Your brand new SodaStream machine just arrived and you’re getting ready to make your first homemade soda. You’re excited to start saving money and maintain your soda addiction without producing any more waste.
Before you start making your own soda, stop and make sure you know how to take proper care of your SodaStream machine. These machines are pretty durable but anything can break down. The bottles should also be cleaned properly on a regular basis to make sure you don’t end up mixing flavors by accident.
How to Clean a SodaStream
Luckily the SodaStream machine is actually pretty easy to clean. All you have to do is remove the CO2 canister and wipe the machine carefully with a soft, damp cloth. The water you use should be lukewarm. You shouldn’t need anything other than water to keep your SodaStream machine clean.
How to Clean SodaStream Bottles
How you clean the bottle depends on what kind of bottle your SodaStream machine came with. If you chose one of the models that uses glass carafes, you’re one of the lucky ones. The glass carafes are designed to be easily washed and they’re even dishwasher friendly.
If the model you chose came with plastic bottles you’re not so lucky. The SodaStream plastic bottles are designed to last for three years, but they aren’t dishwasher friendly. Since they’re shaped like normal pop bottles, they’re not easy to clean either.
If you’ve been using the bottle purely for sparkling water and you haven’t used it many times, you can probably get away with a blitz clean. Start by filling the bottle halfway with water and tip it out. Do this a couple times to make sure the bottle is thoroughly rinsed, then fill it 75% with water, close it, and shake it vigorously. Empty it again and rinse it one last time.
By now the water coming from your tap should be scalding hot. Rinse your bottle cap thoroughly and get back to making soda.
If you’ve been using the bottle for a while or you let it dry out with SodaStream residue still in the bottom, you’ll want to do a full clean. This is very similar to the blitz cleaning process but a little more intense and involves using dish soap.
To start, fill your bottle with hot, soapy water and pour it out. Fill it again and this time screw on the cap. Shake the bottle vigorously for a few minutes and pour most of the water out. You can scrub the bottle now if you really want to, but it should be fine if you shake the remainder of the soapy mixture around a bit more and pour it out.
You’ll want to make sure you rinse thoroughly with extremely hot water. Nobody likes soapy soda and too much soapy residue can even reduce the amount of fizz you’re able to put in your next drink.
Conclusion
The most difficult part of maintaining your SodaStream machine in perfect combination will probably be resisting the urge to carbonate everything but water. Cleaning the machine is extremely simple and while cleaning the BPA free plastic bottles isn’t quite as easy, it’s a fairly simple process that won’t take up much of your day.
Can you suggest the best way to get rid of stains left behind in the soda stream bottles, especially after orange flavoured soda.
Hey Noel! Your best best is try using a bit of lemon juice to remove stains. It can sometimes work better than soap because it’s more acidic. Avoid using bleach as it can damage the bottle.
It’s also a good idea to clean the grooves of the cap and bottle with a toothbrush. I find they inside of to be the dirtiest part, because it’s the hardest to clean (and your method won’t actually clean it).
I have the same problem… the caps get gross! I feel lime i need to somehow remove the rubber ring on the inside of thecap to thoroughly clean under it but I haven’t been able to. Any advise?
The caps are dishwasher safe and that can get the mold that gets under the gasket and into the grooves.
Hi Julie! We broke down and tried to carbonate white wine. Ugh, what a mess! Now I need to know if I can submerge it in water to get it really clean. Do you know if that will hurt it?
Oh no! I’ve never tried submerging one before so I’m not sure what would happen. Since there aren’t any electrical components, my gut says it’s ok, but I can’t say for sure!
Hi Christy! We made the same mistake and I was wondering if you tried submerging it in water? Did it worked? Thanks!
Haha! I did the same! Not a champagne maker!
Insane mess
Maybe next time just carbonate some water to add to the wine 🍷 It says right in the booklet to only carbonate water.
Hi, I recently purchased a sodastream at Goodwill for $4 (go me!).
How do I remove all of the previous owner(s)’ mouth germs from the plastic soda stream bottle?
Is there anything else I should watch out for with a pre-owned soda stream machine?
Great find! Aside from dish soap, you could try cleaning it with a hot water and vinegar solution. Vinegar is very good at removing stains and odors.
I bought my soda stream off of OfferUp. I cleaned the machine with Clorox wipes and water. It came with a couple bottles, but I played it safe and bought new bottles.
At the nozzle where the carbon comes out of, is a little clogged. Is there a way to remove and clean inside that nozzle cause its barely coming through?
I’ve gotten a 10lb tank with an adapter I’m having trouble I push down the button I got a good rush of co2 but it Peters out to soon is there a ajustment to it
The best bottle cleaning solution is…Vinegar! Fill bottles 1/2 full with vinegar then warm tap water to 2/3 full, close and shake vigorously. Let stand overnight. Then thoroughly rinse with warm water. Continue as usual. Most store vinegar is 5% acetic acid which is more than potent enough to remove all residues and funky tastes but harmless to gasket seal in cap. Have 6 bottles. Use two full ones each day for 5 years. Yeah, this works!
I have three soda stream bottles and two machines! We love it!! It has been about two years now we have been using the machines and bottles. I have rinsed the bottles each time I have used them….with warms soapy water as recommended. Lately, I have noticed a foul smell coming from the bottle lids. As hard as I have tried, I can not seem to remove the plastic o-ring to clean under it. Should I just do away with the bottles? Or can I purchase new bottle lids?
The inside of my plastic bottles has a cloudy residue that doesn’t come off with soapy water. Any ideas?
I’m really not clear on whether you can carbonate other than just plain water. The directions / instructions aren’t clear or I am missing something. If I put essential oils in can I do it before or after carbonation?
Officially you shouldn’t carbonate anything other than plain water with a SodaStream (but sometimes people do it anyway). If you are adding essential oils, I would do it after you carbonate the water.
Have you guys ever tried cleaning the black rubber washer around the nozzle? (the part that encloses your bottle opening when you carbonate) I just tried wiping it with a paper towel and is a dark black residue that comes off! No matter how many times I wipe, it’s still there. It’s like it part of the rubber that just keeps coming off.
I’m concerned about this and am wondering if it’s nomal
How do you get mold out of the bottom? I bought a bottle brush but bristles were too soft. Tried vinegar and baking soda and various other things, no go.