I've used the stainless travel cups for hot beverages for years. The Contigo brand has worked great, in that respect. Mine is used for coffee.
Considering I like the Coffeemate French Vanilla, the sugars tend to build over time, and grow into an almost caulk appearance and texture.
Once a week I thoroughly clean the lid and inside with a toothbrush, and disassemble to clean as needed.
I have a 20oz, that's somewhat of a challenge to get "clean" deep down towards the bottom.
Today was cleaning time, and while rinsing after using a nylon bottle brush, I noticed coffee sludge on the sides. The nylon brush wasn't working so great.
I grabbed a stainless frosting knife used to spread frosting on cakes, and scraped the sides. What scraped off reminds me of burnt oil found inside a tired engine. As thick as a fingernail.
It was nasty. Rinse/scrape a bit more, and eventually back to bare stainless. My coffee tastes a LOT better, can you imagine?
So it comes to mind that a proper brush, brass or stainless bristle would fill the need and make cleaning a little more effortless.
Something, almost like a cylinder hone, but not so much.
What's your solution to cleaning the cups effectively?
I had a vision of a 1/2 cup or so of stainless BB's and water, swirling the wall inside.
*no cleaning agents or soaps are ever used*
Considering I like the Coffeemate French Vanilla, the sugars tend to build over time, and grow into an almost caulk appearance and texture.
Once a week I thoroughly clean the lid and inside with a toothbrush, and disassemble to clean as needed.
I have a 20oz, that's somewhat of a challenge to get "clean" deep down towards the bottom.
Today was cleaning time, and while rinsing after using a nylon bottle brush, I noticed coffee sludge on the sides. The nylon brush wasn't working so great.
I grabbed a stainless frosting knife used to spread frosting on cakes, and scraped the sides. What scraped off reminds me of burnt oil found inside a tired engine. As thick as a fingernail.
It was nasty. Rinse/scrape a bit more, and eventually back to bare stainless. My coffee tastes a LOT better, can you imagine?
So it comes to mind that a proper brush, brass or stainless bristle would fill the need and make cleaning a little more effortless.
Something, almost like a cylinder hone, but not so much.
What's your solution to cleaning the cups effectively?
I had a vision of a 1/2 cup or so of stainless BB's and water, swirling the wall inside.
*no cleaning agents or soaps are ever used*
Last Edited: