Do Hydro Flasks Smell? Reasons Your Bottle Stinks

If you've just gone and opened your Hydro Flask to a foul and offensive smell you aren't alone. Many people have worried about the smell of their Hydro Flask and I've definitely been one of them. Should Hydro Flasks smell though? And if they do smell bad why is this?

Hydro Flasks should smell lightly like stainless steel. However, they should NOT smell bad and they definitely shouldn't have a strong smell when they are brand new. If your Hydro Flask smells then it may be a fake or it may be moldy or dirty and just need a good clean.

Your Hydro Flask Should Smell Like Stainless Steel

Hydro flask are made from 18/8 kitchen grade stainless steel so when you open your hydro flask it should smell lightly like stainless steel.

However, it should not have a chemical smell to it and it shouldn't smell strongly of plastic either.

The exterior is made from a powder coated paint and I personally haven't found this to have any real distinct smell to it.

If your Hydro Flask has a strong chemical smell or it smells disgusting in some other way there is likely something wrong with it.

If Brand New And Smelly Your Hydro Flask May Actually Be Fake

There are a lot of fake Hydro Flasks on the market that look a lot like the real thing but are actually cheap imitations.

There are a few YouTube videos of people opening up fake hydro flask and comparing them to the real thing and one thing that they mention is how badly the inside smells when they first open it.

Check out this YouTube video below because this girl has an extreme reaction to the smell of her fake Hydro Flask.

If your hydro flask is brand-new and the inside smells like chemicals or smells bad in some other way then chances are you've purchased a fake and should try to get your money back.

Your Hydro Flask May Be Moldy

If your Hydro Flask is genuine and you owned it for awhile but now when you open it it stinks really bad or smells musty then your Hydro Flask may actually have some mold in it.

Mold likes to grow in dark moist areas and given that Hydro Flasks are used for drinks (and therefore often wet) it can be the perfect breeding ground for mold, especially if left for a long period of time.

Mold can grow in the main body of your Hydro Flask but you can also grow in the lid and is commonly found under the rubber gasket, in the straw or in the sippy part of your lid.

Mold is not healthy to be drinking and can actually cause some serious health problems. Check out the below YouTube video where a doctor talks about how his patient had health problems because of mold growing in a Yeti cup (similar to Hydro Flask):

If your Hydro Flask has mold then you need to clean it properly to get rid of the mold. This should then get rid of the smell. Click here to read exactly how to clean a moldy hydro flask.

It May Have Absorbed The Smell Of Your Drink And Need a Good Clean

The inside of your Hydro Flask may have absorbed some of the smell of the drinks you put in it. I personally experienced this when I left a Red Bull inside my bottle for a few days. Whenever I opened it I could smell The remnants of the Red Bull and it also made my water taste a bit weird.

Even though I had cleaned it with water and detergent this didn't seem to help.

If you're having this issue then a more rigorous cleaning is needed to remove the smell. Click here to learn how to properly clean your Hydro Flask every time.

Another great tip is to put in some dry rice with a bit of water and detergent or vinegar and put the lid back on your Hydro Flask. Shake vigorously for 2 to 5 minutes and the dry rice will remove any residue on the inside of the bottle.

Once I cleaned it properly and then left it to dry and air out for a couple of days the smell went away.

Use Water, Lemon Water or Vinegar To Soak Up The Smell

Another thing you can do to try and get rid of difficult smells is to fill up your Hydro Flask with hot water (I like to use boiling) and then put the lid on and leave it to sit for a 6-12 hours.

Then tip out the water and repeat the process again.

I have found that the water will absorb the smell over time and by discarding it and adding in freshwater it will continue to absorb the smell until it's all gone.

You could also consider adding lemon to your water (learn more about if you should use lemon and other acidic things in Hydro Flasks) and over time the bottle will start to smell lemony fresh.

Or you want fill up the bottle with vinegar and leave that to soak and absorb the smell and then wash it out thoroughly with warm water afterwards.

If Your Hydro Flask Doesn't Stop Smelling Don't Use It, Send It Back If You Can

If you've taken the steps to wash your Hydro Flask extremely well and done everything you can to remove mold or the remnants of any drinks and it still smells really bad then I would advise you not to continue using it.

If the bottle is brand-new and smells really badly I would get in contact with Hydro Flask or the person that sold you the bottle and try to get a replacement because your bottle is either fake or defective.

If you own a genuine Hydro Flask and you can't seem to get the smell out then follow the steps in my guide to getting smells out of your Hydro Flask and then leave your hydro flask open to air for a period of time.

If after all of this your hydro flask still smells really bad then it may be time to throw it out and to get a new one.

It's the perfect excuse to get the color and size that you've always wanted.

See the full range of Hydro Flask bottles at Amazon