While it’s a much bigger problem with airtight water bottles like Yeti, it’s not all too uncommon for Stanley Cup lids to get stuck on as well.
It’s usually because there’s sticky drink residue gunking things up, you’ve simply overtightened it, or, if you keep your Stanley Cup in the freezer, moisture between the lid and tumbler has frozen it shut.
Luckily, there are a few simple ways you can get your Stanley’s stuck lid unstuck:
- Press down firmly on the lid as you turn it.
- Heat up the lid in hot water for a few minutes to soften any residue causing your lid to stick.
- Use rubber bands or a rubber jar opener to get a better grip on the lid.
- Hold your Stanley Cup between your legs and use two hands to open the lid.
- Rub dish soap on the crack between your tumbler and lid, let it sit for ten minutes or so, rinse off any soap, then try to open it.
Below I’ll show you what causes Stanley Cup lids to get stuck (so you know how to prevent it in the future) and five easy methods to get your stuck lid open.
Why Is My Stanley Cup Lid Stuck?
Because Stanley Cups aren’t airtight, it’s relatively rare for their lids to get stuck on. But that certainly doesn’t mean that it can’t happen.
Most often, if your Stanley’s lid is stuck, it’s for one of three reasons:
- You were drinking something other than water from your Stanley Cup and some of it dried on the threads between your lid and tumbler. It’s most common if you were drinking something sugary.
- You’ve over tightened it. It really shouldn’t take much force to seal a Stanley Cup.
- If you stick your Stanley Cup in the freezer with moisture between the bottle and lid, it may freeze shut.
To prevent your lid from sticking in the future:
- Thoroughly wash your Stanley Cup after drinking anything with sugar in it, both to prevent residue from sticking your lid shut and to reduce the risk for mold and mildew growing in your tumbler.
- Don’t over tighten your lid. Light pressure should be more than enough to stop it from leaking (at least from between the lid and tumbler).
- Dry off the threads of your lid and tumbler before sticking your Stanley in the freezer.
5 Ways To Open A Stuck Stanley Lid
The good news is, it’s usually pretty easy to get a stuck Stanley Cup lid unstuck, no matter the cause, using only things you probably have laying around the house already.
1. Press Down Firmly On The Lid And Turn
While it may sound too good to be true, I’ve found this method to be surprisingly effective at getting Stanley lids unstuck — and all you’ll need are your two hands.
Simply press down firmly on the lid as you turn it…
That’s really it.
And it seems to work a majority of the time.
The reason it’s so effective is because Stanley lids have a small bit of extra space between their threads. By pressing down as you turn, you can sometimes break loose whatever was gunking or freezing up your lid.
Just make sure you’re holding your tumbler by its body with your second hand. Holding it by the handle and twisting forcefully could damage your Stanley.
2. Warm It Up
Heating up your Stanley Cup and lid can help to loosen whatever is causing your lid to stick.
Submerge your Stanley’s lid in some hot or near-boiling water for a minute or two, dry it off to get a good grip, and try to open it.
The heat will often cause enough expansion to loosen it or at least help soften any gunk sticky-ing up your lid.
If your lid is frozen on, the hot water method works fine, but is probably overkill. You can simply leave your Stanley sitting at room temperature for half an hour or so and the ice should melt away enough to get it open pretty easily.
3. Add Some Friction
Because Stanley lids are fairly slick, it can be tough to get a good enough grip to unscrew the lid when it’s being stubborn.
Wrapping a wide rubber band around the lid or using a rubber jar opener can give the needed friction to help get your lid unstuck.
4. Use Two Hands
Stanley Cups are pretty wide, so if you have small hands you may have trouble getting a firm enough grip on your lid to unscrew it.
You can account for this by sitting, holding the cup between your legs, and using two hands to unscrew it.
Use the handle to help stop your tumbler from rotating between your legs if needed, just be careful not to put too much pressure on it.
Even if your hands aren’t small, using both hands may give you that extra oomph needed to unstick your lid.
It’s worth a shot at least.
5. Soak With Dish Soap
Dish soap is a pretty potent degreaser and degunker that we can use to break down whatever is making your lid stick:
- Spread some dish soap around the seam between your lid and tumbler, thinning it a bit with water to help penetrate if needed.
- Wait five or ten minutes for it to do its thing.
- Rinse away any soap and dry off your lid (or you’ll have a terrible time trying to get a firm grip on it).
- Try to open your Stanley.
