Helped a bit, but sometimes that hint of “old salad dressing” just won’t quit. Maybe it’s just me?
You’re definitely not the only one. My metal bottle went through a phase where it smelled like...rancid Italian dressing, and nothing seemed to touch it. I got kinda obsessive and tried this step-by-step thing:
1) Boil water (like, really hot, not just warm), pour it in and let it sit for an hour.
2) Dump that out, then fill with a mix of 1:3 white vinegar to water. Shake it around, let it soak for a couple hours (or overnight if you’re brave).
3) Rinse, then toss in a few tablespoons of baking soda with more hot water. It’ll fizz up—let that sit too.
I still caught a whiff after all that, but once I left the bottle open to air dry for a whole day (sunny window helps), the smell finally faded. Weird how some odors just cling on...maybe it’s something about the rubber seals or those tiny crevices in the lid? I get anxious about bacteria too, so I probably overdo it with the cleaning sometimes.
If you ever figure out a magic trick for this, please share. Until then, I guess we just live with “eau de vinaigrette” every now and then.