My son uses the Gerber straw sippy cups and I clean them by hand. I've noticed a build up of gunk inside the hard plastic straw that sits in the cup and nothing I've done will clean it out. I've tried soaking it in hot soapy water, running it under hot water, and putting it in the dishwasher. I'm concerned about what might be transferred to my son when he drinks from it, but I'm also concerned about putting something in it to clean it that I won't be able to wash out. Any suggestions would be great!
So I went and bought the Dr. Brown's pipe cleaner tool from Babies R Us. It worked fantastic!! Thank you so much for the all the tips and suggestions I will definetly use some of the ideas to now keep them clean. Thanks again!
I always use an old watercolor paintbrush that I washed with dishsoap. I also use it to clean out the grooves on the lid by the mouthpiece. Work great!
I always used a pipecleaner. You can use the regular ones or the fancy ones that are kind of puffy at some spots. Fold it in half and twist a bit then put in and scrub it up and down. Do not use the tinsel type because they can fall apart inside the straw. You can put a little dish soap on it but not too much because it might be hard to rinse out.
I too used a pipe cleaner and it worked like a charm -- no harsh chemicals :)
Try a pipecleaner. Also, soak them in hot soapy water first.
I also got the tiny "bottle brush" and for built up gunk you will probably need that since it is more sturdy than a pipe cleaner. And vinegar would be safe to soak it in. I don't know if it would get it out, but it will be safe.
you might want to try a pipe cleaner - the kind for arts projects. they should help wisk it out similar to a bottle cleaner.
Mix some bleach and water and soak it. You might want to throw in the whole cup. Let 'em soak 'til the gunk is gone, then wash really well or put them in your dishwasher.
Look for the small brush Dr Browns makes to clean the tube that runs downt he middle of their bottles they are great for cleaning out straws. I know they sell them at Babies R US but i am sure target and walmart have them as well.
I had this problem yesterday! Try a pipe cleaner or even a really small makeup brudh would work, just make sure its really clean! Good luck, i know those straws are hard to keep clean!
pipe cleaner....its those long metal things with fuzz all over that we use for crafts. does the trick all the time.
Try a nipple/bottle brush. I use the one that came with our Dr. Brown's bottles but I've seen them sold seperately from the bottle at BRU as well. They're thin and long and fit the straw perfetly :)
I always took a toothbrush to mine it worked great. Hope that helps you, if a toothbrush doesn't fit in your straws(it has been years since my kids used sippy cups- they are 7 and 9 now), then you can try going and getting a(I don't know if I am going to call this the right tool) one of the wire brush cleaners, it looks like a pipe cleaner, it is round, sort of like a bottle cleaner, but much smaller and use it.
GOD BLESS
B.
www.StayHomeForKids.com
Soak them in a 10% bleach solution for at least a half hour. It will sanitize the straw and also destroy almost anything that has built up in there. Make sure that you rinse it very thoroughly, and allow it to air dry. The bleach will evaporate and you'll have a clean and sanitary straw!
My kids are way past sippy cups. The had ones with short straws, so I would us a q-tip, then put them in the dishwasher. The straws needed to be replaced frequently so I ordered an extra supply from the manufacturer.
Use a pipe cleaner to run through the straw.
About once a week or once every other week, I soak all of my son's plastic drink cups in a mixture of bleach, soap and warm water. (There are crevices in just about every kind of sippy cup that are impossible to scrub clean.) After a soak, they go in the dishwasher. Straws come out and go in my utensil tray to make sure nothing is trapped in there. Works great!
I have let mine sit in hot water with bleach - then use a pipe cleaner to flush anything out.
