Soda makers are a huge trend right now. They save money on soda purchases and they also reduce the amount of plastic waste that gets added to the environment, a win win! The sheer amount of drinks you can make with these machines is staggering – and there are tons of new recipes and ideas being released all the time. While the soda maker is fun and exciting, it also needs to be cleaned occasionally. This is less fun and less excited. Nevertheless, the following article will provide a run down of how to effectively clean your SodaStream machine. Please note that this guide will also apply to most of the other models of soda maker machines as well.
Cleaning the Bottles
The SodaStream system is made up of two components; the machine and the bottles. This section will cover how to clean the bottles, as they are not dishwasher safe. These are probably the dirtiest part of most people’s systems. The first step is to rinse all residue and soda out of the bottle with just warm water. Next, add some dish soap to the bottle – just a little bit will do. Pour warm water back into the bottle and shake and swirl it vigorously. Once the bottle is completely full of bubbles, leave it to sit for between ten and twenty minutes. Following this, rinse the bottle or bottles repeatedly until they are completely free of soap or any soap residue. Leave them to dry in a dish drying rack or similar. This should leave your bottles clean. Now, it is time to tackle the machine.
Cleaning the Machine
The second part of the soda maker system is the machine. This is much easier to clean than the bottles and generally gets much less dirty. First, wipe any residue and dust off the machine with a damp cloth. It can have some gentle soap on it, but this is not truly necessary in most cases. Make sure that you get in all the little corners and edges of the machine where particles may build up. If you used some soap or cleaner on the machine, wipe it down again with a damp cloth that does not have any soap on it. Finally, either gently dry it or let it air dry.
Getting Rid of Smell and Stains
Soda maker bottles tend to become stinky or stained from repeated usage. The smell is from built up bacteria in the bottle, so squeeze a whole lemon into a bottle that is full of warm water. Warm water and the acid in the lemon will help kill the bacteria and neutralize the smell. Shake the bottle and let sit for several minutes. Finally, rinse out thoroughly and let dry.
If you have especially bad stains or residue in your SodaStream bottle, you may benefit from a specialized bottle scrubber – although these can have tons more kitchen uses that just SodaStream bottles. Make sure that the scrubber you get is soft, however, because too tough a scrubber can scratch the inside of the bottle. Scratches are bad because they create a place for additional bacteria to grow.
Never, ever clean your SodaStream bottles with harsher chemicals than dish soap. This is a bad idea for two reasons. The first is that you drink out of these, or drink the water that comes out of them. Thus, you could very easily be drinking bleach residue or similar, which is obviously a major health risk. Additionally, the stronger chemicals can break down the plastic of the bottle, which is also another major no-no.
Finally, do not put SodaStream bottles in the dishwasher. They are made of PET plastic, so they will break down in the dishwasher, which is no good. They cannot withstand high heats, so you will be pulling melted pieces of plastic out of your dishwasher at the end. Additionally, if you really must put your bottles in the dishwasher, there are glass SodaStream bottles available that are dishwasher safe.
