Washing Bottles

[englishmick]

I got into a routine with juice. I keep the juice in 15ml dropper bottles to fill tanks from. About a dozen, one for each of the flavors I use and the occasional experiment. Then I have 30 or 60ml bottles of each flavor on a shelf to fill the droppers from.

For the flavors I use regularly I don't wash the bottles. When the large bottles get empty I fill them up with the same flavor without cleaning them. Never clean the dropper bottles either.

Maybe I should clean them from time to time. Is there any kind of build up that could hurt the flavor or be unhealthy? Anyone have thoughts on this?

 

[retired1]

As long as you're using the same flavors, I don't see an issue with it. Perhaps a rinse every now and then to get the old juice completely out, but other than that, press on if it's working with no adverse affects in taste.

 

[Rin13]

Doubtful... I've never heard or read anything... but if you're overly concerned just wash them out with hot water before you make another batch.

 

[DaveP]

As long as you're using the same flavors, I don't see an issue with it. Perhaps a rinse every now and then to get the old juice completely out, but other than that, press on if it's working with no adverse affects in taste.

Good point. Some here swear by mixing in the same bottle when there's 10% of the (same) old liquid left to hasten steeping.

 

[IDJoel]

Some here swear by mixing in the same bottle when there's 10% of the (same) old liquid left to hasten steeping.

I was thinking about "seed steeping" too as I was reading this thread. I believe that @dannyv45 and others have mentioned that this has an practical limitation of 3 to 4 times (?) and then starts to have reduced effectiveness; and they find it is better to start over with a completely fresh batch (hopefully Danny, or another seed steeper, will correct me if I am full of hooey). I have no idea how this relates to your question of bottle washing but something to think about.

In general I share the previous opinions; as long as it taste the same I wouldn't worry about it. If you are concerned; it won't hurt anything to give them a good rinse either. I can procrastinate with the best of them, and have had both plastic and glass bottle sit around for months (even a couple of needle bottles that I forgot about that went for a year and a half) before I got around to rinsing them out, and have never seen anything "grow." The plastic might become stained with a dark mix, or take on an odor of a particularly strong scent, but I have never seen anything funky form.

 

[DaveP]

I was thinking about "seed steeping" too as I was reading this thread. I believe that @dannyv45 and others have mentioned that this has an practical limitation of 3 to 4 times (?) and then starts to have reduced effectiveness; and they find it is better to start over with a completely fresh batch (hopefully Danny, or another seed steeper, will correct me if I am full of hooey). I have no idea how this relates to your question of bottle washing but something to think about.

In general I share the previous opinions; as long as it taste the same I wouldn't worry about it. If you are concerned; it won't hurt anything to give them a good rinse either. I can procrastinate with the best of them, and have had both plastic and glass bottle sit around for months (even a couple of needle bottles that I forgot about that went for a year and a half) before I got around to rinsing them out, and have never seen anything "grow." The plastic might become stained with a dark mix, or take on an odor of a particularly strong scent, but I have never seen anything funky form.

I'm in my first cycle for seed steeping on a test bottle of Hangsen Tobacco Blended that just doesn't seem to steep into a real tobacco flavor without help.

@dannyv45 was my source for that. I have one bottle seed steeping now. I just added some MFS 10% TA to enhance the tobacco flavor.

 

[Darth Omerta]

I reuse just about all my bottles. Even the empty concentrate bottles get reused. I wash them, rinse them, soak them in very diluted USP alcohol, another very good rinse in warm water, and let them dry overnight.

 

[leftyandsparky]

I never wash mine, but I only do 1 flavor! I haven't noticed anything if that helps.

 

[Alien Traveler]

Sometimes (rarely) I rinse my bottles with PG, usually if they were left empty for a month or so.