How To Clean Shaker Bottles, Advice From a Personal Trainer

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If you’re like me, you probably have multiple shaker bottles at home and chilling out in your gym bag (hopefully not still full of protein because that smell will haunt you). As a longtime personal trainer, one of my biggest frustrations has been keeping my shaker bottles clean and preventing odors and bacteria from building.

If you’ve ever wondered how to clean shaker bottles, you’ve come to the right place. In this guide, I’ll give my top 10 tips for cleaning your shaker bottle before explaining the benefits. I’m confident you’ll have a cleaner, more pleasant-smelling shaker cup by the time we’re through.

Read on and let’s get shaking!

What Is A Shaker Bottle?

If you’ve ever had a post-workout protein shake, you’ve likely used a shaker bottle before. In the fitness scene, you can use shaker bottles to mix your protein shakes, the best meal replacement shakes, or other powdered supplements while on the go. This makes shaker bottles extremely convenient because you don’t need a blender or any other equipment—simply add the powder with water or milk, shake it, and start sipping on it.

A shaker bottle is generally made from hard plastic, but you can find stainless steel shaker bottles, too. The lid on a shaker bottle is leakproof, and there’s a spout that you can open and close. Inside the shaker bottle, you’ll see a stainless steel ball and a grate—the former helps to mix the powder and the liquid, while the latter stops clumps of powder from getting through and into your mouth.

10 Tips For Cleaning Your Shaker Bottle

Now that you know what a shaker bottle is, let’s get into the real reason why we’re here. Below are 10 tips for cleaning your shaker bottle:

1. Use Dish Soap and Hot Water

Your protein shaker bottle needs more than a quick rinse before the next use. It’s okay to do this every once in a while but to clean your bottle properly, you’ll want to use warm, soapy water. This will help to prevent bacteria from building up inside the bottle. You can soak the dirty shaker bottle with dish soap and warm water or use a dish sponge or a bottle brush to clean it.

2. Use a Dishwasher

If you have a shaker bottle that isn’t dishwasher safe, ignore this tip and move on to the next one. However, if your shaker bottle is dishwasher-friendly, make use of it. Unscrew the lid, remove the stainless steel ball and the grate, and put everything in your dishwasher. Dishwashers will deep clean your shaker bottle to a level that you can’t get by hand-washing (see above), so for me, there’s no better way to clean your shaker bottle.

3. Rinse It If You Can’t Wash It

There will be instances where you’re out and about and can’t wash your shaker bottle with dish soap and hot water or put it in the dishwasher straightaway. I get it—this is what shaker bottles were made for. Instead of leaving the remaining powder in the shaker bottle, rinse it out immediately. You’ll thank me for this later.

4. Baking Soda Might Be the Answer

After you’ve had your shaker bottle for some time, you may notice a funky odor. This is because BPA-free plastics can retain odors. To get rid of the smell, add one spoonful of baking soda and water to your shaker bottle and let it soak overnight. In the morning, give it a thorough wash, and then add your best whey protein powder. Trust me—it’ll be like a brand-new shaker bottle.

5. White Vinegar Does the Same Job

If you don’t have baking soda at home, don’t stress. White vinegar does the same job because it’s a natural disinfectant that breaks down odors and residue. Pour a mixture of half white vinegar and half water into your shaker bottle, shake it, and let it sit overnight. Then—like the tip above—clean it thoroughly before using it.

6. Use Pipe Cleaners for Hard To Reach Places

Washing your shaker bottle with dish soap and boiling water or putting it in the dishwasher is a great way to eliminate bacteria. However, hard-to-reach places such as the grooves of your lid and spout can retain residue. To clean this, use a pipe cleaner or straw cleaner. You don’t need to do this every time you clean but get into the habit of doing it every so often.

7. Use Coffee Grounds or Vanilla Extract for a More Pleasant Smell

If your protein bottle has been in your gym bag for months and smells weird, you can use coffee grounds or vanilla extract to eliminate odors. With the former, put coffee grounds in the bottle with the flip cap closed and leave it overnight. With the latter, you’ll want to follow the same steps, but you’ll need paper towels to spray the vanilla extract onto.

8. Drink Your Shake Right Away

Once you’ve added liquid to your shaker bottle and mixed it, drink it immediately. If you’re not planning to drink it immediately, don’t add liquid. Yes, there may be some instances where this isn’t possible, but try to avoid storing your shakes in your shaker bottle for too long. This can help to prevent odors and residue from building up.

9. Let It Air Dry Completely

This hack is more for after you’ve cleaned your shaker cup, but it’s important to include because a wet shaker bottle may result in mold or bacteria growing inside it. Once washed, place your shaker bottle on a drying rack and let it air dry completely. To speed up the process, use paper towels or a drying cloth.

10. Buy a New Shaker Bottle

If all else fails, buy a new shaker bottle. Yes, I appreciate that I’m here to give tips on cleaning your current shaker bottle, but if it’s stinky after months or years of use, it’s better to replace it. There are many great options on Amazon, or you can check out our review on the Ice Shaker Blender Bottle.

