia. The solution is prepared in a ratio of 1:10, diluting ammonia with cool water. Then pour it into a thermos and keep it with the lid closed for at least 6 hours. During this time, ammonia will react with the residue on the thermos stacks and dissolve it, all you have to do is rinse it well and dry it.

Remember! When using ammonia, you must follow safety precautions, because the product can cause burns, be careful. Ventilate the room if necessary.

Sometimes it is not enough to rinse only the inside of the thermos, since an unpleasant odor may come from the lid. To wash it out of this part, the lid will have to be soaked separately in a soda solution. To improve the washing result, you can even boil the lid in water and soda for five minutes. Then rinse and dry.

Be careful with glass thermos

A thermos with a glass flask gets dirty no less than a metal thermos. Tea plaque and even mold can also form in it, which will definitely affect the taste of the food. The methods for cleaning such a thermos are no different, and therefore it can be washed with all the same means described above.

But there is one “but”! A glass thermos is more fragile, you need to be careful with it so as not to simply break it. Do not shake it as hard as you can or shake it. And if you need to mix soda with salt, just turn the thermos over a couple of times and leave it longer than usual for the solution to “work.”

After such procedures, old plaque may remain. In this case, you can use a bottle brush for washing bottles with a narrow neck.They can easily remove any remaining blackness, then wash with soapy water and dry the dishes.

The thermos smells bad

You can remove persistent odor from a thermos not only with home remedies, but also, of course, with household chemicals. We offer several options to combat this problem.

• Most often, it is enough to use a liquid dishwashing detergent, for example, Fairy or Sorty with a lemon scent. You need to apply the gel to a soft sponge and thoroughly rinse the inside of the thermos with it, rinse the lid and neck separately. For a thermos with a narrow neck, use a soft brush on the handle; hard bristles can scratch the metal thermos. Wash until the dishes smell like your detergent.
• You can effectively get rid of an unpleasant odor in a thermos using bleach. But this product is only suitable for glass options; a metal thermos cannot be cleaned this way. Bleach primarily fights mold and mildew, which are the source of the foul odor. Pour it into a bowl and fill it with warm water. It is enough to leave the thermos for an hour, then rinse and dry.
• Odor absorber. This product is sold in a specialized store, it can also be ordered online. You need to put the absorber in a thermos and leave it for a while, then rinse with soapy warm water, as the manufacturers assure, the smell should disappear.

Folk remedies that any good housewife has on hand also combat unpleasant odors well. It doesn't cost anything to try them out. These are the means:

• laundry soap;
• toothpaste;
• sparkling mineral water;
• lemon.

Rub the inside surface of the thermos with laundry soap using sponges, rags and a brush. After the thermos has stood for 20-30 minutes, you need to pour boiling water over it and rinse thoroughly. If necessary, repeat the procedure several times.

Before use, toothpaste is mixed with warm water at the rate of two tablespoons per liter thermos. Close the thermos tightly and shake. If you need to clean a glass thermos, first shake the mixture in another container and pour it into the thermos so as not to spoil it. Leave everything for two hours, then rinse and dry the dishes.

Carbonated mineral water, which is poured into a container, must be closed with a lid and left for 24 hours, and copes well with the unpleasant odor. Next, wash the thermos with simple dishwashing gel and dry it.

Note! The effect of mineral water will increase if you add a couple of teaspoons of citric acid to it.

If you have lemon on hand, try using it to get rid of the smell in the thermos. Cut it into slices and seal it in a thermos. After 24 hours, rinse and dry the device, if necessary, repeat this procedure again. It happens that the smell is very pungent and any procedure has to be repeated several times.

Thus, although you cannot wash the thermos in the dishwasher, it is quite possible to wash it by hand. If you don’t let it turn black, then anyone can do the cleaning. And the thermos will last a very long time.

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