When cleaning your Hydro Flask bottle it's really important to also clean the lid of the bottle and to regularly clean the gasket as this can get moldy and gross. But how do you clean the gasket?
To clean a Hydro Flask Lid gasket use a blunt knife to remove the gasket and clean away mold in warm soapy water. If the gasket cannot be removed use a small bottle brush or rag to get into the crevices and clean away mold. Then leave to air dry.
For those who don't know, the lid gasket is the rubber ring inside the lid of your Hydro Flask. It makes the seal airtight so that your drink does not spill. For more ways to clean the lid gasket, read below.
How To Clean A Hydro Flask Lid Gasket: Step-By-Step Guide
I've owned my Hydro Flasks for years now and I've had to clean the gaskets quite a few times. Here are the steps I use to clean it.
1. Fill Up Your Sink With Warm Soapy Water
We'll talk a bit later about how you can use vinegar, baking soda or other cleaners in order to clean your lid gasket. However, warm soapy water in the sink is my tried and true method.
2. Remove The Gasket (If You Can)
The first step is to get that rubber ring off the lid. You can use a toothpick, a flat butter knife, or any other thin and flat tool that can help you wiggle the lid gasket out.
Just make sure to not actually cut the gasket itself so avoid using sharp knives or anything that may break the gasket. I used a butter knife and then my hands to get it off safely.
I found the gasket on the thin neck Hydro Flask bottles came off easy however the gaskets on the wide mouth Hydro Flask lids didn't come out at all without me severely risking damaging the lid.
3. Leave The Gasket To Soak For 5-10 Minutes
Then, place the lid gasket and the lid in the water for a few minutes.
4. Scrub The Gasket Clean With a Cloth
After it has had a little time to soak, scrub at it with any dish scrubbing tool you have at home.
You will want to scrub both sides of the rubber ring and where the ring is placed in the lid.
To help get any gunk out of the lid, try using a toothpick or a straw cleaner. These will help you get into hard-to-reach places and loosen up the mildew and mold that could have grown there.
5. If You Can't Get The Gasket Out Clean It With a Straw Cleaner/Bottle Brush
Hydro Flask sells a Straw and Lid Cleaning Set that is pretty affordable and worth the investment. I personally own one and use it to help me clean the gaskets on my wide mouth Hydro Flasks. It's a fairly durable brush set and the bristles are made from nylon and are good for getting into those tight spaces.
For these lid gaskets I don't try to remove the gasket but rather just scrub it good with the little bottle brush. There are also larger brushes you can get for Hydro Flask bottles that could do the task just as well.
6. Rinse and Air Dry
Then, all you have to do is rinse the parts and let them fully air dry.
Your lid gasket should be clean, and you can simply reassemble the parts and put your Hydro Flask together for use.
Alternative Ways To Clean Your Hydro Flask Lid Gaskets
If you're finding warm soapy water and the methods mentioned above don't quite work for you, or you want some other ways to clean your Hydro Flask lid gaskets then check out some of the other cleaning methods below:
Distilled Vinegar
Using white distilled vinegar is great for cleaning and eliminating odors. Hydro Flask has some recommended methods of cleaning their bottles, and this is one of them.
If you take the lid gasket out of the lid, then you can soak the lid gasket and the lid in some white distilled vinegar. Simply place them in a bowl and pour the vinegar over the top.
After letting it sit for about 10 minutes, give the parts a good rub with a cloth and then you can rinse the parts with warm water in the sink.
Inspect the lid gasket and the lid to see if there is any mildew on them, and if so, repeat with vinegar. If you need something stronger, then you can sprinkle some baking soda on top of the parts and let them soak in vinegar.
Baking soda and vinegar work together to clean really well, but if your lid gasket is clean with just vinegar, then don't worry about adding the baking soda.
Again, let the parts completely dry before putting them together and using them.
Mildew and mold are created through water getting trapped and sitting in the same place. You will know if there is mildew and mold there if you can see it or still smell it.
So, when you are checking the parts to see if they are cleaned, smell them as well to see if they still have a little funk or if they are cleaned.
Baking Soda
Hydro Flask also recommends mixing some baking soda and water together to create a paste that can be used to clean your water bottle as well as the lid. So, to clean the lid gasket, take it out of the lid and start on this method of cleaning.
Lay the rubber ring and the lid on your countertop or on a towel. Then, create the baking soda and water paste in a small cup or container.
Then use a dish scrubber you have at home and work the paste into the parts. You can let it sit and wait 10-20 minutes for the baking soda paste to work into the grime on the lid gasket. Then, you can scrub again for a minute and rinse.
It is easy to clean your lid gasket, and with multiple methods, anyone with basic cleaning supplies can do it at home.
Dishwasher
The easiest way to clean your Hydro Flask bottle, your lid gasket, and your lid is by putting in a little effort as possible. And that is done through the dishwasher.
You can take the lid, bottle, and lid gasket apart for the dishwasher so that each individual part gets cleaned. But if you're going to do this place the gasket in the cutlery tray or find a way to hold it down so it won't go flying when it's hit with the high pressure water from the dishwasher.
Hydro Flask lets you know that their products are top-rack dishwasher safe, but you should try to handwash if possible because it will be gentler on the pieces, and it will make the water bottle as a whole last longer.
So, simply put the pieces on the top rack of your dishwasher and run it. The pieces should be clean, and you can use one of the methods above if you still want a deeper, more precise clean.
Cleaning Tools and Product Replacement
If you have problems with your Hydro Flask gaskets then you can simply and easily get replacement gaskets for cheap:
If you think your lid gasket is too old, dirty, moldy, or overall too gross to use anymore, then throw it away. You can buy a pack of 3 lid gaskets online for $5-$8. The packs on Amazon includes the 3 rubber rings as well as a cleaning tool and a tool for getting the rubber ring in and out of the lid.
See just how cheap Hydro Flask Wide Mouth replacement gaskets are at Amazon
See the latest price of Hydro Flask Standard Mouth replacement gaskets at Amazon
Some over tools you might like are cleaning tools sold by Hydro Flask. They have bottle scrubbers, lid scrubbers, and straw cleaners specifically make for their water bottles. They are shaped well and made to give your Hydro Flask the best clean possible.
