We know, we know.... now that you're always remembering your reusable cup (thanks to our convenient and space saving 2in1 design!) and filling it with your favourite beverage on the daily, it might start looking a little stained from all that use.
One of our most popular customer messages goes something like this:
"I love my cup and use it ALL THE TIME! I also love black coffee...any idea how I can remove stains or smells from my cup and silicone parts now that I remember to use it every day?"
We've personally found this simple and natural method is the best way to naturally and effectively remove coffee cup stains and silicone stains and smells and should result in your Bottlecup looking and smelling like new.
If you're new here, hi! Hello! We're Bottlecup - a convenient 2in1 water bottle with a detachable takeaway cup, designed to help you remember your cup every time you leave the house and save space in your bag too!
What You'll Need To Clean Your Coffee Cup
- Sodium Percarbonate (also known as Oxygen Bleach or Natural Bleach). It's an eco-friendly alternative to chlorine bleach that is non-toxic and biodegradable.
- Boiling or hot water
- A little time
- A ventilated room. Open a window or two as sodium percarbonate may bother your respiratory tract if inhaled.
How To Clean Your Coffee Cup (and Silicone Parts)
1. Add about 1 tablespoon of sodium percarbonate to your stained cup (or into a bowl to soak silicone parts).
2. Pour hot water from the kettle or hot tap into your cup (or bowl if cleaning your silicone lid and band - enough to cover). The solution will likely bubble up when activated by hot water so make sure your cup or bowl is in the sink or a washing up bowl (we love this stainless steel one) to catch any overflowing solution. It's like a mini-volcano erupting!
3. Let it sit for a minimum of 15 minutes but ideally longer. 1-2 hours should be enough.
4. Rinse, wash by hand and marvel at how shiny your cup looks (or how good your silicone parts look and smell).
If you want to watch the magic happen, we made a reel on Instagram for your viewing pleasure (feel free to follow us too @gobottlecup):
Or check out Kate's TikTok
Why It Works
Sodium percarbonate is a white powder made from sodium carbonate, also known as washing soda, soda ash or soda crystals and hydrogen peroxide - a natural bleaching agent. When dissolved in hot water, sodium percarbonate releases a mixture of oxygen, water, and soda crystals to make an effective oxygen bleach lifting away burnt on food, stains, dirt, and germs.
We love it because unlike chlorine bleach, sodium percarbonate doesn’t release any harmful chemicals and is safe for humans and the environment because it naturally breaks down and biodegrades.
Where Can I Buy Plastic-Free Sodium Percarbonate?
Your local refill or zero waste store may have some available to buy or try any of the following online options:
Allavare (use code KATE33185 for a discount)
Other Uses Around the Home for Sodium Percarbonate
We've been using sodium percarbonate as part of our natural household cleaning kit for several years now. We basically reach for it when any stains need lifting or something needs deodorising. It's one of our absolute favourite natural cleaning products and we feel more people should know about it!
It's great at lifting stubborn, burnt on food so feel free to soak your roasting tins, oven shelves, burnt pots and pans in sodium percarbonate and hot water and watch the magic happen. There's very little scrubbing involved too!
We also add it to our laundry. Not only does it whiten whites, but sodium percarbonate can also brightens colours. For any stains on white or light clothing, simply mix some sodium percarbonate with a little hot water then massage the paste over the stain with an old toothbrush and let it sit before adding to the wash. Do a patch test on any colourful clothing first.
Simply soaking clothes in 1-2 tablespoons of sodium percarbonate and hot water to pre-treat a stain before adding to the laundry works a treat. Avoid using sodium percarbonate on wool, silk or leather.
Sodium percarbonate is also great for removing mould on hard, non-porous surfaces (in the kitchen and bathroom for example) and we even sprinkle some down our drains followed by hot water to help unblock them when they're not draining effectively or to remove any suspicious smells coming up through the plug hole.
It brightens and cleans grout wonderfully too. Simply work a paste of sodium percarbonate and a little hot water to activate it on to the grout between the tiles using an old toothbrush, let sit for a while (try 1 hour but 15 minutes should suffice) then wipe and rinse.
If you've run out of citric acid for cleaning the toilet bowl (whole other post to come on that soon!) then try sodium percarbonate instead. Sprinkle between 2-6 tablespoons (we use 2, some folks recommend 6... you do you) around and down a wet toilet bowl (flush first), let it sit for an hour then scrub with a toilet brush and finish with a final flush.
Sodium percarbonate also works a treat when it comes to cleaning and de-smelling (is that a word?) kitchen cloths, sponges, mop heads and even cloth nappies. Simply add 1 tablespoon to hot water and soak the item(s) for 1 hour or so, then rinse and dry.
How To Store Sodium Percarbonate
When mixed with water, the paste or solution will only last about 6 hours so it's best to make a fresh solution or paste each time. Sodium percarbonate (in powder form) should be stored in a sealed container, at room temperature, and out of the reach of children and pets. We store ours in a large swing top jar.
