Mildew in Sippy Cup Valves

I have the exact same cups. You need to rinse them out well. they do mildew quick. You can buy replacement valves for the playtex cups. Take the valves out that have mildew and put them in a solution of part bleach and part water and soak them for about 15 minutes. put more water than bleach. I would also if you do not still have one buy a nipple bottle brush to clean the inside of the valves. i do this with the valves with some warm soapy water and soak them for a minute and use the nipple brush to clean it out and rinse it in clear water. put them on a paper towel on the counter to dry so you get them nice and dry. you can buy replacement valves. they sell them in acme and i have also seen them in pathmark.

I wrap a little bit of wet paper towel around a wooden skewer and push it through both parts of the straw. I suppose a pipe cleaner would work too, but I just used what I had on hand.

If there is no metal in the valve, you can soak the whole thing in bleach and water and then rinse very well. If that doesn't work, see if you can buy replacement valves, rather than buying a whole new cup.

You could also trying calling the manufacturer and ask what they recommend.

Hi, B. -- I know, it is so irritating that this happens. You can't even buy replacement valves! For awhile I used toothpicks to get in there to clean the mold out of the sippy cups, but, I've given up. I finally just bought the "disposable" cups, which clean over and over again with no problems and are cheaper. I figure that the nicer sippy cups are disposable as well, if you can't replace the moldy valves. Good luck!

Hi there B.,
My first suggestion would have been the dishwasher, but without one, I wonder if you could use a small pipe cleaner to get into the straw? They come in different sizes at the craft store. I use a pipe cleaner type product to get into the nipple on my baby's bottles and it works much better than I expected. You might be able to apply that to the straw and valve.
Good luck! Let us know if you find a good solution.
K.

I use straw cups too. i use the dr. browns bottle brushes to clean out the straws. they're for the straws you use in the bottles. they work great and you can just buy a pack of them at babies r us.

I'm not familiar with those but if each little piece comes apart, do that. Wash them in the dishwasher in the silverware basket or a nipple basket for bottles. If you have no dishwasher that hand wash them with very hot water and drip dry. If you can find a tiny brush to get in there, even a pipe cleaner, that would be great!

K. B
mom to 5 including triplets

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HarrisburgPAChat
chat and events within 2 hour radius

Use pipe cleaners (the kind you get at a craft store) and soapy water after every use. For built up mildew, use the pipe cleaners and then a weak clorox solution followed by hot water to rinse. Air dry after every use. Pipe cleaners also work well for the small nooks on the cup lids.

I would check out the clorox website as someone else suggested. They will have a safe mixture for bottles, etc.

The best way to prevent that is to let them sit out and air dry completely. Make sure you do not assemble the cups until every piece is dry.

Soak them for a few hours in water with chlorox in it. Then rinse them well.

If you don't want to do that, you could try putting the straws in water that just got done boiling. I don't know if they are up to that level of heat, however.

Good luck ! :-)

I've had the same thing happen but only to a couple of valves so I also have no idea why. We've been using them for about a year now. The good news is you DON'T have to purchase new cups. You can buy just the valves which we have done. I bought them online but you may be able to find them in stores that sell the cups too. Good luck!
http://www.drugstore.com/products/prod.asp?pid=40549&...

Hiya! I haven't had any experience with those types of cups, but my friend used them all the time with her daughter. She said they were a pain in the u know what to clean, and she eventually had to throw them out and get new ones. Hope this helps!!!

If you buy a bottle brush, buy one that has a nipple brush too. (Fits inside the handle of the bottle brush usually/stored there). That usually can reach most areas of the sippy straw area. Soaking in HOT soapy water first might make it looser, but you'll mist likely need to scrape/brush it out.

Like pacifiers and nipples, the valves aren't meant to last forever. I throw mine away and replace every 3 months. You can boil them in hot water to sanitize or mix 1 T of bleach in a gallon of water and then rinse.

I used craft pipe cleaners to clean straws and hard to reach nooks. You get them at the craft store. I get a big bag of white ones. There are skinny kinds and fluffier kinds. I use the thicker ones and if I have a thicker straw to clean, I'll fold the pipe cleaner a little at the end so I have more bulk to clean. The same goes with the inside spout of sippy cups. Just fold it as thick as you need it. It works like a charm!

do you use bleach in your rinse water? That would be my first choice to combat it. Also, use bleach with cold wateras the germ killing power dissapates in hot water.

(Not sure if this has been mentioned . . . ) We use the straw cups, because they teach our son something new (as opposed to the sippy cups, which are the same as drinking from a bottle and teach them nothing new). I remove and dis-assemble the straw portion and let it soak in steaming soapy water after each use. I've never had an issue with mildew, buildup or leftover stuff.

Now the leaking part - I can't find any that don't leak, even tho they claim to be leak proof :)

Maybe a Dr. Browns cleaning stick could get in there? Otherwise I'd buy new, boo...

The quickest way to get mold or algae or other icky things out of plastic without using bleach is to use rock salt and water. The rock salt (I use sea salt) works like a scrubber as you swirl it around. It is completely safe and will keep it cleaner longer than a couple drops of bleach. The salt rinses right out.

i stopped using the nuby soft rubber sippy cups for the same reason, the rubbery nipple like part got all gross and kinda moldy, it seemed like i couldnt keep it clean. i switched to the playtex cups with the two handles and my daughter didnt mind the switch at all.

This happens to our cups all the time. I fill the sink with a couple inches of water and a drop or two of bleach. Soak the parts (take the all the pieces apart) for a few minutes, then wash as usual. The stuff comes out for us everytime.

Try using a skewer (the wooden ones you can get at the grocery store or even discount stores) and a wet paper towel. Once you get the mildew out, put the individual pieces in a breast pump sterilization bag (you can get them at Babies R Us, but maybe even Target/Walmart or even a grocery store).

look on the clorox website. It will probably tell you the safe mix of clorox and water for cleaning bottles/sippy cups/kids toys etc. I've been fine with my dishwasher but know friends who do this regularly AND saw it on a clorox commercial once or twice. Just be sure to rinse well and somehow stand up to dry so that the moisture drips out the straw. I'm picturing like a toothebrush holder or somthing to keep them upright. Good luck. If all else fails you can probably contact the company and order extras of just the straws.

try the way that bottles use to be cleaned. In boiling water. I usaly soak in bleach water and then wash in dish washer, so that way i know that the bleach is off.