Greens Steel's Guide to Cleaning Stainless Steel Coffee Mugs

GET RID OF STAINS AND ODORS ON STAINLESS STEEL COFFEE MUGS AND LIDS

Modern society has thankfully begun to take meaningful steps towards caring for the environment, and replacing single-use cups and plastics with reusable coffee cups is one of the easiest and most effective way to be more eco-friendly.

Although our stainless steel coffee mugs are very low maintenance, they do need to be washed regularly and deep cleaned once in a while. Aside from basic hygienic reasons, regular cleaning also improves the taste the coffee and tea inside.

To help you get the most out of your new Greens Steel Reusable Coffee Mug, we put together this quick and easy guide explaining how to wash coffee cups, how to deep clean your coffee mug and general tips and FAQs.

Greens' TipsMost of these techniques require dishwashing liquid. To take your eco-friendly awareness to the next level, use plant-based soap that contain no sulfates, paraffins, or parabens.

USING THE DISHWASHER

The Greens Steel Reusable Coffee Mug is 100% dishwasher safe and can be run through the machine on a regular basis.

To get the best results, first carefully pop off the rubber seal on the lid and open the flip top. Set the seal aside and place the lid and mug on the top rack of the dishwashing machine. Finally, gently wash the rubber seal using dishwashing liquid and a brush and leave it out to dry.

We also recommend deep cleaning your travel mug and travel mug lid at least once a month - we'll go over this in detail later.

Greens' TipsThe rubber elastic seal is dishwasher safe and the lids are made from food safe plastic. As such, you don't have to remove and clean the seal every you drink coffee from it. Doing so just gets a deeper clean.

HOW TO HANDWASH

If you don't have a dishwasher or prefer to handwash, be sure to follow these steps for effectively clean your travel mug.

To handwash, you'll need:

  • A small bowl
  • Dish soap
  • Bottle brush

1. Once you've finished your beverage or get home from a busy day, rinse the mug under running hot water first and then rinse the travel mug lid. Be sure to pop open the lid and rinse that area as well.

2. Fill the bowl with enough hot water to submerge the lid and add a few drops of dishwashing liquid and fully submerge the lid in the solution for about ten minutes.

3. While the lid is soaking, clean the inside and outside of the coffee mug with the scrubbing brush and dishwashing liquid under running hot water.

4. After ten minutes has passed, remove the lid from the soapy water and run it under the faucet until all of the soapy reside is gone.

5. Place it all in a clean area and let it dry completely before using it again.

Greens' TipsYou may accidentally add bacteria or germs and inadvertently cause health problems by drying your freshly clean coffee mug with a paper towel or microfiber cloth. The safest and best way is to simply let it air dry - plus, you don't unnecessarily use any paper towels!

DEEP CLEANING YOUR COFFEE CUP

We strongly recommend to periodically deep clean your coffee lid and mug at least once a month. This will both prolong the life of your coffee mug and keep your coffee and tea tasting fresh and delicious for many sips to come.

We'll first give a quick summary of the process and then a detailed explanation of how to clean reusable mugs and travel mug lids.

Before getting started, gather the following.

  • 1/2c of distilled white vinegar
  • 4 tsp of baking soda
  • Dishwashing liquid
  • 1 small bowl
  • 1 medium bowl
  • Clean toothbrush
  • Bottle brush

Greens' TipsReduce your plastic pollution footprint by using an environmentally-friendly biodegradable toothbrush and avoid washing with a steel wire brush!

HOW DO YOU DEEP CLEAN A COFFEE MUG?

The safest and best way to deep clean your travel mug is to mix vinegar and baking soda into the coffee mug, let the mixture settle, screw the cover on, and shake it up. After that, remove the cover, detach the rubber seal, rinse everything, and let all components soak in soapy water for ten minutes. Finally, remove the cover and scrub it with a toothbrush using baking soda paste, run it under the faucet again, and let everything air dry overnight.

HOW TO DEEP CLEAN STAINLESS STEEL COFFEE CUPS

  1. Mix 1/2c of distilled white vinegar with 1 tsp of baking soda into the coffee mug. Let the mixture foam and wait until it completely settles before moving onto step two.
  2. While you're waiting, fill up the medium bowl with hot water and washing liquid enough to fully submerge everything.
  3. Once the foaming completely settles, securely screw the top back on the coffee mug and shake the mixture vigorously for about 45 seconds.
  4. Pour the vinegar mixture out into the sink, run all components under warm water, and set everything aside.
  5. Open the flip top, carefully remove the rubber elastic seal, and fully submerge everything into the bowl for ten minutes
  6. After ten minutes, remove only the coffee mug from the cleaning solution, use the bottle brush to scrub the inside, and clean off all of the soapy residue under running water.
  7. Leave the mug out to dry overnight.

HOW TO DEEP CLEAN COFFEE CUP LIDS

  1. Mix 1/2c of distilled white vinegar with 1 tsp of baking soda into the coffee mug. Let the mixture foam and wait until it completely settles before moving onto step two.
  2. While you're waiting, fill up the medium bowl with hot water and washing liquid enough to fully submerge everything.
  3. Once the foaming completely settles, securely screw the top back on the coffee mug and shake the mixture vigorously for about 45 seconds.
  4. Pour the vinegar mixture out into the sink, run all components under warm water, and set everything aside.
  5. Open the flip top, carefully remove the rubber elastic seal, and fully submerge everything into the bowl for ten minutes
  6. After ten minutes, remove only the coffee mug from the cleaning solution, use the bottle brush to scrub the inside, and clean off all of the soapy residue under running water.
  7. Leave the mug out to dry overnight.

TIPS & FAQS

Although you don't have to wash your coffee cup daily or immediately after finishing your drink, it's best to at least run mugs and lids under running warm water after using it. That way, the bacteria responsible for old coffee smells and stains don't stick.

Don't forget to give the outside a good wash frequently as well! This comes into contact with your hands when drinking out of it and dozens of surfaces when you're on the go all throughout the day.

HOW DO YOU GET STAINS OUT OF REUSABLE CUPS?

For extra tough stains stuck on travel mugs, mix 8 tbsp of hydrogen peroxide with 2 tbsp of baking soda into the coffee mug, screw the top on, and give it a good shake. Let the solution sit for about 30 minutes and scrub the stain with a stiff bristle bottle brush until it disappears. After that, rinse the coffee mug under hot running water and allow the coffee mug to sit and dry.

HOW DO YOU GET THE COFFEE SMELL OUT OF A REUSABLE CUP?

Add 4oz of vinegar and 1 tbsp of baking soda into the coffee mug and mix the solution until it starts to foam. Once the foaming subsides, fill the coffee mug up to the top with hot water and let it stand uncovered. After ten minutes has passed, dump out about 50% of the solution, vigorously scrub the inside with a stiff bristle brush, rinse it under hot water, and let the coffee mug sit out to dry.

That's all folks! Regular cleaning and maintenance of your new favorite cup is a quick and easy way to prolong the life of travel mugs and enhance the flavor of the beverages; whether you're an avid coffee drinker or tea enthusiast, Greens Steel Reusable Stainless Steel Coffee Mugs is the perfect coffee mug for on the go hydration and convenient caffeination.

For more cleaning and care guides, head to The Ultimate Guide to Cleaning and Caring For Your Stainless Steel Tumbler, Cup, or Water Bottle. Thank you for reading and choosing Greens Steel!