Flask Care

[jlo mein]

I'm curious to know what other people do to clean their flasks? I really don't know what to do as the opening is so small, I don't want to put soap in it because I can't scrub it out.

Do flasks need to be cleaned when they contain hard liquor?

[bryan]

I'm curious to know what other people do to clean their flasks?  I really don't know what to do as the opening is so small, I don't want to put soap in it because I can't scrub it out.

Do flasks need to be cleaned when they contain hard liquor?

←

Hi. We just use 100 proof vodka to clean our flask - seems to work just fine. Fill, let sit about ten minutes, pour vodka out and you're good to go.

[Graystone]

I'm curious to know what other people do to clean their flasks?  I really don't know what to do as the opening is so small, I don't want to put soap in it because I can't scrub it out.

Do flasks need to be cleaned when they contain hard liquor?

←

Hi. We just use 100 proof vodka to clean our flask - seems to work just fine. Fill, let sit about ten minutes, pour vodka out and you're good to go.

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if you really want to clean it without soap. just fill it with water and vingar. Shake it around and then rinse out really good. Also you could buy a bottle brush to clean it out. They should cost less then a dollar, and will be easy to find in any store.

[David McDuff]

It seems to me that, as long as your flask is made from a non-porous material, a good flush with piping hot water should be all that's necessary. Not much is likely to grow/live in an 80+ proof environment.... I'd be more worried about the lingering flavors or aromas of vinegar sullying the quality of the flask's next fill.

[Kent Wang]

Is it OK to store liquor in a metal flask for a week or two? I've heard that the alcohol leeches all kinds of nasty stuff out of the metal -- but that claim sounds pretty dubious to me.

[eje]

Is it OK to store liquor in a metal flask for a week or two? I've heard that the alcohol leeches all kinds of nasty stuff out of the metal -- but that claim sounds pretty dubious to me.

←

Aluminum and lead are bad. I believe some silvers contain larger portions of lead. Pewter, perhaps? If your flask is made of those things, don't leave liquor in them.

If it is solid stainless, no problems.

[KOK]

Is it OK to store liquor in a metal flask for a week or two? I've heard that the alcohol leeches all kinds of nasty stuff out of the metal -- but that claim sounds pretty dubious to me.

←

Aluminum and lead are bad. I believe some silvers contain larger portions of lead. Pewter, perhaps? If your flask is made of those things, don't leave liquor in them.

If it is solid stainless, no problems.

←

I agree with David (above) that very hot water is all you need to clean the flask.

And Erik is right that a stainless steel flask will not be a problem.

Though I've never had liquor in my flask for more than a few hours.

Kevin

[slkinsey]

Aluminum and lead are bad.

I would like to clarify this a bit.

Lead is bad because it is bad for your health.

Aluminum is bad because it makes your booze taste funny, not because it is bad for your health. Aluminum is the third most common element in the Earth's crust, so we're all taking in plenty of it every day.