How does one *effectively* clean a thermos?

[One Awesome Inch]

So to minimize the use of my stove and save gas, I am going to try to use a thermos as much as possible. I can use the microwave at work, or my ex-wife's stove (when I'm looking after my kids) and heat up soup, chilli etc and stick it in a quality thermos which will keep the food warm for up to 6 hours... so they say.

I did this the other day with a junky thermos I have and the food was still warm 4 or 5 hours later. When I was done, I sealed the now dirty thermos back up. When I went to wash it the next day at the ex-wife's, it was still odorous even after washing. I then sprayed some vinegar in there and let sit overnight. Now it smells a little too much like vinegar.

What's the best way to keep a food thermos smelling fresh and clean?

 

[MikeRuth]

I'm not positive but I believe something like DIP IT would be best.

A review http://coffeemakerjournal.blogspot.com/2013/07/coffee-maker-cleaner-should-you-clean.html

3 pak http://www.amazon.com/Dip--Automati...7&sr=8-4&keywords=dip+it+coffee+maker+cleaner

 

[WheelEstate USA]

Try some baking soda.
We have a 72 oz widemouth Bubba Jug that works great for foods or iceed drinks. I have my old stainless thermos for coffee.
Always wash right after use to keep lingering odors away, especially with plastic liners.

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

For glass or stainless lined thermos, I find chlorine bleach the best deoderizer/disinfectant. 1:10 solution should be enough.  Thermos should be cleaned first.  Triple rinse and let it air out to dry.

Plastic is tough.  It will absorb some food molecules (witness stains with chilli, etc.).  Best I have found is hot (the hotter the better) vinegar.  Fill a washed out thermos, let sit for about 15 minutes, shaking occationally (with stopper on   ), wash again with hot soapy water, rinse.  I have tried boiling soapy water with some success, but vinegar seems to work better.

 -- Spiff

 

[WheelEstate USA]

A baggie as a liner in a widemouth works well with like chilli and meat sauce type stuff.

 

[compassrose]

If you are not going to be cleaning it out, why don't you use steam table liners? Line it, pour the hot food in and twist-tie the bag closed, screw the lid on. When empty, pull the bag out and throw it away. No washing. The pan liners are cheap and wonderful to use. I have used them to line a crock pot, cooked eggs in them for breakfast burritos on the food cart, froze/thawed/microwaved in them. Baked in them. I love them. I tend to buy them off of ebay. I prefer 1/3 (or third) food liner bags. I have kept the 1/3 and 1/6 SS steam table pans we used on the food cart. I cook on top of the stove with them as well as bake in them. They are what I use for cake pans and casserole pans. 250-500 bags last a very long time. If you are interested in using steam table pans to cook in, check out flea markets, thrift stores and places the sell used restaurant equipment for the best prices. Most of the pans we had were used and ranged from free to $5 (that one is now the sink in the bathroom). Not too bad for stainless steel cooking pans. And you can get lids too. Some with a cutout for serving utensil. If you must have a handle on your pan, buy cheap vise grip pliers or even regular pliers.

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_odk...+liner.TRS1&_nkw=steam+pan+liner&_sacat=55843

 

[WheelEstate USA]

Great idea Rose, didn't know of those liners. Like the cheap stainless too.

 

[LeeRevell]

I like the old-school glass lined Thermos bottles much better than the plastic or stainless, but they are much more delicate.  I also use chlorine bleach to clean them.

 

[One Awesome Inch]

I like the idea of the liners. Probably would just use a reglar baggie or saran wrap. I try not to use bleach as I have in the past wrecked clothes by spilling it.

Since I wont be able to clean the thermos til the next if possible, just a hassle in a van I'd like to avoid, the thermos will remain dirty til the next day. The liner would likely keep the thermos, I have stainless steel, cleanest and the most ordor free.

 

[WheelEstate USA]

I clean with bleach too but often baking soda will take care of smells.

 

[highdesertranger]

I vote for the vinegar. however with plastic don't let it sit in there to long. with plastic put it in slosh it around and rinse it out with plenty of water. highdesertranger

 

[Belinda2]

Spiff is correct with the 1:10 solution of bleach. When you want something fully sanitized the current world guidelines, CDC, and health department recommend this. It kills ebola. It kills aids. After you wash or dip with the bleach solution, do not dry the item. Your towel may recontaminate. Recommendations are for air drying only.

 

[WriterMs]

The vinegar is a good anti-microbial cleaner for many things. Consider having a spray bottle filled with it and spraying into the thermos to completely saturate the sides and bottom (but not having to fill the thermos completely. If the thermos is cleaned with vinegar and rinsed well, the smell should go away fairly quickly if you leave the thermos open and not capped until it is fully dry.

 

[Canine]

When I was a kid I worked in a plant that made jerky. Best tasting job I ever had. I worked on the "wet" side, the side with the raw meat where we cut it up, seasoned it, laid it out, or stuffed it and cooked it. When we cleaned up, we used a Hotsy (that is a heated, commercial, high pressure water sprayer like you would see at a car wash) To sanitize, we used regular household bleach. I can't remember the ratio, but it was waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay less than 10:1. Like a cup of bleach to 30 gallons of water. We rinsed off the walls and whatever with it and let it dry.

I'm a "ginormous" fan of using baking soda to remove odors.

 

[Gary68]

food grade hydrogen peroxide is another non toxic cleaner

 

[Ella1]

A baggie as a liner in a widemouth works well with like chilli and meat sauce type stuff.

That's a great idea, esp if there is no easily available water to clean it. Use the oven/baking bags so the plastic doesn't melt from the hot food.
I was wondering about that last week. I had made some slow cooker chicken and put some in a thermos to take along, but had no way to clean it later. So I didn't.

 

[eDJ_]

I use the chlorine bleach too.

In my home I have ADC makers and as soon as the coffee is made it is emptied from the glass carafe
into a couple of plastic thermos carafe's...like this one.

Then  I can immediately clean out the glass Coffee Carafe so there will be little build up on it and those old oils won't influence the flavor of the coffee.

In time the oils in the coffee begin to build up in the plastic thermos so I unscrew the bottom and pull out the
glass thermos bottle.  Then I soak these parts in the sink in a stronger mixture of water and chlorine bleach.
By morning all looks like new.  I wash the off and re assemble them.  This works quite well for me.

Back in school days I worked at a 7-11 for awhile and the coffee was a constant making was a constant effort.
I was shown how to get the stain out of the bottom by pouring some table salt into the carafe and a few ice cubes from the ice maker.  This was then swirled around to use as an abrasive  and it was effective.
So often the self service coffee had the nearly emptied carafe's restored to the coffee maker to boil down
till evaporated leaving a residue that would ruin the quality of the next pot.  But that's life in a 24/7 operation where the corporation wants the cash registers ringing up sales non stop.

I noticed "Dipit" was mentioned too. I've used that on several occasions in plastic body electric percolators with excellent results.

 

[Trout]

There are two ways I clean my stanley SS thermos.

1. Use a spash of dishwasher type dish soap. @1/4 full of hot water and shake like a bartender on TV.

2. fill with hot water and add a tablespoon of OXYCLEAN type cleaner. I do not recommend the Tide brand as it took a month to get the flavor out of my SS travel mug and thermos.

Both methods require good rinsing but work very well to get it squeeky clean inside.