Soaking the Bottles

• One cleaning method used for bottles is soaking them. Fill bottle with warm to hot water and detergent. Allow the bottle to sit for about 90 minutes and rinse out. Wash the outside of the bottle as you would any other dish in your sink and air dry. For tough stains and foul odors, soak the bottle for a couple more hours.
  
  

Getting Rid of Tough Stains

• Occasionally liquid and dirt gets trapped in hard to reach corners and crevices within the bottle. Sometimes taking your dish rag and gently threading it into the bottle can remove some hidden dirt. For hard to reach stains, a bottle brush is necessary. This mascara wand-like brushed can maneuver around the inside of the bottle. These brushes can be found online at Amazon.com and at many hardware stores.
  
  

Special Tips for Plastic Bottles

• Sometimes plastic bottles can develop an odor around the spout, especially if the bottles were washed in the dishwasher. Plastics tend to absorb odors and chemicals such as those found in dishwashing detergent. One remedy is to soak the bottle in a mixture of warm water and vinegar for about half an hour. This should remove any chemical taste from the bottle. While the dishwasher does save time for plastic bottles, hand washing may be best.