# Help on cleaning an old whiskey bottle



## light rain

Every year before the grass and brush starts growing I walk in the woods close to our house and in the fall too, before it snows. I found an old whiskey bottle shaped like the Empire State Bldg. that I want to re-use for herbed vinegar. For the last several months I've tried soap and water, vinegar and hot water, Clorox and water but there is still a residue film inside the bottle. I bought a smaller brush but it only sorta works on the neck of the bottle.

Any suggestions? :shrug: Thanks.


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## Becka03

What about using a qtip ducktaped to a skewer? -
little soap and some creative manuvering- it might work?

I have used a qtip to clean the inside of a straw before- but if the bottle is taller than the qtip you would need to attach it to something- a wooden skewer would add length


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## mrs whodunit

I use citric acid to clean out bottles. I put in a tablespoon+ of citric acid, fill with warm water and let set for a day or at least overnight.


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## Saffy

I use to put sand in the bottle then add vinegar. Shake well. It works well on old bottles.


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## Belldandy

Good to know!


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## light rain

Thank you all for your quick replies. I will give them a try and see what happens!


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## 1shotwade

The grit of sand will work and vinegar helps remove any lime inside. You can also use salt in place of the sand.I also like to use a bottle brush wraped in a piece of brillo pad.


Wade


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## Becka03

Let us know how it works out for you!


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## light rain

I will let you'all know what the results are. I really want to get it clean to use because it's different looking and the fact that it survived laying out in the woods for over 30 or 40 years. I also found a pear wine bottle that I want to clean up too. Yep, I'm a confirmed trash picker since childhood...


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## Becka03

light rain said:


> I will let you'all know what the results are. I really want to get it clean to use because it's different looking and the fact that it survived laying out in the woods for over 30 or 40 years. I also found a pear wine bottle that I want to clean up too. Yep, I'm a confirmed trash picker since childhood...



Join the club - waste not want not!


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## RedDirt Cowgirl

Straight vinegar or straight ammonia, soak at least 24 hrs. Empty & fill 1/4 full of hot soapy water with a tablespoon of buckshot & shake shake shake. BB's work too.


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## pattycake

My husband made me a really cool cleaning swab. He took wire, doubled it and put strips of old towels on the end of it. I can swish and clean bottles (once I have had them soaking with vinegar). I love my old bottles and most of mine are small medicinal vials that my son found at a dump many years ago.


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## RedDirt Cowgirl

18 gauge copper wire is good to use (tie on strips from t-shirts too)- soft enough to bend before a bottle neck breaks.


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## tab

I read that a denture cleaning tablet helps.


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## light rain

Today I bought some citric acid in the canning section. Couldn't find any sand at Walmart. We may have some tube sand that we bought for the back of the pickups but got to check that out. 

The bottle is over 12 inches tall so it would be really difficult to manually clean it with brushes etc. I'll soak it 
tonight with the citric acid and see if that makes a difference. 
I used a small brush on the neck and that worked pretty good where I could make contact. Thank you all for all the suggestions!


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## light rain

Update, I've tried 2 attempts to clean the bottle. I put 2 T of citric acid in with hot water and left overnight. I shook it and dumped it but whatever is causing the areas of cloudiness didn't come out. Tried finding a small bag of sand at Home Depot and Walmart but didn't see any. I've lugged home 70 lbs. of tube sand in the past but not up to it at the end of winter.

I filled the bottle with 100% white vinegar last night and about 1/2 c. of cherrystone chicken grit. I thought I came up with a winner! No, the stuff is still in there. :hair

The next plan is 2 denture cleaning tabs and hot water overnight. Also I think I have a container of CLR that I could try. Ya know, I'm assuming this is lime but I really have no clue... :shrug:


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## Belldandy

light rain said:


> Update, I've tried 2 attempts to clean the bottle. I put 2 T of citric acid in with hot water and left overnight. I shook it and dumped it but whatever is causing the areas of cloudiness didn't come out. Tried finding a small bag of sand at Home Depot and Walmart but didn't see any. I've lugged home 70 lbs. of tube sand in the past but not up to it at the end of winter.
> 
> I filled the bottle with 100% white vinegar last night and about 1/2 c. of cherrystone chicken grit. I thought I came up with a winner! No, the stuff is still in there. :hair
> 
> The next plan is 2 denture cleaning tabs and hot water overnight. Also I think I have a container of CLR that I could try. Ya know, I'm assuming this is lime but I really have no clue... :shrug:


Could it be pitting? If that's the case, it could not be 'cleaned' per se.


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## light rain

You might me right about the pitting but when I could get my little finger down the neck I was able to remove some of the residue. The way the bottle is shaped with a tall, thin neck and a square bottom half it seems almost impossible to be able to scrub with a brush or pole with cloths attached. Well we'll see how the denture tabs work and if they don't, I'll try something else.


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## Belldandy

Hope the tabs work. If you could scrape stuff off with your fingernail, would a sculptor or dental tool work?


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## 1shotwade

Homesteading Today > General Homesteading Forums > Countryside Families
Reload this Page cleaning old mason jars
Try here.

Wade


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## mrs whodunit

light rain said:


> Update, I've tried 2 attempts to clean the bottle. I put 2 T of citric acid in with hot water and left overnight. I shook it and dumped it but whatever is causing the areas of cloudiness didn't come out. Tried finding a small bag of sand at Home Depot and Walmart but didn't see any. I've lugged home 70 lbs. of tube sand in the past but not up to it at the end of winter.
> 
> I filled the bottle with 100% white vinegar last night and about 1/2 c. of cherrystone chicken grit. I thought I came up with a winner! No, the stuff is still in there. :hair
> 
> The next plan is 2 denture cleaning tabs and hot water overnight. Also I think I have a container of CLR that I could try. Ya know, I'm assuming this is lime but I really have no clue... :shrug:


I am surprised the citric acid didn't work. Its how I clean our old bottles and vases, tea kettles and faucets.

Heck, at this rate you may not have a bottle anymore just the 'stuff' LOL


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## light rain

I've got straight CLR in it right now. Not all the way to the top but I'm going in and shaking it every so often. Tomorrow morning I'll dump it outside and see if all the residue is gone. I'm not giving up because the next couple of weeks to a month is prime time to go out scavenging for other bottles in the woods. :0) :dance:


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