I have to hand wash all of my boys sippy cups and no matter how long I soak them, they have that stinky milk smell when they're dry. I only use natural cleaning products so I've tried adding a little vinegar to the dishwater but not sure it did anything. Any advice besides pitching them and buying new ones? On that note, is there a time period that you're supposed to keep them?
Some moms used an actual little craft pipe cleaner to clean all the little crevices inside the spout, some suggested boiling them lightly in vinegar water would help break up stubborn dried milk. If nothing works, you might want to replace them.
Thank you so much to everyone who responded. It was all very helpful! I ended up pouring boiling water into a hot water dishtub, adding lemons and white vinegar, and soaking the cups and pieces for 4 hours. It worked great!
As for different types of cups, I never thought of it and haven't heard of many of the suggestions. Thanks so much for the heads up; I'll be checking them out!!
Hi C.,
I had the same problem with my 2 year old twins. Their cups just seemed to be nasty all the time. First I tried a few different kinds of cups and finaly found one that seemed better then the ones I had been using, and now I boil them for 5 mins (just like bottles) about once a week. It seems to have worked.
Congradulations on the new baby.
S.
I used an actual little craft pipe cleaner to clean all the little crevices inside the spout. Perhaps boiling them lightly in vinegar water would help break up stubborn dried milk. I also used certain cups for certain things: they had milk cups, juice cups, and water cups. I think that helped.
Hi C.,
Try boiling them in hot water with some lemon juice. If this does not work, call the manufacturer. They should send you pre-paid postage label to send them back and coupons to replace up to two of the sippy cups. Not sure what type you have... But in regards to what the other mom said about the picture peeling off, my son has 3 Car's (the movie) sippy cups and two of them the picture is peeling off. I called Playtex and they sent me a pre-paid postage label to send them back and two coupons for up to $7.99 on each to replace the sippy cups. Just a last resort if the boiling doesn't work. These companies want to keep you as a consumer and will do what it takes to keep you. Just give them a call :)
Good Luck,
J. in Macomb
Stuff the cups with newspaper, cap them, and let sit over night. This gets the smell out of all my plastics. For some reason the newspaper sucks out the smells. Good luck.
Have you tried putting them in the dishwasher? If mine get smelly, that's where they go and it usually works in getting the smell out. I usually get rid of my sippy cups when the valves get out of shape (usually happens due to the heat of the dishwasher after time) or the designs start peeling off.
MC
You probably already know this but I'll suggest it anyway; when you wash the lid you have to remove the white "plug" attached to the underside of the lid (this helps keep it spill proof, or so they say). Anyways, I hope this helps.
I had that problem too. I use Q-Tips to get in the really small spaces. Just put some soap or whatever on the end of the tip and get it into all those nooks and crannies. Works like a charm.
I would fill them with soapy water and add a few drops of tea tree oil let it soak for a while rinse well and air dry. This is a natural mold/mildew killer, as well as antifungal and antibacterial so any little cooties that might be in there causing the stink will surely be killed.
If you have non-leaching plastics, then they'd be worth saving but I would pitch the ones made from #3, #6 or #7 plastic.
I am sorry to say but you might want to try bleach or first you could try baking soda.
I have found that Dawn With Odor Eraser dish soap works wonders!! I had the same stinky issue - tried baking soda, vinegar...didn't work. Get a dishcloth all soapy and rub the inside of the cup, let it sit just a few minutes. Then wash it like normal. I also use the Doctor Brown's bottle brush to get in the crevices of the cap, in addition to a nipple brush to clean out the "plug" hole. Dr. Browns' brush has a nice shape for getting in those impossible-to-clean spots of the gerber cups, in particular. I know the Dawn isn't as natural as vinegar or baking soda, but it works!!
Good Luck,
A.
I used GSE and vinegar in the dishwasher. But thinking on it now the heat degrades the plastic faster. And after reading
http://health.usnews.com/usnews/health/healthday/080207/r...
and one on the water bottle I lugged around
http://www.enviroblog.org/2008/02/bpa-leach-room-temperat...
about BPA's leaching. BPA can cause birth defects and developmental problems. In addition, exposure to BPA has been blamed for a variety of other problems, including cancer, diabetes, obesity and attention-deficit disorder.
That being said, my family switched to stainless steel Klean Kanteen(www.kleankanteen.com). Not that I'd want one tossed at the floor. I used the first years co. cups, and felt safer with them. Well that's a bit of a rant, thanks for reading.
C.,
I don't want to scare you but some of the responses such as boiling or bleaching sippy cups really concern me. As the person before me said science is finding out that plastic chemicals are leaching out into our food and drink and from the stuff I have read exposing plastic to harsh conditions such as boiling water or chemicals such as bleach causes the plastic to leach at a higher rate. If your sippy cups are looking worn I would throw them away and start over. The disposable ones by The First Years are #5 plastic which is better. Also Avent makes one that is opaque plastic (mine are orange) that is a better choice. Or if you want to get away from plastic Kleen Kanteen makes a stainless steel sippy cup. I am sure this is way more info than you bargained for being 9 months pregnant Searching online helped me find lists of plastic baby bottles, sippys, etc. that were safer to use. Often companies don't even mark on their product what kind of plastic they are using. Hope some of this helps.
S.
sippy cups plastic leaches and can be dangerous
they sell cool disposable sippy cups which are plastic number 5 and arent suppose to contain the bpa chemical
point being you can provide safer drinks and have the option to throw away a cup that you cant get clean. I havent had to throw any away yet but at least it would be a more cost effective and healthier option! look for the number 5 in the triangle on the bottom :)
Make sure you remove the plugs...we learned the hard way. Threw out a ton of stinky cups and later realized that milk was building up in the plug. GROSS!!!!!
Hi C.!
I have triplet boys (almost 22 mos)! I hope you're feeling okay with being pregnant again. I think I would have gone insane if I had gotten pregnant again so soon.
I haven't had any problems with stinky sippy cups (unless they get left in the car for a week), because as soon as my boys are done drinking I rinse them out then wash them at the end of the day (we have 2 or 3 per boy). I also don't let them tug them around the house so they are laying around for hours without me knowing where they are. I only let them drink in their high chairs or sitting at the table.
You may just want to buy some new ones and then make sure to round them up within an hour or so of handing them out to rinse or wash right then and there.
Dana
One thing I do fro my sons cups that helps is that I use the little metal wire brushes that come w/ Brown bottles to clean the little crevics on the lids that nasty milk builds up in. You can buy the brushes separate for like $3.99 for 3 of them, they work GREAT!!!! It saves so much time and cleans cups way better. Hope that helps
I would check the valves if you are using a nonspill one. We had that problem and now we don't use the hard kind that need the valves in the lid to stop the spillage
My advice would be to soak them with a baking soda solution over night. As for as long to keep them, keep them until they wear out as you would any other cup. I hope this helps.
boil them in a big pot of water...
Hi C.! I was so happy to see people recommending the Kleen Kanteen! Another stainless steel option is Sigg but at this time I think they are all backordered. Both options are very light weight and great for kids.
I would say for the sippys that you have now....chuck them! The plastics are probably breaking down and that is why you can't get the stink out of them.
Congrats on your growing family!
After washing them, make sure they are dry and then put crumpled up newspaper in the cup with the lid on and let it set overnight, that should take some or most of the stink out.