Benefits Of Cleaning Your Shaker Bottle

Keeping your shaker bottle clean can have many benefits, including keeping you healthy and safe from bacteria and giving you better peace of mind by knowing there isn’t a rogue shaker cup stinking up your car or gym bag. Let me elaborate:

Stops Bacteria and Mold From Growing

If bacteria and mold grow inside your shaker cup, this can pose health risks¹ and make your drink taste unpleasant. Examples of mold-related health risks² include infections, allergic reactions, respiratory issues, and more. This is obviously the last thing that you want. Regularly cleaning your shaker bottle should help to prevent this from occurring.

A More Pleasant Smell

Bad smells can put you off anything, which is certainly the case when it comes to your shaker bottle. You can keep it smelling pleasant by regularly cleaning it with hot water and dish soap or putting it in the dishwasher. Or, you can go a step further and use coffee grounds or vanilla extract to improve the odor.

Improves the Taste of Your Shakes

When you take a sip of your favorite protein shake, you want it to taste good. You’ve spent a lot of money on it! Keeping your shaker bottle clean helps your shakes taste how they’re meant to, rather than tasting of what was previously in there (or worse, tasting moldy).

How To Clean Shaker Bottles: Final Thoughts

Shaker bottles are everywhere in the fitness scene, regardless of whether they’re being used for protein shakes, meal replacement shakes, other powdered supplements, or even water. That said, the benefits of cleaning shaker cups include the prevention of bacteria and mold, a more pleasant smell, and an improved taste.

Here are a few things to remember:

Use dish soap and hot water or put it in the dishwasher
Always rinse it out
Try baking soda or white vinegar for a deep clean
Use pipe cleaners for hard-to-reach places
Coffee grounds or vanilla extract may help improve an unpleasant aroma
Try to drink your shake right away
Allow your cup to air dry after cleaning
If all else fails, just buy a new shaker bottle

How To Clean Shaker Bottles: FAQs

How often should you wash your shaker bottle?

I would suggest that you wash your shaker bottle after each use. If you’re only using it as a water bottle, you can clean it every two or three times you use it. For everything else—protein shakes or meal replacement shakes, for example—you’ll want to wash them every time to prevent residue and bacteria from building inside.

RELATED: Best Running Water Bottle

How do you get mold out of a shaker bottle?

To get mold out of a shaker bottle, first, wash it two or three times with dish soap and hot water. If your shaker cup is dishwasher-friendly, you can put it in the dishwasher instead.

If this doesn’t work and the mold’s still there, soak it overnight with baking soda or white vinegar. With the former, you’ll want one spoonful of baking soda and water, and with the latter, you’ll want a mixture of half water and half white vinegar. In the morning, wash your shaker bottle thoroughly before using it again.

If everything above fails, consider buying a new shaker bottle. Mold in a shaker bottle can pose several health risks and may cause your protein shakes to taste unpleasant.

Can I use bleach to clean my shaker bottle?

Yes, you can use bleach to clean your shaker bottle, but this isn’t something I’ve done myself because I don’t like the smell. If you use bleach, you only need a teaspoon of it with plenty of water. Pour the mixture into your shaker bottle, shake it, and let it sit for 30 minutes. Then, wash your bottle with dish soap and warm water to remove the bleach.

How do you get the rotten smell out of a shaker?

There are several ways to get the rotten smell out of a shaker. Start by either washing it with dish soap and warm water or putting it in the dishwasher. If the smell remains, add one spoon of baking soda and water to your shaker bottle and let it soak overnight. If you don’t have baking soda, don’t stress—you can use a mixture of equal parts of water and white vinegar instead.

Another option is to use coffee grounds or vanilla extract to give your shaker bottle a more pleasant smell. Although this won’t eliminate all rotten odors, it should help make them more tolerable.

References

Silveira, Matheus & Scudese, Estevão & Senna, Gilmar & Ferreira, Ana & Dantas, Estélio & Ribeiro, Luiz & Alvares, Alessandra & Garcia, Patrícia. (2018). Microbial Contamination in Shaker Bottles among Members of Fitness Centers. Journal of Exercise Physiology Online. 21. 134-142.
Cleveland Clinic. (2024b, August 15). Your Water Bottle May Be Growing Mold: Here’s How To Prevent It. Cleveland Clinic. https://health.clevelandclinic.org/mold-in-water-bottle

Ravi Davda, CPT

Ravi Davda is a qualified personal trainer and health and fitness writer. After graduating, Ravi worked in retail banking for a number of years before deciding that corporate life wasn't for him. He went through a major weight loss journey in his 20s which lead him to this career path. Ravi now works as a digital marketing freelancer, and loves lifting weights, traveling, and spending time with his wife and dog.

How To Clean Shaker Bottles: Prevent Stinky Odors and Bacteria With Our 10 Expert Tips