How To Clean Blender Bottle That’s Dirty, Smelly, Or Cloudy!
A blender no doubt is the most important appliance in the kitchen. Of course, many of us use the tool for only making smoothies. But as shared on Blenders Pro amongst other sites, you can even grind and heat cold mixtures if you own a good make.
Even so, some of these tasks are not for all blenders. If it’s producing fine ground coffee from coffee beans, for instance, the blender has to have a stronger motor and blades. Then, to make hot soup from a cold mixture, the appliance has to have the ability to harness that friction heat and the right blending container.
Regardless, a blender is just like any other machine, which means the way you keep is how it will care for you. If you are hoping to make the most from your device, you must keep it well maintained, starting with regular cleaning.
Otherwise, you will go ahead and add the ingredients in the container, but your
bog down due to clogged dirt. Or else you blend a mixture of all fresh fruits and vegetables, yet you end up with a sour drink in the glass.
In this post, I’m going to share some tricks on how to clean a blender bottle or pitcher to ensure an efficient blending experience. As a point of reference, I’ll use the Vitamix 5200 blender classic model as it’s what I have a personal experience. The tips, however, will work for any other blender, e.g. the best cordless immersion blender, with either glass or plastic jar.
Benefits of cleaning the blender Container
Remove previous, old Residue
This is the number one reason, and yes, many don’t have a problem with it. You should regularly wash your blender (after every use) to prevent the residue from sticking on the walls or at the bottom.
Get Rid of stubborn odors
Sad to say, almost everyone has experienced this, especially if your blender has a plastic container. The smell is usually annoying as it can even transfer and ruin your new recipes.
Minimize discoloration
This mostly develops a white film that makes the bottle appear cloudy, but if left undone, it could cause permanent discoloration. It usually happens by using foods with dark colors (like berries, spinach, and turmeric) and fail to clean thoroughly after use.
Ensure optimal performance
If your blender often gets stuck, one of the causes is because the parts of the blade assembly are dirty. Especially if you make smoothies daily, the “sugars” in the ingredients can crystallize and form a very tight bond around the blade system.
Enhance durability
Obviously, if your blender starts bogging down, the chances of burning out the motor are very high. Also, the discoloration of the container walls can impede your blending and ruin the appearance of your appliance. Hence, forcing you to get another container.
Cost-effectiveness
That’s right. If you clean your blender container regularly and thoroughly, you can enjoy using it for a lengthy period without doing any repairs or purchases. With a high-end brand like Vitamix, for instance, your blender can last for up to two or three decades if maintained well.
How to Clean a Blender Bottle or Jar:
As I mentioned, there’s nothing unique when it comes to cleaning a blender container. Whether you have a Vitamix, Blendtec, or Ninja Kitchen, the formula is still the same one. The only thing that will vary is the method and efficiency- that’s how easy it’s.
Either way, the following are the ways to clean your blender bottle so that you can make the best from your tool.
How to clean a regular Blender Bottle or Jar
For this case, we’re just cleaning a “healthy” blending container, which still has its true color and smell. The step is straightforward and quick as it’s just leaving the blending container to self-clean.
Directions:
- After emptying the blended mixture, rinse the container with warm water- NOT hot.
- Place 1-2 drops of dish soap in the bottle/ pitcher and half-fill with warm water
- Secure the lid
- Start the motor on the lowest speed setting “1”, then slowly increase to the highest speed.
- Continue blending for 30-60 seconds
- Now power the machine off and disengage the container from the base
- Pour the contents out and rinse the container thoroughly
- Finally, turn it upside down and let air dry.
Notes:
If your blender’s like the Blendtec Classic 575 that has the pre-programmed cleaning setting, in “Step 4” you’ll only need to select the Self-Cleaning function. Then, start the machine. The motor will automatically switch off after completing the cycle, which is between 30-60 seconds.
How to Clean a Cloudy or Smelly Blender bottle
In case your blender container has a nasty smell or cloudy film that doesn’t come off with the ordinary washing, you’ll need to do a deep clean. To do this, you just need to soak the container with a cleaning agent.
Of course, this cleaning marvel has to be nontoxic to avoid the symptoms of food poisoning. The two most used are:
- Vinegar
While we primarily use it for cleaning, Vinegar is truly a great cleaner and disinfectant. So, its use is certainly hitting two birds with one stone as you necessarily won’t need disinfecting later again.
Thanks to its acid nature, the vinegar cleans by dissolving the present mineral deposit, dirt, and grease.
- Baking Soda
Similarly, baking soda is a very powerful cleaning agent that removes dirt and grease by dissolving them in water. Different from vinegar, however, it’s a mild alkali. Hence, it can also deodorize the blender bottle by bringing the acidic and odor molecules into a neutral (odor-free) state.
Directions:
- Pour one cup of vinegar/ baking soda into the blender jar
- Add warm water up to the halfway
- Let it soak for several hours or overnight while in an upright, standing position
- Pour the contents and rinse thoroughly
- Now follow the cleaning instructions in “A” above.
Conclusion:
Well, you now know how to clean a blender bottle or jar that’s dirty, smelly, or cloudy. The methods are very easy and quick even when you feel the time is not on your side. Then, all the materials used are readily available at home, which means you should never experience any of the issues above.
Nonetheless, you have to be very careful while cleaning your blender around the blade assembly to avoid cutting your finger/s. Also, you shouldn’t wash your container with abrasive cleaning tools as it could leave permanent scratches on the sides.
Last but not least, it’s not wise to place the plastic blender bottle into the dishwasher if you want to maintain its durability and appearance. In this, I include even those Tritan containers listed as dishwasher-safe.